Theology Gaming - Part 174

January 23, 2014 / Zachery Oliver / Essays

Preconceived Notions of Fighting Games

Since it seems the Christian game community suddenly finds itself on the idea of preconceived notions and judging things on face value, allow me to say a few words: Maybe we all judge the traditional video game on face value.

I can say, for a fact, that fighting games scare me with their dexterity, execution, mind games, and mental speed requirements. Even though I always was and remain a great fan of most two-dimensional fighters, I can’t say with any confidence that my modicum of skill could fit into any category other than “noob”.

noob-saibot-mortal-kombat — No, not this kind of Noob.

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January 22, 2014 / Ayk Iano / Essays

Brothers and The Two-Fold Miracle

WARNING: Full spoilers regarding Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons ahead. To read an article on the game with more subtlety, check out what M. Joshua Cauller wrote about it.

Ever since I was young, my mother told me that I had an older brother. Sadly, certain unfavorable circumstances eliminated his chance of seeing this world for himself, which eventually left me as the only child of the family.

Being alone had its perks. Yet in retrospect, I realize that I was fairly lost growing up, especially due to the fact that I lived in three different countries during my primary school years. Combine that with a father who was mostly absent, I never had any male role model to look up to — or just a mentor figure that I could talk to — in all my years of childhood and adolescence.

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January 21, 2014 / Zachery Oliver / Essays

Being One With Video Games (and God)

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

I believe, rather solidly and definitively, that video games only hold you by their aesthetics for only so long. I know plenty of games that strike you with their art styles, but immediately falter. I prefer that experience to something far worse when the game’s flaws become apparent to the player in the last vestiges of the developer’s intended pathway.

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January 20, 2014 / Zachery Oliver / Monday Update

5 Fortune Street Strategies (Monday Update Edition)

Since snow descended on my town, my weekend ended up a Fortune Street marathon of sorts (at least from my reckoning). Given that, I figured I could amend my previous review of the game while adding a few notes to the process.

1. Don’t Play This Like a Real Investment Portfolio

Fortune Street’s a video game. Thus, the rules that apply to real investment do not necessarily apply here. For example, Fortune Street makes it impossible to invest on margin; you may only use the assets you own. Assets can’t be given to you by other players; you must make a deal or create said assets yourself (or the AI will give them to you).