So I got it today and the case of all things is fantastic! Its cardboard as opposed to some cheap plastic, and contains some postcards which although serve no practical use (Happy Birthday!) have some fantastic artwork on them.

The inside covers got a huge snake with the background bleached out and the guy riding his horse beneath, and the introduction to the story is bordering on the poetic ("The journey here was long...Wanda has travelled for many moons to arrive at this place, a strange temple in the middle of a desolate land...a voice speaks from the heavens...the first voice he has heard in a long time"). The artwork shows a world with a haunting beauty, and the lighting looks brilliant.

Before even playing the game I'm getting the feeling of loneliness, resolve and of isolation this guy must feel, looking at him place the girl (presumeably his lover) on the stone steps of a huge, daunting temple.

This is the only game to involve me before I put the disc into the drive, apart from Morrowind. I have a good feeling about this game :)

Lots to say so I'll summarise.

May 12th-June 12th

Exam period with revision inbetween. I'm 16 and in the UK so it was GSCE's.

June 13th-June 27th

Work experience. One week at solicitors in London (alright; great people and saw a case in London Old Bailey, the paperwork was awful).

Other week at Merril Lynch investment bank; awesome. Sat with traders, watched them um trade on the stockmarket (shares and one guy derivatives ; swaps if i remember), talked to lawyers, did a project on Tanzania and its potential investments (mining, infrastructure) and did a crazy maths model to create a bell curve which is what the stockmarket as a whole looks like over one day or something.

June 27th - July 4th

Scout camp; I help out here as a leader so we survival camped in woods in natural shelters, gave lessons on first aid and firelighting etc and then beasted the 15 year olds around Dorset on a 24 hours hike and survival game. Did coasteering (climb cliffs, jump into sea).

July 4th - July 28th

2 weeks at home. Saw people, played games, watched movies and read books.

GAMES: Warcraft 3 and Throzen Frone, Eternal Darkness, FFX, started The Witcher, bought but not played Shadow of the colossus and God of War.

FILMS: Lots of Ingmar Bergman, HEAT, Godfather 1 & 2, Full metal jacket, Platoon...too many to list actually. Deathnote series too.

BOOKS: The Great Gatsby, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Book Thief, The Cold War, A History Of the Middle East (started) and Shadow of the Silk Road (half read).

July 28th - August 30th

Ecuador: really amazing. 5 days in Quito, then off to a reserve in the rainforest called Bilsa. 9 hour trek through mud; actually the worst day of my life (it was always at least shin deep, some through the dark and one guy collapsed due to low glucose levels).

At Bilsa: pathbuilding, machete work in banana plantations (really fun; brought 3 back to england), carrying palm wood from forest to reserve, digging toilets (we had a mud wrestle in the bottom of the 2 metre pit) and changing water tanks. Also hiked one day through forest, the other 2 down rivers and waterfalls (many pairs of contact lenses may be in the Ecuadorian sea by now :P ).

Met Antonio (a pirate who gave me his cutlass), Uli (dirty but amusing German guy who was on military service) and Antonio (reserve leader: did NOT shut up...ever).

Then white water rafting: flipped boat twice, swam a lot especially through rapids. Grade 3 water so not too bad but still rough and choppy.

Then 2 weeks hiking. It was like the Peak District on steroids. Got up Coroson (4800m) no problem, ilinizas (5150) fine but tired as we woke up to climb at 4am, and not Cotopaxi due to terrible weather. Really worth the experience though of pushing myself to my actual limit, and I'm pretty damn fit too atm.

Flew home with 200 cigarettes (make me 50£: I don't smoke) 3 machetes and a few pirate dvds in my bag.

August 31st - Wed 3rd September

Got my results back: rather hesitant to post as people get the wrong idea but I got straight grades so that's great. Seeing friends now until school on Wednesday.

6th form options: English Literature, Early Modern History, Philosophy, Politics.

And that, as they say, is that :)

I'll post a blog on my summer soon: it has been SO busy so sorry for not commenting on blogs, forum etc, but I have had like 11 weeks holiday, and only 3 of which at home.

