Inner creativity

So, in my quest to revist old games, my friends and I launched a minecraft server once again. We created a main base in a crevice that cut through a web of abandoned mining tunnels, so after exploring them and clearing those out, I set off to create something more substantial than a giant stripper pole (read: tower) and a chest full of materials.
In my past minecraft worlds, my creations arose out of necessity, and rarely style. Armed with a new texture pack to replace the low resolution chunks and a coffee powered imagination, a semi-floating manor house remains standing after a good hour or so.

 My first goal was to simply find a nice location. I found a classic gravity defying hill on the edge of the jungle and just went from there.

 Guests can only climb up through the vines, although it's an old manor, old people might have trouble navigating the growth.

Inside, I'm awfully proud of the little details that I added. Everything, from the broken glass along the rim to the metal grating near the floor, and the more obvious rotting planks and cobwebs really complete the atmosphere.

 Above, a uh, perfectly nice garden resides with wildflowers, I guess. Let's just say the flowers drifted in from the jungle out on the horizon and those 'fountains' are remnants from an old rainstorm.

 I'm not sure if I went overboard with the rotted walkways, but punching a few holes in the floor seemed to do the trick (plus, the tower of Mordor on a diet dominates the background)

 I.. like vines.

 Now, the main, rotted out room has a downward staircase that connects to the hill, with only a single door to exit through, which can only open up from the inside (once again, not elderly friendly) Down below, a small minecart tunnel connects this little manor to the main base (where the tower resides)

Now for something, completely different.

*boom*

Fine Wine

By now, you must have heard of the argument that 'video games are art', and yeah, I could easily support that claim. However, after gaming all my life, I can look at my games like fine bottles of digitized wine. Now, they haven't all aged nicely, Nickelodeon Party Blast aged like Benjamin Button's farts after eating a diet of beans and old milk that plays worse than it did nine years ago.

The face of pure, unadulterated terror in a box that puts Pandora's to shame

Other games that will actually be remembered in the future, like that awesome grandpa that rides motorbikes that we all envy. I'm sure you, my favorite reader, has such a game in mind, but for now, Doom makes a good point. Each level has multiple ways to tackle each level, the ambient noise and demon snarls still create an eerie mood, and temporarily recreating the matrix with every dodge never gets old.

On the other hand, Party Blast plays worse than a headless chicken riding a tricycle with just one wheel and made less sense than the actual image of the metaphor. Only the game's shortcomings leave it etched in my memory, I cannot forget the horror.

You can even see the bottle of wine begin to ferment with Skyrim. When it first launched, the game's scale is still like none other. Great at first, but even the scale of the world lacks in non-repetitive content. However, the modding community makes up for the void. Like the frosting on an elegant cake, the mods add the final touch to the game. As the players and creators become more creative and push the envelope, the content and ultimately the game improves with time. That's pretty cool. Other games tend to remain unsupported after so long, or just earn DLC and other little patches, and eventually those games will just fade away along with the rest.

Retextures, custom weapons, and little fixes are only the beginning, this game has potential in the future for some large scale mods, and some are already popping up through the woodwork.

The Legends Return

AP tests have denied me time for gaming, but lately I've picked up League of Legends once again. Before I went on hiatus and put down the game, I had been on the verge of ragequitting and ready to just leave in the middle of the game.
See, every week or so they add a new character to the game, so frequently that some new characters enter the arena incredibly overpowered, or really underpowered. I had the privilege of playing against a few overpowered characters, especially one who would swing a giant greatsword, dealing massive damage and gaining invincibility while running around berserk. Just one example, but I couldn't stomach that and a few other annoyances any longer.
I put the game down for awhile, but after all this time, I'm glad I started playing once more. Although the professional life requires constant playing of the game, LoL spawned more joy in smaller, bite sized sessions and quitting after brilliant, nail bitingly close games.
Moral of the story: some games age well and are worth playing after so long, and others aren't. No screenshots today, I get too focused in game and forget to find the perfect Kodak moment.