Unpopular Opinions – Nerfed Llamas Edition

Unpopular Opinions – Nerfed Llamas Edition Hi everyone! I have, on more than one occasion, taken folks to task for how they engage social media. There is a responsibility that one must consider before they start dropping their “hot takes” and “snarky truths.” The problem is that most people (judging by the collective dumpster fires that are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) don’t take this responsibility into consideration before posting their special brand of vitriol and/or rude commentary out for all the whole world to see. My argument was always that…

Mass Effect Andromeda – Nerfed Llamas Review @masseffect

Mass Effect Andromeda – Nerfed Llamas Review – “Pathfinder, you have new email at your terminal…” There are not many people that love the Mass Effect franchise more than I do. Equally, without a doubt… but not more. Certainly, there are folks who have gotten tattoos, created elaborate cosplay, written fan fiction, and are generally more involved in the fandom aspect than I am, but even still I would wager that they do not love the franchise (lore, characters, etc.) more than I do. To put things into perspective, let…

Packy Smith – Submissions for the BioWare #ExplorersWanted Contest #MassEffectAndromeda #space

Packy Smith – Submissions for the BioWare Explorers Wanted Contest – Mass Effect Andromeda Howdy to all Bioware employers and fellow blog readers alike! Today I am blogging for an exceptionally important reason, and I couldn’t be more excited to share with you what I am hoping to accomplish. However, I am not frog and you are not a bunny, so before we jump too far ahead of ourselves, let’s slow our roll just a touch to give me a brief opportunity to explain myself. Recently, video game developer BioWare,…

Open Letter To @bioware @RayMuzyka @DoktorZee @legendary About the Mass Effect Movie

I have recently found myself making another run through the Mass Effect video game series by BioWare. This is not my first, second or third time through the initial trilogy of games, lovingly referred to as the Shepard Trilogy, in fact – I have lost count of the exact amount of times this makes, but I’ll ballpark it at around 10 times. Why do I keep coming back to this story? What is so compelling that I find myself drawn to yet another play through? The answer is simple: it…

Bioware Mad Libs! #IPlayBioWare @dragonage @masseffect @BioWareProblems

Let’s All Play Bioware Mad Libs! I thought today we might have a little bit of fun and make a couple of BioWare themed Mad Libs to play with! I know that some people are bummed out by the delay of Mass Effect Andromeda till 2017, but with these Wacky Mad Libs you can have fun today! You can print the pages below, fill them in with your choice of words, then scan and send them back to me. I’ll post your shenanigan laden story on my Twitter feed. You can also…

Women, Race and Sexuality in Video Games #Gamergate #Equality #Diversity

As I finished the last chapter of the excellent episodic video game series: Life is Strange, it occurred to me that not nearly enough games portrayed the themes of individuality, choice, slice of life and sexuality with much maturity and/or gravitas. Certainly there are numerous high profile video games that attempt to tackle these themes, but mostly as an afterthought or even worse as merely a plot device for the villain to exploit at some point in the game. As a gamer that is now pushing 40 years of age, I…

E3 2015 – Thoughts on the Big Video Game Show: Before #E32015

  Ever since 1995 there has been E3: the Electronics Entertainment Expo. E3 is a video game industry trade show, for professionals only, primarily used for companies to show off new products, make deals and to impress shareholders. In it’s hey day, E3 was where the big game publishers would make shocking previously unannounced product reveals that would send fans into a frenzy. Now, with the advent of the Internet, and the widespread usage of smartphones and tablets, the big reveals are fewer and farther between. I use to love E3…

Dr. Gamelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Video Games Again

Dr. Gamelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Video Games Again I’ve been bored as of late. Bored of video games. I have been a gamer for the vast majority of my life, starting with a Sears edition Atari 2600 in the early 80s, graduating to Nintendo Entertainment System in the late 80s, and then eventually most major console releases that followed. I have loved playing games, from classics like Combat, River Raid, Super Mario Brothers and Metroid, to more modern titles such as Mass Effect, Catherine,…