Jetlagged atm, so give me some time.

Hd.

Favourite Game Environments

This post may border on the poetic: just so you're warned of how much I was immersed in some of these game environments. I'm sure you have your own favourites: these were some that just popped into my head.

Westfall, WoW.

Certainly my favourite game environment ever. The golden colours of the crops and soil extending down cliffs into sand before being broken up by the sea, and the blue, cloudless sky with vultures soaring overhead really captured my imagination. The lazy music, the farmhouses, the haunted goldmine giving the title to the first dungeon in the game (for me), the fact when I was playing it was summer and the fact it started to feel like I was progressing in the World of Warcraft really all added up to a stunning environment to play inn. Azeroth beats Outland hands down in every game area, and to me Westfall is its highlight.

Arcadia, Bioshock.

I can sympathise with criticism of Bioshock on anything but atmosphere. I locked myself away from the world for two days playing this game and I was hooked. Rapture was such a tragic place: like the lives of the people who once lived there, it was falling apart. The fact nature took over in Arcadia, overgrowing the human objects such as benches and stairs, really made me think about the idiocy of Ryan's attempts to defy nature. There were parts in the game that made me stop and think: the part when the couple dance in Cohen's apartment, the audiotape labelled "The Iceman Cometh" and the scene where the mad doctor talks to Aphrodite and the waves. But stepping into Arcadia for the first time...that was really something. An explosion of colour hid the fact this was a place where the citizens of Rapture would at one time relax, and now haunt, clinging to memories and it's beauty.

The Bitter Coast, Morrowind.

There's a haunting beauty about the coastal scenery in Morrowind. Huge mushrooms towering into the sky, swamps with beautiful flowers rising out of the depths. Turn a corner and an ancestral tomb could stand before you, torches burning. I chose the Bitter Coast because as it's the first region you enter. Imagine stepping out of the registration offices into the game world for the first time, and seeing the sea, the marsh, the trees...Seyda Neen, the first village in Morrowind, is truly inspirational as is the geography that surrounds it.

Greatwood, Fable.

What is a fable? To me it's a genre of a story: a fairytale. And no other game captures this quite as brilliantly as Fable. Greatwood, with its music, its bright colours and its artistic charm captures what to me made fable great: the atmosphere. I hadn't felt this immersed in a game since Morrowind (Xbox didn't have masses of RPG's) and I liked other elements of the game less, throughout the game Lionhead Studios always made me feel like I was playing inside a fairytale. Hope the same goes for the sequel.

The Galaxy Map, Mass Effect

Not a playable environment as such, but OH GOD loading up the map for the first time and hearing that music, and realising I could go off and explore the galaxy: it all felt so Sci Fi. Brilliant.

Route Kanal, Half Life 2

Not so sure what makes me pick this one really. Perhaps the originality of using a canal system as a level, but I think it's more the fact it captured city 17 so brilliantly. It felt familiar to a city in 2008, yet with the subtle twist that an alternate reality needs. I just have to recommend playing this one really: it's hard for me to explain for admiration for its artistic design and atmosphere.

Langhuishan, Guilin, Shenmue 2

After the ports and bustle of the city of Hong Kong, and the apartment blocks and dirt of Kowloon, this place was a great contrast. Walking through the woods, sitting by the river, heading over mountains and under waterfalls...escapism. I remember feeling a burning need to visit the place in real life: maybe some day I will.

Yes... its Frank Sinatra.

Specifically "Strangers in the night": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAEQzVv_Itc.

I think I've watched too much Orson Welles and like Humphrey Bogart too much. Ah well.

I'm into pretty much anything musically just not mainstream pop, so feel free to recommend any new music to me.

And I promise my next blog will be games related :)

I thought I'd fit the trend and make my own list.

10. I Robot

I can't say why this film sucked me in so much, but I thought the atmosphere was fantastic, and I have to admit I think Will Smith was excellent. Although not hugely original I found it fascinating the question how would humanity survive of our machines turned against us. Reminded me of Mass Effect and the Quarian Geth relationship.

