Thoughts: Escapism

Video games are looked down upon by so many. Sure, it may have racked in more money than any other form of entertainment in the last several years, and the Wii has been seen in more homes than Blu-Ray players, but that doesn't mean games and gamers have lost the bad rap they get. It's viewed as a horrible waste of time as well as money, a terrible addiction, and, for people that refuse to put blame on parents that don't raise their children properly, a source for violent behavior.

What they're not seeing is the "good" side to video games. Video games aren't just a fun activity to some people. They're not just a hobby and they're not just a time waster to some of us. Some people use it as a job, some people use it as a teaching tool. But most importantly, some of us use video games to escape.

Just think: that could be YOU...

Work is stressful. Family and friends can be, too. But not everyone can just jump in a car and get away, or find a way to get rid of their everyday stress. That's where video games come in - sound like bullshit? It really isn't, and it's not as sad as you might think.

Think of all the places you can go without ever leaving; the Mushroom Kingdom, Azeroth, Liberty City, Hyrule, Robotropolis, Guardia, the Underworld, Kanto, Willamette Parkview Mall, Midgar, Dracula's Castle... That's just a few places. They're different from our dull, drab, boring every day lives, and that's why we visit them so often.

Ram riding?! What's NOT to love?!

Many people look at World of Warcraft players, for example, including other gamers, and degrade them as worthless addicts. Nerds without lives or friends. However, not only is this a terrible lie (as the MMO world they're in is much more social than nearly any game on any console), but many of those players find the vast world of Azeroth as an escape. Leaving their own world and all of its stress behind, they have many options that other games don't offer, such as fighting, making friends, fishing, learning professions such as mining and tailoring, making money, forming groups to take out large mobs or huge bosses, collecting pets, riding mounts, exploring, and more. It's no wonder why its players are so involved; there's TOO much to do NOT to.

It's the same reason why when a Zelda game is released people disappear. Everyone wants to play and explore and see what tools they can get or how many rupees they can collect, as well as smite evil and save the day. Zelda and Final Fantasy are two of the best examples of console or non-MMO games that people become addicted to. It's because the worlds become so vast it's easy to lose yourself in them; to feel as though you are a part of that world, and to help you forget about what troubles you in every day life.

Yeah, I can't wait...

As for me, I plan on getting lost in the far-away land of Toronto once Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is released. Being able to escape my ordinary life to fight alongside Scott, Ramona, Kim, and Steven Stills, to fight seven evil exes, to collect money and rock out... Between the beat-em-up style gameplay, the retro look and style of pixel art, the classic sounds of the chiptune songs (done by Anamanaguchi, at that), and the wonderful story of the Scott Pilgrim comics, I doubt I can hold out for the XBox Live Arcade release of the game.

Perhaps it's not the worlds one gets lost in, though. Some people relieve their stress by escaping to music. Be it the instrumental style of Rock Band, the dancing style of Dance Dance Revolution or Pump it Up, or the technical style of beatmania, many lose themselves in creating music, dancing to it, or going on a tour with their friends to become a world famous plastic band. Likewise, other people may run away to get lost in thought. Games like Tetris, Picross, Columns, Puzzle Fighter, and others can steal our time from us, too. This may be because we find ourselves focusing our thoughts on how to clear jewels or destroy lines of blocks as opposed to thinking about our problems.

Who knew dropping blocks could be so involving?

I can't say I condone getting so absorbed into a game that your problems don't get resolved. If you have money issues, playing a game until after the payment due date won't fix anything. Likewise, playing WoW or Mario Kart or Chrono Trigger to avoid a spouse will not only upset them further, but may get you into more trouble than its worth. But what many non-gamers, politicians, and jackasses (Bill O'Reilly, I'm looking at you) don't realize is that gaming is a hobby that helps people more than they realize. It's a stress reliever, a thinking tool, lately a form of exercise, and most overall a place to go when life kicks you in the balls so many times you want to give up. When things get you down, gamers, don't give up - the future of your favorite worlds depend on you.

The Pause Screen: Katie Tiedrich

Katie Tiedrich, formerly known by online persona Hail-Nekoyasha, has been drawing up entertaining video game themed comics for years now. After a good start on deviantArt, she moved onto her own website, Awkward Zombie, where she continued to post comics based on video games, normally the ones she'd been playing at the time, or about things going on in her life, normally school related.

The artist does a lot of art around the Smash Bros. series, especially concerning Marth, Roy, and Link. Since Roy's departure in Brawl, she's done a little more work with the rest of the cast. In particular, it seems Pit at times replaces Roy, not only in looks, but as an ongoing gag.



Other than Smash Bros, she's done a bit of work with World of Warcraft, using in-game humor as an art form. Other comics may revolve around failed raids, and guild chat. Some of these may not always seem funny to those that aren't familiar with the MMORPG, but anyone who has played the online phenomenon will certainly appreciate the humor.



She's done a bit of other game works as well, such as Fire Emblem, Phoenix Wright, Pokemon, the Zelda series, Pikmin, Pokemon, Trauma Center, and more. I've posted several of my favorite comics below. Click the images to make them larger.



















