This Analog Life - A Videogamer in Exile

I am altering the deal. Pray I do not alter it further. Holding at Day 85

nonamnon — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 18:53:32 +0000

The Voice of Reason gave me much to think about this week. He and the Collaborator both called me out for cheating on my own premise by playing digital versions of board games. The Voice insists that since I have failed I should go ahead and get back to the life I love. His repeated invites to participate in Gears of War 2′s Horde Mode have been hard to ignore, save for my own busy schedule this week.

So, after some soul searching, conversations with my wife, and re-examining my original documentation and intent, I have decided in the spirit of Vader, to alter the deal. I have failed at the idea of 201 consecutive days away from video games, but I am only 116 days shy of going 201 days this year without playing video games. So, in that spirit, I am going to begin designating some weeks off from video games, and some weeks on. I think it will be interesting for me personally just to see how my schedule, goals, and moods are affected on the on weeks vs. the off weeks. I think it will be no less pointless than the original experiment became of this point. So, starting from this Easter Sunday on, I am going to spend this week playing both video and analog games. The following week, I will fast again. Then I will alternate for the next two weeks of April, and come May…we’ll examine the deal once more.

So, anybody out there up for a game?

Thanks for playing.

Sunday Slip Sliding Away

nonamnon — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:15:40 +0000

There was a whole lot of good packed into this Sunday. A brief list follows:

- Quiet Moment with the wife.

- Sweet BBQ pork.

- Zooloretto & Gloria Mundi.

And, yes, I did try out Dominion on Brettspielwelt.de. That game is still fun even if you are not shuffling your own cards.

Thanks for playing.

Day 86 – Saturday and the Slippery Slope

nonamnon — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:13:06 +0000

Honey-dos make for long days.After securing bookshelves to walls, moving victims of spring cleaning up into the attic, and other assorted tasks, we took the kids swimming. This is a high energy activity in its own right.

At the end of the day, after further conversations with visiting relatives, I retired to my den for relief. I found relief in board games, which should come as no surprise to readers of this blog. However, I believe I have begun to bend my own mad rules for these board games. I played them via yucata.de. It’s a pretty user-friendly site that allows for asynchronous play of a pretty impressive variety of euro-style board games.

I’m planning to check out the newly revised brettspielwelt.de tomorrow, so that I can try some Dominion.

Thanks for playing.

Day 85 – Friday Invasion

nonamnon — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 06:07:26 +0000

I am just barely feeling recovered from a long day of work. I guess that’s why the old song talks about working for the weekend. I am looking forward to some downtime, for sure.

My evening was spent visiting with in-laws. I had an interesting thought during the conversation. A long-term geek and gamer like myself holds a deep affection for post apocalyptic tales such as those detailed in the Fallout series, or games like Metro 2033. And, my in-laws love the subject apparently as much as I do. Because that was the topic of the night’s conversations. I will definitely have to add more such titles to my list of games for after the fast.

What are your favorite games or stories set in a nuclear wasteland?

Thanks for playing.

Day 84 – Thursday Honeydews

nonamnon — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:53:22 +0000

Viewed against the lens of my past life, today was a very wholesome evening. I spent the night with my wife, running to the local hardware store to buy trim for a remodeling project my wife has been doing in one of the girls’ rooms. While carpentry is not my strong point, I do enjoy an evening drive.

Thanks for playing.

Day 83 – Wednesday Working

nonamnon — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:42:46 +0000

Today was a 24 hour period that felt like 10 times that amount. I did end the day enjoying Lost. I can only say that the writers of that show know how to be incredibly brutal to a character. Poor Richardus.

Thanks for playing.

Day 82 – Tuesday Tasks

nonamnon — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:11:50 +0000

I made a quick stop by the local library this evening, and am pretty pleased with the treasures I unearthed. The three tomes in my hand will be featured in the Tuesday task updates for at least a week or two, I am sure.

1. The 3 new out of genre books I picked up are The Great Gatsby, Daily Life in Medieval Times, and this one I just picked up when I saw the cover, Washington’s Spies. I’ve all ready started on the Great Gatsby, because I was very interested to enjoy the prose that I’ve heard Fitzgerald so richly employs.
2. My co-conspirator and I are putting the finishing touches on a website and hope for the reveal of our first big writing project within the week.
3. I will still need to watch Lost tomorrow. Other than the few shows I mentioned earlier this week, I haven’t been watching as much of televisions variety of offers.
4. I’ve got some great props built, but have still been struggling to reform my role playing group.
5. This end of March has really resulted in some slowing for me. I have no new boardgaming to report since last Tuesday.

Thanks for playing.

Day 81 – Monday Misses – Pokewalker Edition

nonamnon — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:03:30 +0000

I still love the old Toys R’ Us theme song that insisted, “I don’t want to grow up, ‘cus if I did, I couldn’t be a Toys R’ Us kid.”

The Voice of Reason called me today, I think hoping that I might talk him out of a purchase he was considering. As can be expected, I refused to provide a sane voice. I told him he should drive faster to buy his Pokewalker.

So, what do I really miss today. Silliness. The game that the VoR is acquiring is just the kind of thing I would normally also pick up, just to enjoy the sheer joy of childhood for another moment. I find myself imagining scenarios where myself and my daughters might all load up our Pokewalkers and go for a stroll around the neighborhood. As we walked, we would know, as the Voice says, “That with every step, our Pokemon were growing stronger!”

Thanks for playing.

Day 80 – Sunday BBQs and Deconstruction of Fairy Tales

nonamnon — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 06:58:59 +0000

My in-laws provided a very pleasant Sunday afternoon. Our two families got together at their house to enjoy grilled steaks, hamburgers, green salad with Hungarian bacon, and a mountain of honey-butter smothered scones.

After dinner, we chatted for a bit about hobbies, families, and how to find darker messages in Fairy Tales and Disney movies. My brother-in-law and I insisted that The Little Mermaid was teaching children that everything would work out fine in the end if people just defy their parents. We get a lot of eye-rolling and sighs of long-suffering during such conversations.

The night ended with an evening of chorale performances, one of which included our oldest daughters.

Thanks for playing.

Day 79 – Saturday back in the swing of things

nonamnon — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:01:17 +0000

Return from my business trip dropped me right back into the madness of family life. I walked through the door to an endearing mob hug, and was then instantly whisked away to family pictures. My brother-in-law and I have come up with a new product idea. We want to purchase a coffee table style book that will show a narrative of all the agony it took to get that one acceptable shot that becomes The Family Picture. Let us know if you are interested.

After pictures, it was north to a ballroom dance performance by my eldest daughter. We were pretty pressed for time, and so I am ashamed to admit that even I abused the speed limit en route.

After all the excitement, the day of travel, and the high-speed chases, I turned in early, afraid I felt a sore throat coming down the pipe.

Thanks for playing.