Hey All!
I've written a few introductory blogs and feel now is a good time to do a more in depth introduction of who I am. Until recently, I was a full time student. I'm excited to say I graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and have started a full time position in my field at an Austin, Texas based technology company .
My life as a gamer started at age 7 in Landenberg, PA with
Bubble Bobble on NES. I remember keeping the system on for days (there was no way to save progress) trying to beat all the levels. Over the past few years, I have reluctantly narrowed my collection of systems and games to save space. I’ve tried to hold out, but PC emulators and backwards compatible consoles are now taking the place of the older systems on my shelves.
It's tough to say for sure because I enjoy so many different genres, but I think it's safe to say I play RPGs most. I also play my fair share of real time strategy games, survival games and platformers. I went on a first person shooter binge a while back. Specifically,
Rainbow Six 3 on the XBOX. I played pro (6 vs. 6 - single life death match) and competed in various tournaments online and around the country. My team did fairly well for a couple years, nabbing a few tournament wins and top four finishes. A few of us still stay in contact today. Unfortunately, this was before
MLG and any big money in the pros. The largest prize we ever won was a couple hundred dollars each and a surround sound gaming chair (which we were expected to split?). Those days are over for me, I don't have the time for the "training" (40+ hours a week). I am definitely more of a casual gamer now (not to be confused with uncompetitive 🙂 ).
On a philosophical note, I’m a bit frustrated with the video game industry. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but I believe business men realized the huge profit potential and stole the video game industry from the “nerds”. As a result, I think there has been a huge lack of creativity in modern games. There have been some exceptions, but I believe the commercialization has led most modern titles to focus on graphics and media hype rather than good story lines or unique game play. As a result, I habitually find myself replaying many older titles, both popular and unknown. Recently, however, I have really taken a liking to many of the download games (also known as “
Indie Games”) on the PC and on the newer consoles. They are usually created by a single or small group of designers. They are cheap (often free), and I think they account for some of the best games created in the past 5 years.
I’ve wanted to write about video games and associated technology for quite a while. As you know, this blog will focus primarily on gaming technology and hardware accessories. Projectors, speakers, headphones, etc are all fair game. However, my frustration with the gaming industry also extends to many of the game review websites. They toss out 9 and 10 point reviews every other week, and I’d like to see a little less inflation. If I feel the need, I may tackle a few game reviews as well.
I've included a list of both my favorite game titles and current gear for those who are interested. Neither of them is all inclusive, but it should give you an idea of what types of games I play (and those that I don't) and what gear I use to enjoy them.
That's all for now!
-pete
Game List
All Time Favorite
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Shooters
Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition,
Rainbow Six 3,
Halo (original)
RPGs
Chrono Trigger,
Chrono Cross,
Final Fantasy IV,
VII,
Morrowind,
Oblivion,
Pokémon (Red/Blue),
Golden Sun
S
trategy
StarCraft
Platformers
Super Mario 64,
Little Big Planet,
Ratchet & Clank
Racing
Mario Kart 64,
Gran Turismo
Fighting
Super Smash Bros Melee,
Tekken,
Mortal Combat
Miscellaneous
Amplitude,
PixelJunk Monsters,
Braid,
Geometry Wars,
Pocket Tanks,
Portal
Gear List
Currently Owned Consoles
PS3, PSP, XBOX360, Wii, GameCube, N64, Gameboy
PC Specs
AMD Phenom Black X4 955 Processor @ 3.8 GHz Stable
Radeon HD 4890 Toxic Graphics Card
3 x 2GB 1600 MHz DDR3
HT Omega Claro Plus+ Sound Card
CM Storm Sniper Mid Tower
Logitech G19 Keyboard
Razer DeathAdder Mouse
Video
Epson 6500UB Projector
Panasonic 50" GT30 Plasma
23” Asus LED Monitor
Audio
B&K AVR 307
Harman Kardon 3490
JBL L890 Front Speakers x 2
JBL LC2 Center Speaker
JBL L830 Surround and Rear Speakers x4
JBL L8400p Subwoofer
Matrix M-Stage Headphone Amp
YuLong D100 headphone DAC
Grado PS500 Headphones