Anyone that enjoys gaming (especially Nintendo titles) humor should DEFINITELY check out her site. There are a LOT of wonderful comics and stories I haven't even gotten to, and I can't put into words the nostalgia factor I get from reading some, or the "THAT'S WHAT I'VE WONDERED" moments that I've thought from reading others. She has a strong following of fans, as well, and you can join them on her forum, or read along each week at her site. Find her at: http://www.awkwardzombie.com

Rants: Things That Piss Me Off, Vol. 1

Items in video games



The super mushroom. The potion. The bombs. Nearly every video game made has some form of items, normally useful in every way for the player, scattered about the world of the games they're within. Sonic has rings and super shoes. Mega Man has health and ammo power-ups. Billy and Jimmy Lee have weapons dropped by their foes. They've become a staple to helping the player not only have an advantage, but sometimes are necessary in order to progress.

But does anyone ever question them? They're just there, and we're supposed to take them, right? But what is the actual point? How do we know it's just as useful as the same item we had grabbed previously? In other words, how do I know that potion hasn't been tampered with? How do I know someone didn't spit on that turkey leg? How do I know that energy can isn't empty and I'm grabbing litter?

Sure, it doesn't sound like much sense, but let's look at certain items in gaming. Mario grabs mushrooms, fire flowers, feathers, leaves, stars, and a whole shitload of other items. How does he get them? Normally, through a question mark block. But WHO THE HELL PUT THEM INSIDE THE BLOCK TO BEGIN WITH?! Bowser, as a form of an advantage through his own arrogance? Why would he do that?! And if he did, why not poison all the mushrooms, flowers, and stars so that they'd be useless or kill Mario? "Because he's looking for a challenge," you say? If he was looking to help Mario, why send out his goombas and koopas? And if Toad had done it, why not use the items himself to save his beloved princess that his people look up to? It makes no sense...


Mmmm, wall meat...

Now, let's take a look at Castlevania. How the hell did Dracula force bags of money and hearts into his candles?! "Oh, shit, the Belmonts are coming! Death, get the golems to hide all of my money! ...I don't care where, in the fucking candles for fuck's sake, as long as my money is safe!" And better yet, who cooked a pork chop and hid it in the wall?! Better yet, would you eat a pork chop inside of a castle of the undead that was hidden in the walls?! And LOTS of games do this! In what situation would I ever be in where I would eat food that had been left in the wall? How can I trust food that was in the wall, in a treasure chest, inside a block, or that dropped out of an enemy I just killed? That shit's gotta be dirty!


Wait, I fought a constructed lab experiment... Where did he get that Talisman from...?

Then comes the RPG element. You fight a horde of wolves, and after a long battle you defeat them. That's when you find 127 gold, an ether, and an amulet of burning. Why the hell were these wolves packing cash?! Let's focus on that first. If I killed a wolf, I would expect to get a pelt, perhaps some guts or a paw. I would NOT expect some shopping funds, much less an ether and an accessory. Did the wolves think their MP might run low, but decide not to use it anyway? And why the hell did they have an equipable item on them? WHO EQUIPPED IT TO THE WOLF?!


Treasure chest, "hidden" out in the open.

Next is the treasure chest. Can we please do away with this? They should be left buried underground, perhaps in a pirate video game, not in the middle of a dungeon or a field to be easily found. Everything from The Legend of Zelda to World of Warcraft has them just sitting out in the open, waiting for someone smarter than a rock to walk up to it. If I owned a castle, and thought someone might at some point or another invade it, I certainly would not leave valuable shit in a treasure chest in the middle of an open room. I would hide that shit in a hiding spot, or maybe in the fucking walls with all the pork chops I'd just recently cooked! Who fills these chests and leaves them out in the open?!

I mean, why would you leave a detailed map of your hideout in a treasure chest near the front door? It doesn't make any fucking sense. Games recently like Fallout 3 and Borderlands have done a decent job hiding the treasure chest feature - they might have metal boxes, or even better are some busted up looking lockers. Desk drawers, kitchen cabinets, filing cabinets, under the bed, between the sofa cushions, in your pants pocket, please just ANYWHERE but a fucking treasure chest. There's no point, if you're going to leave the chest out in the open, why not simply just leave the shit on the floor?! Get those old cliche treasure chests OUT OF HERE!


A Rabite was holding a treasure chest, out in the open, that contained an item inside of it...? I'm speechless.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind items in games. I don't know what I'd do if I had to play Contra without a gun upgrade, or Pokemon without status healing potions. But if you're going to hide the items, be creative enough to not make it a treasure chest, but not so extreme that you can find food inside of candles. Don't make non-humanoid characters hold stuff that humans can use, because, as I've said repeatedly, it doesn't make sense; how can anyone understand that the eagle you killed was carrying a sword better than your own?

I would either like to see new ways to distribute items to the player, or some form of explanation as to why they got there. Perhaps Rosalina left the different mushrooms across the galaxy for Mario to use in order to help him. Maybe the energy tabs Mega Man can pick up were old power cores of the defeated robot that still has energy left in it. But a chicken out of a chandelier? A treasure chest with JUST the right item you need to further your progress within the same dungeon? Give me a fucking break.