Jonathan "Tempest" Phillips

I’ve realize that due to a large number of person projects and minor freelance things, I have ignored a few things online that i used to hold close to me. VGN being one of them and this Blog being another. The last post prior to this was from March….MARCH. This simply won’t do. So I’m going to make an effort to have more posts about more aspects of my life. I’m not even too sure why I’m doing it. I know very few people look at my Blog, I guess I’m doing it for myself.

Each year (around august) I write a letter to myself, Give it to the postal service with instructions not to delivery it until a year later (I always feel like I’m from back to the future when i do that). This letter is addressed to me, talking about my life situation. I just wrote this years letter and sent it off. It was when i was writing it, that i realized how many aspects of my life i used to hold dear, have slipped away from me slightly, in my pursuit of new endeavors. So this is my way of clinching back.

What this means is a lot of the things that i used to think were un blog worthy, are now suddenly blog worthy. I’m going to have fun with this and turn it into an almost personal log.

In days gone by, it wasn’t out of place to casually wander into your local gaming store, browse through the shelves and walk out with a moderately priced game. Not an amazing game, just something you would have played three of four times then put on the shelf to collect dust. Now think hard, when was the last time you walked into a game store and picked something up on a whim? It seems when purchasing games now we tend to go for one of two extremes. It’s either the Triple-A title on the day its released or the cheap indie the game that nobody can stop talking about. But that middle section seems to have disappeared from everybody’s vision.

Last week at the GDC (game developers conference) Cliff Bleszinski (maker of Unreal & Gears of War: Pictured below) made a passing statement in the middle of one of his seminars. He said “I believe the middle class game is dead”. A statement that at the time most people didn’t really understand and was brushed over. Over this last week, the more I’ve thought about this statement the more it seems blatantly obvious that the middle class of gaming has suddenly disappeared without anybody noticing. I personally can’t remember the last time I purchased a game that wasn’t either from an independent company or a AAA title

The more I’ve been thinking about it the more I’ve been pitching the blame in two directions The first is that the brick and mortar store seem to be a dying breed in the eyes of gamers. Using digital distribution systems like Steam or Gamersgate is much easier than walking into a store. Then places like Amazon and eBay make it much cheaper than the bus ticket to get to the store. So no longer do you wander up and down rows of games judging each of them by their cover and blurb. It’s all about the online marketing. If your game doesn’t have any, then you have no game.

The second is the financial climate. It’s been awhile since I went into any shop and casually bought anything without prior understanding of the product. Reason why my bank account won’t allow me to, And I know I’m not the only one in this situation. Many other people are feeling the crunch on their wallets and are choosing to only purchase things that they WANT rather than they would LIKE. If this fact is true, then this problem of middle-class gaming being a dying breed, should hopefully disappear as the recession does.

Less than 10 years ago, there were a large quantity of small companies thriving off the middle-class games market. Now it seems those companies are under threat and their employees potentially jobless. What many people don’t seem to understand is that nobody starts at the top in the games industry. Today’s indie developers are tomorrow’s small games developers and today’s small games developers are tomorrow’s AAA developers. But if the middle-class dissapears, then somehow indie developers need to make a giant leap into AAA titles with no understanding of how the industry works.. This will be the same as hiring the manager of your local computer store to run Microsoft’s head office.

With out the middle ground for developers to learn the tricks of the industry as well as the tricks of developing, there is a distinct fear in my head for the future of game developers. Yes franchises will go on, yes technology will advance, but without the people with the passion and desire to create these games and the industry know-how to get them to that point, the future of gaming could be built up on unstable foundations.

Yesterday saw the announcement that portal 2 would be available on both PS3 and the PC if purchased in the PS3 format. Not to mention a huge array of other features such as saved games being uploaded to the steam cloud and be accessed by both the PS3 and the PC. This is the first time we’ve ever seen a console interact directly with a PC. But it doesn’t end there, valve also announced that players of both the PS3 and PC version of the game will be able to directly interact with each other in the new coperative mode.

