Had an interesting conversation with some guys in a clan I play Battlefield 3 with. Does hanging out online in a game with online friends count as social interaction? My vote is yes, but it does seem like gaming really just has some kind of stigma as something that loners do. However, when I'm playing team-based multiplayer games, I never play alone unless I absolutely have to, but then I play with a headset and try to meet other people with mics. I want to know what other gamers think about this.
I know I haven't updated this blog since Stardate:forever and a half ago, but that's mostly been due to my infatuation with the Battlestar Galactica remake series. Anybody who's even semi into sci-fi needs to watch it, it's like sci-fi for grown-ups! Available to stream from Netflix.
First of all, don't get me wrong, I am extremely glad that we finally got Osama bin Laden, for the sense of closure that it'll bring to this country for 9/11. All the people who've been affected, including the military (which includes me) and their families, deserve this. However, I was really thinking about it today, and thought up a crazy scenario that I had to blog about, because it scared ME.
I really hope our President does NOT get assassinated over this, I am really glad that we have our first colored President, and I want him to serve a full two terms. I'm sure it's not out of the question that Al Qaeda now wants to try and take potshots at our own President. Here's the crazy scenario that came to my mind today:
What if Obama gets assassinated by some radical, racist conservative movement, but they set it up to make it look like al Qaeda or some Muslim fanatic pulled the trigger? This killing of bin Laden would be the perfect impetus for some crazy scheme like that to be pulled off. The US would be thrown into yet another period of unity/fear just like after 9/11, and this would perpetuate the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan just because the American public would be amped up again in war-mongering mode. This would immensely help the Republican agenda: Obama would be out of play for the 2012 election, the US public would be thrown back into that controllable fear mode, and public support for the wars will ramp up. After this, I can see them easily regaining control of the White House and the government.
Yes, this is a crazy scenario, but one that just scared me so much in my head, I really really don't want this to happen. This would be how the neoconservative movement would take back control over the US public.
I felt like I had to write a piece on this new Xbox Live Arcade game, Outland. I just played the demo, and it was such an incredibly fresh experience. See this video:
Crazy art style, everything is so colorful and crisp that the game is like my eyeballs are eating rainbow sorbet ice cream. The story is very mystical and definitely fits with that tribal theme, and lets your eyes feast on the art design. The art is generally a tribal style, but it's prettied up with a bright color scheme and the tribal symbols are outlined with color and filled in with shadow in an almost Tron-like fashion, a very cool visual effect. The use of shadow and dark/light contrast is just aesthetically beautiful to look at...almost like I would love to dream in this color scheme.
I just played the demo for this, and the controls are extremely tight and responsive, making the platforming elements very intuitive to pull off. The camera work helps quite a bit too, I noticed the camera is always right there on you and really conveys the sense of movement so you know if you're running too fast, just short of a long platform jump, or if you're pulling off a wall jump correctly. I'm not even a huge fan of platformers, but the way the controls make you feel in this game, it just makes it fun and easy to pick up. Since I only played through about 40 minutes or so of the demo, I didn't really run into any gameplay mechanics that I thought were off the wall from a standard platformer, but I'll most likely update this a bit when I play some more.
I've noticed a lot of XBLA and downloadable console games in general are coming up with crazier and crazier art design to stand out, if, when it comes to videogames, all you're looking at is Mario, Sonic, and the like, you're really missing out. Braid, Limbo, and now Outland are some recent examples of ridiculous off-the-wall art design in their games.
Whoever thought up the visual concepts for Outland, please keep on making videogames! I think we're seriously entering into what might be the Golden Age of the small development studio. I might be able to understand why these games have limited commercial appeal, but these kinds of XBLA games that are off-the-wall are like those indie bands that nobody knows about that just have some ridiculously good ideas. These are the gems that are so different in a good way. We have indie movies that can provide a feast for the eyes or some crazy mind-bending plot twists, we have indie music that stimulates the ears, and now we have indie games that stimulate...all of the above, plus your imagination and intuition. It's a great time to be a gamer, and I'm pretty sure things will only get better from here.
Incredibly simplistic views for very complex situations! Walking away from a job, unless you have another job, is not very wise in this economy and it doesn't matter what the situation is. Walking away from a marriage is nearly impossible for most women, particularly women with children who have been away from the workforce. Cutting your losses can mean even greater loss and the children lose either way. It is all well and good for a professional to spout this stuff but it is far more difficult out here in the real world!
Exactly what I was thinking, and part of my current dilemma. I've invested so much time and effort to become an accountant and get my CPA license and worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers as an Audit Associate, one of the most time-demanding and aggravating entry-level positions for college grads. I did it for the job security, but ironically I've now been laid off twice in this economy and am currently looking for a job. I'm so tempted to just throw it all away and pursue my true talents, interests, and passions since high school, like creative writing, music and video games, but is that really the smartest move to make in today's economy?
Not everyone can make it to the NBA, and that's just life, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. I would just like to learn how to be happy and content with what I'm doing in my career and still manage to find time to do the things I really love.
Answering your query... If you have the funds squirreled away or if you can make money from your "passions," then go right ahead and pursue them; however, why did you invest so much time and effort into becoming an accountant if you didn't like it? Perhaps, if you ask and answer that question, you might have a view as to what you should do. Not all jobs in the financial sector are audit related and, yes, I know exactly how horrid that is, particularly if you are entry level. Both the music and video game sectors require people with finance as a background so maybe you could combine your degree and your passions and have the best of both worlds?
Answering your questions, when I took the classes in college I found that the concepts came naturally to me, but just because I guess what I found out is just because I understood and enjoyed discussing the concepts and the business world in class doesn't mean that I'd enjoy the actual work of being an accountant. Hindsight is 20/20. It's also unfortunate that I'm still early on in my career and going through the slow financial burn through my savings like so many other unemployed. I'm definitely looking to somehow combine my degree and my passions, that is always on my mind but still easier said than done.
You sound as if you're single and that can work in your favor, as you can relocate to where your passions can merge with your financial expertise. Whatever you decide, I wish the very best of luck for you!
The life of a CPA is like slow death, it is grueling work and unless you make partner the pay isn't worth the incredible demands. LIfe is short Jon follow your heart, don't wait too long, it will get harder not easier to make a change beleive me. I think if you have the analytical mind of an accountant and the creative skills that writing demands you can go far doing something much more rewarding and fun. When I graduated college 25 years ago a guy wanted me to consider writing educational and gaming software ( which he claimed were the future ), he thought I had the requisite left /right brain mix. It was long before people had personal computers ( which were really glorified typewriters back then ) so I really thought the guy was in left field. I went for the safe accounting job, instead of taking a chance. The guy who recruited me later sold his company for millions to Sony and I wasted my youth poring over financial statements.
@Jon: You are still young...follow your dreams. The problem with college (and I have many degrees, so I've had a lot of time to screw things up) is that it doesn't prepare you for the actual work you have to do in the real world...over and over and over and over. Every CPA I know is miserable and drinks too much. Get out, and don't look back. Maybe look for ANY sort of work in a video company, even if it's just answering phones. Good luck, young man...
All great replies. It almost seems as if I'm the only one thinking I should stay in accounting! Still goes back to whether or not I'd really like the working lifestyle in the videogame industry, or in any of the other industries I'd like to work in. I guess that's what I hope to discover by writing this blog, right? This was intended to "balance" (ironic, an accounting pun) out my work and personal interests, so I'm still going to try and figure things out and see what happens.
