Sunshine Blogger Award 4.0!

Alright, you guys know the drill – we’ve been nominated by the one and only Frostilyte, so here goes the Q&A!

What’s something from before the end times that you miss doing during the on-going apocalypse?

Playing Dungeons and Dragons. I miss getting together with my regular groups, and even going to Epics (community run events, with multiple tables running the same adventure simultaneously) to play with randos. It’s a fun excuse to socialize with fellow nerds, but I also just genuinely miss the game. I miss my characters, and getting to roll all my beautiful dice. I miss solving puzzles and trying to get out of the  ridiculous situations that my parties inevitably end up in. It seems petty to whine about something so small when people have fallen on really hard times, but I do miss D&D a lot. I can’t wait to get back to playing once COVID is finally under control.

What’s a franchise (doesn’t matter what medium) that you’ve always wanted to get into, but haven’t been able to? Why?

Star Wars. I’m not big into space-themed/sci-fi stuff anyway (though I do enjoy Star Trek quite a bit), but I’ve really never understood the appeal of these films. I watched the first one, and have never gone back to watch any more of them. None of the characters, nor the setting, were really enough to convince me that they were the zenith of story-telling that everyone seems to think they are. Not trying to throw shade – people like what they like, Star Wars just isn’t for me.

What game are you most looking forward to this year?

God of War: Ragnarok. We don’t even have a release date yet, and I suspect it’s going to be delayed (just based on lack of new information and news about its development) but regardless, as soon as this was announced, I was unbelievably excited. Whenever it drops, it’s an easy day-one purchase for me.

Hit me, once again, with the thing you’re most proud of accomplishing during the end times.

So last time, I said “working out regularly” for this question. Since then, I’ve been dealing with a myriad of health issues that have caused my workout schedule to fall by the wayside. I’ve been pretty unproductive (for once, not really my fault) but I did start streaming on Twitch at the beginning of February. It was something I was really afraid to do for a long time, so I’m proud I took the plunge and gave it a shot. I don’t stream on any kind of schedule, and truth be told, I don’t think I’ll do it very regularly after wrapping up Sekiro. The “culture” of Twitch isn’t really for me. However, streaming has helped me get used to my voice (which has always been a huge problem for me – I can’t stand the sound of it) and build a little bit more confidence in speaking; I still have a hard time coming up with intelligent responses when I’m put on the spot, but given the low-pressure environment of Twitch chat, I feel okay about talking nonsense.

What matters more: the journey, or the destination?

The journey, of course! I won’t get into a huge, metaphorical discussion, but I think the concept of a concrete “destination” is an illusion; life is about seeking, not necessarily finding. I think there is more value to be found in the process of growing and learning than reaching some kind of nebulous “end goal.” If I can be lame and quote Tolkien: not all those who wander are lost.

Pineapple, kiwi, pomegranate?

Pineapple! Apparently the enzymes in pineapple eat away at your mouth while you’re munching; while you eat the pineapple, it’s also eating you! How metal is that?

What’s your favourite controller (or input device – anything goes really) for playing games?

The Dualshock 4, I guess? It’s the controller that I use for 90% of my gaming (which is on the PS4) and it’s the most comfortable design for me. I find the Xbox controllers too big/chunky for my hands, and let’s not even talk about the insane design of Nintendo controllers throughout the years. I’m not a PC gamer, so don’t really use a keyboard and mouse.

What’s that one thing you can’t stand eating for really silly reasons?

Can’t think of anything specifically, but usually foods that take a lot of prep work, because I am a lazy asshole. For example, I really like watermelon, but cutting one up is kind of a pain, so I don’t eat it very often. That’s not a very good answer to this question, but I can’t come up with anything else…

Motivations change over time. Why do you still write for your blog?

Good question! I’ve been asking myself this lately. The honest answer is probably that a) it’s the only current outlet for my writing that I’m still motivated to pursue, and b) I’ve grown to really enjoy interacting with the community on this platform. I’ve lost a lot of interest in more “serious” writing (which I’m still hoping to get back around to, at some point…) but at the end of the day, I still like rambling about video games. Writing about them here, and getting to engage with fellow bloggers is motivation enough to keep me going.

What’s your dream vacation (pretend end times never happened)?

Assuming I didn’t have issues with flying, and COVID never happened, I would love to go to New Zealand. I really enjoy hiking and being outdoors, and that seems like an absolutely gorgeous place to visit. Also the petty reason that I would like to visit the set of Hobbiton, which still exists! Maybe not very exciting, but it’s definitely a must-see place on my bucket list.

Be honest: do you read reviews before or after you buy games?

Depends on the game. If I’m on the fence about buying something, I’ll read a review or two from outlets that I trust. This is mostly to help me make a decision about whether I need to buy the game, can wait for a sale, or give it a pass entirely. If it’s a title I’m really excited about, I’ll avoid all reviews until I’ve completed the game. Even if they’re vague, I still consider a review to be spoiler-territory. After, I may read some to see if they shared the same opinion that I had, or if they differed greatly. The only reviews I read out of genuine interest in what the reviewer thought of a certain game is here, by the smaller bloggers I follow on WordPress.

As Frosti said in his post, I know some people don’t necessarily like doing these kinds of tags, but I’ll nominate some bloggers anyway – as always, zero obligation to respond! If it’s not for you, that’s totally cool. Here are my nominees, and my (lame) questions:

Stephen Brown | Honest Gamer

nonplayergirl | Let’s otaku out

McKenna | McKenna Talks About Games

Brink | The Brink of Gaming

MagiWasTaken | Indiecator

1. In the spirit of the 25th anniversary of Pokemon: if you were the Champion of your region, which Pokemon would be on your team of 6?
2. How do you feel about presentations like Sony’s State of Play and Nintendo Directs? Love em or hate em? Why?
3. Video game movies are usually terrible, but which game would you like to see adapted on the big screen? Any dream cast members?
4. If you were a video game character that had to use a mundane item (i.e. an umbrella) as a weapon, what would you use?
5. Have you picked up any new hobbies during the pandemic? If so, talk about it!
6. How did you get into video games in the first place?
7. Who is your least favourite video game character of all time?
8. Does pineapple belong on pizza?
9. A lot of video games incorporate some form of cooking – if you had to cook a signature recipe in a game, what would you choose? What stats would it boost/what would it do for you?
10. Has there ever been a game that you decided to walk away from before completing? If so, why?
11. Have you ever been talked down to, or insulted for playing a certain game or genre? How did you respond?