9. The Shawshank Redemption

I like the relationship between Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in the film, and the fact that it shows the darker side of prison life, as well as the prospect of realising you have to sit in prison for years of your life, years wasted, and all the thoughts that would come with that free time. I liked the plot twist too, as well as the film in general. Sometimes its hard to place what you liked about a film, but I know I found this film enjoyable.

8. Full Metal Jacket

I watched this yesterday and ... wow. "You can walk the walk but can you talk the talk" is but one of the quotes I picked up from this film that have become commonplace in society. To add I was impressed how it showed the darker side to the military: the indoctrination, the "Section 8's", the "far away look" soldiers get in Vietnam and war in general from seeing too much combat and the point the film raises about how nobody wanted the American's in Vietnam, and they saw their friends die for a useless cause, only to be criticised as soon as the war turned bad. Thought provoking.

7. Apocalypse Now

I've read heart of Darkness and found Copella adapted the film very well. Don't go into this thinking its a film about war, its not. It explores the darker side of human nature, and captures fear and suspense brilliantly. To add the introduction with "The End" by "The Doors" and the helicopter's dropping napalm is fantastic and then merging into the present in the character's head and with the fan blades spinning is fantastic. It goes to show for a soldier the war carries on fighting in your head even though the conflict has ended. Contemporary and relevant even now, especially with retired or wounded war veterans in Iraq suffering from PTS.

6. House Of Flying Daggers

Something about the film was beautiful. The relationship between the girl and the guy, the scenery, the music...of course the action was fantastic, but I felt this film was more about the relationship between the three main characters then about action. Thoughtful and emotional, I recommend watching it.

5. The Sixth Sense

The twist...wow. i didn't see that coming. Intelligent and frightening, you have to watch it. Very well directed too.

4. Gladiator

I have seen this film so many times. The soundtrack is brilliant, the acting perfect and the directing during the fighting is clear and realistic. Commodus if a fascinating character, like somebody out of Shakespeare, and his character faults and downfall are in many ways tragic and touching, as is their impact on Maximus.

The film is very well written too: one quote that sticks in my mind is

"Commodus: If you're very good, tomorrow night I'll tell you the story of emperor Claudius who was betrayed by those closest to him, by his own blood. They whispered in dark corners and went out late at night and conspired and conspired but the emperor Claudius knew they were up to something. He knew they were busy little bees. And one night he sat down with one of them and he looked at her and he said, "Tell me what you've been doing busy little bee or I shall strike down those dearest to you. You shall watch as I bathe in their blood." And the emperor was heartbroken. The little bee had wounded him more deeply than anyone else could ever have done. And what do you think happened then, Lucius?
Lucius Verus: I don't know, uncle.
Commodus: The little bee told him everything.

The music, the candles, the look of fear on the boy and his mother's face and Commodus' mad grin...haunting.

3. Once upon a time in America

I loved the feel of this film. Sometimes, possibly due to its length, I think the Godfather is seen as better. I disagree and I found it fascinating watching the change in American history and culture and the impact it had on the boys you see as they grow up into adulthood and old age. Again I can only recommend you watch the film, as apart from the fact the acting is brilliant, its really something you have to see as opposed to describe. The shot of the changing Brooklyn Bridge sticks in my mind particularly.

2. Casablanca

Timeless: I loved the feel to this film, I loved the period setting, and I loved the acting. The story is brilliant and the film captures the romance and relationship between Rick and Ilsa brilliantly. Just watch it and you'll understand what I mean abut the atmosphere. It also seems a very cool film despite the fact it was made in the 40's: the hats, the suits, the jazz etc.

1. 2001: A space odyssey

My favourite Kubrick film. I just love how philosophical the film is. I think directors these days aren't nearly so imaginative and groundbreaking as they could be: Kubrick really puts a lot of questions out there. I also like how the film is split into four distinct sections each with a point: Man's reverence for God and the divine, man's evolution and independence but his dependence on his tools, man's loss of use of his tools and man's eventual victory over them and enlightenment to something more.