This is something that gamers are being wanting for years. The ability to play across multiple platforms. But why has it taking so long to get to this stage? We’ve known for a long long time that the technology has been available. Recently valve has also managed to successfully merged both Mac and PC players interacting on the same playing field. But we’ve known for a long while but the technology is available for this to happen. There is nothing to stop console and PC players interacting on the same servers, especially if using valves source engine. So why is it never been done before?

A while ago Microsoft toyed with the idea, they even went as far as to implement a prototype version of gears of War two where the PC players could directly interact with the console players. But this idea was scrapped very very quickly due to one massive floor in the system. The PC players were better. Now I know you’re about to say, “this is just you saying you’re better than people who play Halo”. Not in the slightest. Microsoft came to the conclusion that no matter how good the console game was they couldn’t beat the precision of a mouse and keyboard combination. This is something that the PC gamers have been ranting about for years. So it came to no surprise that Microsoft came to the same conclusion.

So what makes valve think that they can get away with it in portal 2? What makes them think that they can succeed where Microsoft failed. What makes them think they can successfully integrate PS3 and PC players into the same environment without it being insanely unfair and inbalanced. Well once again, valve did the smart thing by not pitching the two players against each other. The interaction between the PS3 and the PC is only the cooperative level, so the weaknesses and strengths of each system do not directly conflict with each other. Sure there may be a few times where PC player may be waiting for the PS3 player to do something correctly. But hopefully valves level design team working on overdrive, those should be few and far between.

So what will it take them to gaming mediums to finally interact in a competitive and regular basis. Well at this point, nothing short of a miracle. But seeing as valve is pushing it in the right direction maybe, just maybe, we might see console players and PC players directly interacting on a regular basis. For you see….

I have a dream of PS3 and Xbox Players Gaming hand in hand with players on the Mac and PC. I have a dream that one day gamers will rise up and live out the true meaning of our creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all gaming mediums are created equal.

Yeah, you heard me. The question needs to be asked. Most gamers will simply say “pfft, of course not, Its cheaper and just as good”, But all of the game developers would say “Of course it is, Look how much money I loose”. who could possibly be right? They both have valid points, but does one outweigh the other? Soon this may not be an issue that people will worry about. Recently the U.S. Court of Appeals defended and upheld the right for Autodesk (creators of the software products AutoCAD and 3Ds MAX) to stop their customers from selling on a piece of software. In lament terms, The US court stopped somebody from selling on a piece of software that had a licence attached to it.

What does that mean for you and me. Well for me living in the UK, Nothing, But for you possibly living in the US, It means that game developers may soon impose a ban on selling their game second hand. Meaning the days of wondering into a games shop and picking a game up just because its cheap and second hand may be soon be a thing of the past.

I must admit, I have always had a bit of an issue with gamestop and such selling games second hand. My main issue is because they keep 100% of the profit. Let me say that again. 100%. Not a single penny goes to the game developer. When you think of the big name brands, like CoD or Halo, who cares, But some game companies live and die by the small number of sales they get in these stores. In my eyes, a Percentage of the profits made should go back to the game developers. doesn’t have to be huge, just 10-20% would be enough. Previously I has seen a game I have wanted to purchase a game, seen it £5 cheaper second hand, but still bought it brand new. If I buy it brand new, the money goes directly to the game developers, who made the product I am paying for. As it stands, Game shops selling second hand game are simply scalpers and nothing more.

On the other hand. I have bought so many games, because they were cheap and second hand, that has lead me to buying sequels for full price the day the come out. Plus I have never heard a single DVD, Music or Book distributor complain about people buying and selling second hand goods. It just makes all the game companies complaining about it, seem petty and childish. When it comes down to it, They are both in the wrong. It is wrong to take 100% of the profits and keep them for yourself, when all you are doing is providing people with a location to swap games. But it is also wrong to stop consumers from legally purchasing a copy of a game that has already been purchased.

Gamestore owners and Big name developers (I’m looking at you Gamestop and Activision) need to sit down and realise, they are both going to tear each other a part with little reward, UNLESS, they agree to give a percentage of profits to the game devs. Its not hard thing guys. You may have heard of it. Its called compromise.

