~

Escaping the madness and zooming back home
Mind and body intact
I venture across familiar terrains
Readying myself for those expected, incessant attacks

~

The Dam still at stake and The Strip up for grabs
Livelihoods and futures at the mercy of bullets, bombs, slugs
Yet as accustomed as I should be to this existence; this normality
All I can think of – is bringing you your mugs

~… Read More

As a child growing up, I learnt many things

To take care of oneself…

as well as the blessing of pets

To be inquisitive and questioning

and to make many friends

To stay fit and healthy

and to open my mind

To have passions and hobbies

and to not be fussed with popularity

To be as good as I could be

without trying to be more than I am

And now that I am older

despite completing my studies

there’s still plenty more to learn

with just as many perils at hand

And that honesty and truth is the key

to a life full of enjoyment,

reward,

and special loved ones to hold dear

~

Image Sources: Fallout Wiki/Fallout 2

Related: The Life of a Gamer

~

* An analysis of the ending of Red Dead Redemption, strong spoiler warning *

Finally, Rockstar have come up with a game that wants us to be good. Playing as a reformed outlaw in a graphically gorgeous title combining almost every aspect of the Wild West we’ve come to recognise through films, TV shows and folklore, the most surprising quality of Red Dead Redemption – even more impressive than the amazing attention to detail –  is the enforced morality and, in line with the game’s title and its central theme, redeeming qualities of the main character. John Marston, contrary to those previous incarnations of Grand Theft Auto and other Rockstar Games’ antiheroes, is not seeking success and wealth through crime; he is aspiring to be good for the betterment of himself and his family.

As in previous open-world games the players themselves are free to do as they wish, inevitably leading to a sandbox environment of carnage and chaos as the he/she sees fit. In Red Dead, the option to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is presented – do you capture criminals alive to collect bounty rewards and shoot the weapons out of people’s hands instead of killing them, or decide to go renegade by robbing the innocent and, as an homage to the classic Western cliche of moustached villainy, tie a woman up and place her on railroad tracks? Despite your decisions in these situations and regardless of your own personal play-style, the most striking thing about the main story missions is how Marston always, from the start of the game to the finish, chooses the honourable route.

RPGs tend to always intimidate me before I start one: upon estimating the hours I’m going to need to commit towards understanding the equipment system, not to mention navigating all those menus and grasping the fictional history as well as figuring out the combat tactics, it worries me ever so greatly and yet, strangely, I am never sufficiently put off enough to avoid the genre altogether. The worry stems from a selfishness: a concern borne out of a fear of what will happen to me if I actually like the game. Or rather more specifically, what will happen to me if I actually, sincerely, love the game.