Setting Goals and Giving Swag

I hate New Years resolutions. I've always believed that if there's something you want to do, do it now; why wait for an arbitrary start date to start eating healthy or quit smoking? While I still maintain that the right time to improve yourself is always now, I'm going to have to recant a bit of my ravings I've made to friends, because I've found a good reason to use January 1st as a start date.
A former writing student of mine shared a video her brother made. In it, he chronicles himself doing a backflip every single day for an entire year. Compared to some things people promise to do on the first day of the year, a backflip may not seem like much.

But the fact is that he stuck with it (along with some acceptable cheating after a surgery) for an entire year. 365 video clips of a backflip are crammed in to one video, and he gets to know that he stuck with something and didn't let school, work, or illness get in his way. It inspired me.

So here's my proposal to my four readers: I'm giving you something to read every single day for the rest of 2013. The fact that it's a public thing should help keep me accountable, but I want to take it a step further. For every day that I miss, I'll have a giveaway!



Now don't expect a new PC game just because a raging virus kept me semi-comatose in bed for a few days. But considering that this is a pretty geeky blog, the giveaway prizes (apologetic bribes?) will be things that relate to my hobbies. Maybe it'll be a pack of Magic cards, perhaps offering to paint a model for free.

Here's how it will work: if I don't make a post by 11:59 pm CST, you have three days to yell at me. Email me at Ray@RayofPaint.com or post to my wall on Facebook  and tell me what date I missed. After three days, I'll choose a random accuser and get them set up with a gift of apology. Just make sure you've liked my Facebook page!

So that's my commitment to my friends and myself. One blog post everyday, or else.

See you tomorrow!

edit: I'm too good at this. If I don't miss a post, I'll try to do a giveaway anyway.

2013

A New Year's wish from me to Capcom and whoever the hell owns what's left of THQ...

OVERBYTES Episode 3

NOTE: This blog, like the other, is now using the superior Intense Debate commenting system instead of the blogger default model. Users can sign-in using Twitter and a few other services, or by getting a (free) Intense Debate ID.

ANYWAY! Here's a new "OverBytes" for y'all, addressing - perhaps innevitably - the reactivated "blame violent games" controversy. Please note, the episode was actually recorded and finished before the now-infamous NRA press conference, which is why there's no explicit mention of it or the organization itself here; though the overall theme and final point would not have changed either way. Enjoy!

NRA Boss: Guns Don't Kill People, Video-Games Kill People!

Something I wish the media would remind people of more often: The National Rifle Association isn't a sportsmen's club anymore, or even a citizen's rights group for gun owners. They're a corporate lobbying group for the gun manufacturing industry. Understanding that is the key to understanding why they do things like insisting more guns - not fewer - are the key to safety, or spurring the stockpiling of weapons with the "gun-ban" boogeyman: They aren't looking to help gun owners, they're looking to increase sales. (See also: "Armed guards at schools are the answer! And we're MORE than willing to help set that up!")

But even understanding that couldn't have prepared me to see the NRA's hilariously faux-macho bossman Wayne LaPierre get in front of cameras today for what was ostensibly supposed to be their response to the Sandy Hook massacre and essentially declare, at the 8:25 mark of this video: Guns don't kill people, video games kill people!



The depressing amusement of the head of The NRA calling anything else a "shadow industry" aside, I'm actually grateful for this kind of public insanity. One thing Mr. LaPierre and I have in common is that we're both fans of clarity - he likes to talk about "good guys with guns" vs "bad guys with guns;" and I like seeing him (a bad guy with guns) come out so strongly in favor of game/movie/etc censorship, because it helps unmuddy the waters: Weak-willed so-called "progressives" who might otherwise have been willing to give ground on "violent" media (instead of keeping the debate laser-focused on the gun lobby, where it belongs) will hopefully be less so when they see it means agreeing with the distraction-tactics of LaPierre and his ilk.

So, this is to be a (political) fight, then. Games, films, entertainers, artists and the people who value them... versus The Right-Wing Gun Lobby. Good. Let's have it, then.

MAGFest

Head's up! "The Game OverThinker" will have it's first independent panel at this year's MAGFest on January 5th at 10:00am. This is my first one of these, so it's going to be straight Q&A format. I'll be out and about at the con itself otherwise from about Friday to Sunday afternoon, in addition. Look forward to seeing any fans there!

EPISODE 79: "In Praise of Clones"

Now showing on BLIP! The OverThinker asks if modern gaming has too narrow a definition of "originality."



ALSO: Learn the identity of the mysterious Red Guy, and witness a shocking surprise twist!

SPECIAL: "Memories"

A little something different, on an occasion of some sadness: