Last weekend I got to the semi-finals of a casual Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament at PAX Prime '12. While I would definitely do it again, it wasn't all fun. This post is mainly for me to look back on later, but if you've wondered what going to a PAX tournament is like, here's what happened. My team was prepping for the 2nd round, changing keybindings, fixing audio, checking and re-c...
We've all heard it in some form. "Why are you wasting your time playing games?" "Shouldn't you be working?" "You're not hardworking and you'll never be successful" (ouch, that last one was rough). How do people jump to these conclusions based solely on seeing us playing a game? It has to do with modern day "workaholism" and goes back to the mid 1550's with a man named John Calvin. (Note: This i...
I've been noticing a strange trend in the way we talk about video games recently. It seems like people are focusing more on a game as it stands on its own, and not on how they interact with the game. I shouldn't have to remind you that games are an interactive medium. You can't experience the whole of a game without pressing a button, moving a stick, or waving your arms around. If you could, th...