StaceyPowers

Totally. I can't complain! In terms of ergonomics, mostly I wonder how I will get a chance to try VR eventually. I really want to do it, but I can't wear a heavy headset. I know there are cardboard ones, but I don't know much about them.

That's awesome! What days/times?

What are the biggest problems in the video game industry today? There obviously are quite a lot of problems plaguing the video game industry right now. Crunch time, anti-consumer practices, toxicity in workplaces, etc. Which problems do you think are the biggest right now in terms of impacting game quality as well as quality of life for those working hard to make our games?

I have a couple of questions regarding DLC and GOTY editions of Dragon Age and Mass Effect games, and am hoping someone may be able to shed some light. I’ve been trying to find the GOTY edition of Dragon Age: Inquisition for PS3, but all I find is the GOTY edition for PS4. Did they simply not make one for PS3, or am I just really bad at searching for things? My other question concerns the boxed set Mass Effect Trilogy for PS3. Does anyone know if this includes some, all or none of the DLC? Thanks so much to anyone who can answer these questions!

I have this issue as well with my poor executive function. I also mix up the buttons to push between different games, making the situation even more complicated. I have to rely almost 100% on muscle memory since my brain isn't going to know what to do. If someone asks me what button to push while playing a game I play every day, or how to access and use an ability in the menus, I'm totally blank. Same here. It is just anxiety-inducing knowing that I’ll under-perform compared to most players. I used to MUD, but that was different from a lot of current MMOs. I did well MUDing, but I did well through politics, not fighting. My executive function was better then, but still not great, and I was a terrible fighter even then. Plus, honestly, at the end of the day, I have no social energy left. I am trying to disconnect and unwind, and single player works for that. I haven’t played Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey or The Witcher 3, but both series interest me. The game I played which challenged me the most was The Last of Us. I played it on normal and it was right at the very edge of my ability level. I spent the whole game terrified I would get stuck and not be able to beat it, but I made it, and it was worth every second. Like many other people, I tried Dark Souls at one point and gave up, lol. Those games require the very set of skills we lack to be put to precision use, and the games are extremely punishing when you fail. I can’t imagine what that is like. It certainly puts my muscular issues (myofascial pain syndrome) into perspective. I am really impressed with all that you do manage to do. I can understand that. It’s really hard, if not impossible, for someone who doesn’t have a particular physical or psychological challenge to understand what life is like for someone who does. I can tell you flat-out that you are braver than me, simply by hearing your description of living with MD. Anyone who judges or ridicules you is doing so from a position of ignorance and weakness. Actually, you're the one who inspired me to make this thread after you brought up your disability in another. I got the feeling I might have inadvertently offended you, and I wanted you to know you're safe and welcome and not alone here.

I just finished Bioshock 1 a couple weeks ago for the first time :)

I'm impressed by your level of organization, and by your huge collection! I'd never get rid of any of my old games. I love playing the games I enjoy over and over.

I spilled beverages on my keyboard of my first computer twice, and it was never the same after either event. The really sad part is that it still outlived every laptop I've owned since by double, despite keeping fluids far, far away from them. They make things to break so fast nowadays.

Which password manager do you recommend?

Will you be streaming more?

Thanks for the awesome mini-review. Sold, lol :)

Ah right. I took what you said too literally (I'm told I do that a lot, lol). Hype truly is a double-edged sword.

Liquid near PCs terrifies me as well. How do I ground myself?

That may be true, but it’s not going to stop me from complaining about it. I can still oppose the train in a paltry attempt to slow it down or stop it. @LadyDay @SpaceExplorer @The Blackangel Where do you weigh in on this topic?

You're lucky. I always seemed to be involved in a pitched battle over something I wanted to play/read/listen to/watch.

Yeah, it just doesn't appeal to me personally. And something to do with it being an out-of-character accomplishment. Usually I aim for full immersion while gaming, so stuff that's external to my character isn't going to register with me.

It worries me too, for sure. I'm kind of hoping that the sheer length of time we'll be waiting will maybe provide a window for some improvements at the company. The reverse is possible as well though (and sadly, probably more likely).

That's different :)

Excellent! Oh one more bit of advice on New Vegas. That game features a lot of skill checks, i.e. speech checks, science checks, repair checks, and other skills, so you'll want to decide early how you want to specialize. Like I usually ignore Speech in Skyrim, because so rarely does it influence actual outcomes of situations. But in NV, passing a speech check can result in a completely different ending for a quest or character. The first time I played, I didn't put points into Speech for ages, because I was just playing it like I would Skyrim. This time around, I'm pouring points into it early so I can get better endings/solutions to some quests :)

I understand that not every person is going to adore every game which was ever popular, but I don’t understand why so many people are obsessed with hating on them. As a random example, I swear I see at least one post a day on the web where someone says, “The Last of Us is not a great game, no matter what people say.” I don’t begrudge anyone their opinions (although, it is irritating when they state them as if they are objective facts), but the sheer quantity of these posts kind of baffles me. Why is there a compulsive human need to hate on things that do well?

With Sekiro having released, I’m seeing people debating everywhere as to whether all games should include an “easy” mode or not. The arguments for it are essentially that everyone should have a chance to enjoy playing through a video game at their appropriate challenge level (seems reasonable to me). The arguments against it seem to boil down to a sort of elitism, and the claim that one won’t “feel as accomplished” beating a hard game if it has an easy mode. This does not make sense to me, as it is the player’s choice whether to play on hard or easy. One may ignore the easy mode and experience the same level of challenge one would if it didn’t exist. I don’t think I would demand that every developer make every game playable on every level (it may be impossible since there are so many subjective nuances to what makes a game “easy” or “hard” for any given person), but I don’t really understand why they wouldn’t try. I don’t feel making an experience more accessible to one person takes away another person’s fun. What are your thoughts? Do you think every game should have an easy mode? What would be the best way on a technical level to broaden accessibility as much as possible?

Nope. What everyone said about "what if the internet crashes" is a valid point. But for me it's also about ownership and consumer empowerment. Once things are totally digital, they turn into subscription services. I really like to just ... buy a thing, and then own it, and play it whenever I want for however long I want as often as I want with no continuous drain of money.

In a video?

This is me too. I mean, it's not that I find it strange exactly. It's just that I literally don't grasp the appeal. But I suspect in a way it's related to my compulsive need to search every corner of every room in a game to make sure I've found everything in it. For those who must collect trophies, they need to because they are there to be collected.

Well, with my last-gen console (which is my only console), I’ve bought everything years after release, lol. Most of my games have run me $5-10. Whether I buy physical or digital depends on the best deal I find when I am looking to purchase. I prefer physical in general, but space is at a bit of a premium in my place.