If you watch the film for the first time, then make sure you check out an analysis as some bits you couldn't pick up by yourself. Like when the astronaut heads into space: yes space is large and daunting, and man in comparison is small and insignificant, but the breathing as the only sound effect highlights something more: man, in space, is like a fish out of water. Hence his reliance on H.A.L, which will eventually turn against him. Anyway a lot of points crammed into one fantastic movie. A definite must see.

Notable mentions: The Seventh Seal, Pi: Faith in Chaos, Alien, Aliens, The Usual suspects, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Being John Malkovich, 12 Monkeys, Donnie Darko and all the other films I've watched but have forgotten about.

For my first blog I think I'll post something dramatic. It is an original thought as far as I'm concerned, seeing as I thought it independently, however I have realised now that there is a philosophical debate about it. Ah well.

We all live inside a video game. Let me explain why...bear with me.

The Sims

Everyone must have played the Sims at some point. You control a family, which you create yourself. You build them a house, and control their lives. You tell them what jobs to take, when to eat, when to shower, who to love. You are in control of their lives.

So what? I mean it's not like there is any difference between us and The Sims...is there? Well for a start the people in the Sims have not got free thought. Descartes said "I think therefore I am". Let's keep things simple and assume they are not conscious, therefore are not real.

The Matrix

So the Sims are not like us. I mean they are just strings of 0 and 1, fragments of data put together by a computer and developer.

Remember the strings of data that run down the computer screen in the Matrix. Well, if we are to take the Matrix philosophy, we live inside a virtual world or matrix anyway.

Pi

I doubt many of you have seen this film: it's about a brilliant if flawed mathematician who by accident while looking for an equation to predict the pattern of the stock exchange, runs into the number of God. The main quote I use is this: "Restate my assumptions.

1. Mathematics is the language of nature
2. Everything around us can be represented and understood through numbers
3. If you graph the numbers of any system patterns emerge. Therefore there are patterns in nature".

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsrg5u48wG8)

Now I can hardly base the main argument of this idea on a cult film albeit a very good one. However you would have to be insane to deny that mathematics does seem, like the film states, to govern the universe. Newton didn't just prove gravity by saying "Yep, an apple fell on my head downwards, and that's due to the force of gravity". I'm 16 so my Physics isn't great, but I do know that when you get into university, whether its Maths or Physics, a huge amount of the subject revolves less around theory more around numbers.

You can disagree with me if you like, but I think it's safe to assume with patterns in Maths such as the golden ratio, and mathematics use in Physics of proving some of the secrets of the universe like black holes etc that our world could be said, at its most fundamental level, to be made up of numbers. Whether God put them there, or they were there anyway is your decision, but everything is made due to numbers. The molecules in your body, the air you breathe, and the reason why the sun burns and gives us energy are all at the most basic level due to Maths.

So if our world is made up of numbers, then what's the difference between us and the data in a video game. Hint: it was in the Sims; free thought.

2001: A Space Odyssey

Hal develops from man's machine to an individual entity. He also very nearly kills man, and it takes man's cunning and originality to overcome the machine. That's a basic analogy of part of what that film is trying to say: now what if the people in The Sims developed consciousness. What if technology in 500 years time allowed them to do this? What if it was no longer you telling them to go to bed, or take a shower, but them making the choice for themsleves?

Would they realise that they weren't real, that somebody was looking through a monitor at them, that the world around them was simulated: just a string of data... of numbers???

Would you?

Spore

Finally I thought I'd tease you with this. Even if the above were possible, in The Sims the family live in the 21st century, in a house, in a neighbourhood and nothing more.

Well in Spore you can play God; you create the planet, the organisms, you guide them through the food chain into a civilisation, and then from their planet into space.

So what if human beings are just a custom built race in a game called Spore 2, a game developed by a race not so dissimilar from ours, with the intention to provide entertainment for customers?

It would make a lousy videogame in my opinion, but can you really prove reality? That we are not characters in a videogame, controlled by a player. Playing Solid Snake this morning I thought: "Poor guy: he doesn't know he's not real".

Well: do I?