Many a person has called me a Geek. I take this label and wear it with pride. I am a Geek through and through. but if one were to call me a Nerd. Then you would be sorely mistaken. When I tell this to people they say, “Hey, Tempest, What do you mean, they are the same thing”. No friend, No they are not. They may seem the same on the surface, but they are far from it. Wars have been started between these 2 social rejected groups. Then you add in Dorks and Dweebs and you realise, this topic can get very messy. But don’t worry, I’m here to help. I’ll tell you all about the differences and see if you can fit yourself into one of these categories.

Geeks

Geeks are into the geeky culture and/or electronics. That includes your comic books and Sci-Fi, But also your Iphones and network cables. They are also generally gamers. Be it Table Top Roleplay, Card Gaming or your regular Video gaming. The major difference between A geek and a nerd is that a geek still retains social skills. A geek can talk to your everyday person about everyday things and not feel left out or socially awkward.

• Mating – Geeks would prefere to be with Geeks of the opposite gender, But are very happy to couple up with somebody who has no interest in the geek culture.
• Dress code – Ranging anywhere from Shirt and jeans to baggy pants and T-shirts. But all geeks own at least 1 T-shirt with a Comic Character or humorous quote on it.
• Interests – Comics, Games, None reality based fiction, Power cables, Open source software.
• Pros – Can enjoy being a Geek and live a normal life at the same time. Doesn’t feel the need to give up either
• Cons – Because of the wide interests, it can be hard to find a geek into the exact same stuff as you. Even 2 comic geeks might not get on because one is DC and the other is Marvel.
• Examples – Patton Oswalt, Roy (IT Crowd) and any character in hackers.

Nerds

Nerds too are into the geek culture, But less of the electronics. However, they throw themselves a lot deeper into the fictional universes, knowing all the minor charcters details and having technical information about items that has no basis in reality. Due to this extreme level of integration into fictional universes, Nerds tend to lack the social skills you and I have. They find it hard to converse with anybody who is not a geek, nerd or dork.

• Mating – Nerds don’t have much success with Women. When they do, it is usually with other socially awkward beings. They release all the built up social requirements and then hide themselves away from the world
• Dress code – Long sleeve t-shirt under a short sleeve shirt featuring a picture of there fav TV show
• Interests – Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Fiction universes with large amount of content
• Pros – There is nobody in the world who can speak klingon like this guy.
• Cons – There is nobody in the world who can speak klingon like this guy.
• Examples – Windows (fanboys), Brandon (Galaxyquest)

Dorks

Dorks are very much more into The electronics, Physics and Mathematics. They are the tech support guy you see in the checked shirt and thick rimmed glasses. Think of every employee at Microsoft. They do have problems socially. Not that they can’t speak to people, its just that they don’t understand slang that doesn’t involve an internet meme/serial number.

• Mating – Won’t have the confidence to join in the chase. When in the presence of a woman, won’t read any of the signs and watch the opportunity pass him by.
• Dress code – Tucked in Checked Shirt, Thick glasses, Pocket protector, spotty.
• Interests – The 8bit M4 Serial Bus conductor.
• Pros – Will always have the latest Gadget and will never have technical problems.
• Cons – Will never set foot in a night club, even if they wanted to.
• Examples -Moss (IT Crowd)

Dweebs

A dweeb is a kinda summery of all of the above, they can be a Techi, a Trekie and a Comic Book geek. But what makes a dweeb a dweeb? well they pretend that they don’t like any of the above and try to be a “cool kid”. But its clear to everybody that he is not fooling anybody. dweeb do tend to grow out of it and swing all the way to the geek culture or all the way to normality. Dweebs tend to be rejected by both geeks and “Normies”

• Mating – They don’t. sooner or later they will give up the dweeb phase. until then, they will be flying solo.
• Dress code – casual smart clothing, but worn far to smart and not nearly casual enough.
• Interests – Anything outside of the social Norm, but if you ask them, nothing remotely geeky
• Pros – They are fun to laugh at
• Cons -They may try and be your friend.
• Examples – Sherminator (American Pie) and that twat from “fly for a white guy”

Now I’m not saying that everybody fits nicely into each of these categories. But you will find that 1 of these will be the prime focus of your way of thinking. If you feel you are not any of the above you are “Normal” But if your normal, why are you reading my blog?