Well, I came out of my animation class much wiser and with a deeper appreciation for those who choose to make cartooning a career. I completed my 8 second long final project without too many problems, and while I like it, I'm debating on whether or not to upload it onto my Deviant Art page. If I do, I'd put it into my scraps, I suppose, for the simple fact that it's a beginner's animation.
The class itself took up so much of my time. I'm so far behind schedule with my costume to the point that I wonder how it's going to get done in time for the convention. I'm afraid that after this next course (digital storytelling) and during my holiday break, I'll be doing nothing but sewing. But, if that's what it takes, so be it. I want to cosplay!
As far as games go, I'm about four hours into Magna Carta 2 and I've come across one inconvenient glitch that sends one of your party members into a void, making it impossible to control them or even have them in a battle. I was afraid that I had lost the ability to use three characters altogether, but after entering another area via the world map, the problem seems to have worked itself out. If I had known that it would take so long to get that character back, I wouldn't have saved; I ended up batteling a boss with only two characters, which was more frustrating than it needed to be.
I also played Brutal Legend for a few hours and had a lot of fun with it. I'm no fan of Jack Black, but he does nice voice work and he fits the main character well. I'm also not much of a fan when it comes to death metal music, but the environments are all cleverly created and designed (tail pipe trees, people), and the characters and story make the world seem believable.
I've also spent a little time with the DS game A Witch's Tale. I really like the story, thus far, and the combat system is set up pretty much like any other turn-based RPG. Your party members consist of dolls you find and animate with your magic, and goal is to become the most powerful witch in the world. It's simple and witty, and I wish I had more time to delve deeper into it.
And if you haven't played Fallout 3 yet, go do it. Now. It plays like Oblivion, but with guns! Who doesn't like expansive worlds to traverse across?
Assassin's Creed 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 both come out this Tuesday, so I'm sure I'll have an update about those soon, too.
2009-11-15
2009-10-05
October '09.1
Let's talk about video games.
First off, I bought, played and beat Princess Debut. Laugh all you want, but it was a fun game in spite of everything. It plays like a dating simulation game (for kids), where you are filling in for the princess of a kingdom because she can't dance. You meet several princes, go on dates, and find a partner to the ball, all in order to make sure the real princess doesn't look bad. The challenge of the game comes in when actually dancing, as it requires some hand-eye coordination. The touch screen gives you various patterns to trace in time with the music, some of which can be a bit tricky to get just right.
I've been playing Muramasa lately, toggling the story between Momohime and Kisuke. I'm a bit surprised that they didn't give an option for English voices (Battle Fantasia didn't have English, either), but that's perfectly fine by me. I leave some games in Japanese anyway. Audio options or not, this is a great game. The visuals are stunning, the music is beautiful, and the story is compelling. You're only given so much information at the beginning, which makes you want to play the game and discover more. I've heard some complaints that it's very repetitive, but the same was said about Assassin's Creed, and in my opinion, it could be said about nearly every game if you're picky enough. In Muramasa, you traverse the countryside defeating ninja, samurai, oni, and various other enemies while leveling up and forging new and stronger swords. In Momohime's story, she has been wounded and her body possessed by the spirit of the great warrior Jinkuro who killed his master and peers in order to make their fighting style his own. Momohime's spirit follows him around in the hopes of regaining her body once Jinkuro gets what he wants, and avenging her family that died when she was wounded. Kisuke's story doesn't exactly overlap (yet...they've met each other in the hot springs a few times and have talked very little) as he's a runaway ninja being pursued for crimes he doesn't remember committing. He is helped by a fox demon who is drawn to his skill and strength and promises him the power to forge demon blades.
I've also had the privilege of playing WET, an action game by Bethesda (known for the Elder Scrolls games). It's a crazy, over-the-top, gun-slinging game full of cheesy dialogue, vulgar catch-phrases, and insane violence. You play as Ruby, a mercenary of sorts, who gets hired to pick up a black market heart for a transplant. From there, events spiral, and she ends up hunting down the people who gave her the job to begin with in a quest for revenge. The graphics aren't spectacular, and the controls take some time getting used to and understanding, but overall, it's so much fun and so frustrating that I sat and shook my head at the screen asking "Really?!" Especially as Ruby dives through the air, blasting heads with a shotgun in slow-motion.
I played a couple of hours of Red Faction: Guerrilla, as well. After liberating the first section of civilized Mars, though, I was done. While it was interesting, they ended up piling too much on you as if you're some sort of super-soldier...You're a miner. When I was granted access into the new area, I was promptly given five different missions, all of which required immediate action. There was a convoy headed to the location I had just freed, there was a truck that needed intercepted because of a letter that it carried, there were people requesting help fighting off the military...It took the fun out of the game. I didn't, however, get a chance to try the multiplayer, but I've heard good things about it.
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is a great addition to my PSP collection. You play a Prinny (a lesser demon of the netherworld introduced in Disgaea), and it's your mission to make Etna the Ultimate Dessert. Some poor schmuck ate her dessert, which sent her into a rage, and now she's taking it out on every Prinny. To make her happy, you run all over hell and back to get the ingredients needed to make her something else.
I'm excited about several upcoming games, as well. Dragon Age: Origins is going to push the boundaries of RPGs. Magna Carta 2 is going to be full of eye-candy (even though it's the third Magna Carta game...the first never came to the states). Left 4 Dead 2 is going to be as much fun as the first, especially with the addition of melee weapons. Every bit of Assassin's Creed 2 that I see makes me fan-girl squeal. Mass Effect 2 is still a ways away, but I'm looking forward to playing it since I love the first so much.
What I'd really like, is for Final Fantasy XIV to come out next summer like Square claims it will. It looks like such a beautiful game, and I've been trying to keep up on news and information on it so I'll actually be prepared to play it when it does launch. I think I got in over my head with XI and came off as as serious newb when I started.
Art updates will be coming soon. I've been working on things, I've just been neglecting my DA page, and haven't actually finished a non-school drawing in quite some time.
Soon.
First off, I bought, played and beat Princess Debut. Laugh all you want, but it was a fun game in spite of everything. It plays like a dating simulation game (for kids), where you are filling in for the princess of a kingdom because she can't dance. You meet several princes, go on dates, and find a partner to the ball, all in order to make sure the real princess doesn't look bad. The challenge of the game comes in when actually dancing, as it requires some hand-eye coordination. The touch screen gives you various patterns to trace in time with the music, some of which can be a bit tricky to get just right.
I've been playing Muramasa lately, toggling the story between Momohime and Kisuke. I'm a bit surprised that they didn't give an option for English voices (Battle Fantasia didn't have English, either), but that's perfectly fine by me. I leave some games in Japanese anyway. Audio options or not, this is a great game. The visuals are stunning, the music is beautiful, and the story is compelling. You're only given so much information at the beginning, which makes you want to play the game and discover more. I've heard some complaints that it's very repetitive, but the same was said about Assassin's Creed, and in my opinion, it could be said about nearly every game if you're picky enough. In Muramasa, you traverse the countryside defeating ninja, samurai, oni, and various other enemies while leveling up and forging new and stronger swords. In Momohime's story, she has been wounded and her body possessed by the spirit of the great warrior Jinkuro who killed his master and peers in order to make their fighting style his own. Momohime's spirit follows him around in the hopes of regaining her body once Jinkuro gets what he wants, and avenging her family that died when she was wounded. Kisuke's story doesn't exactly overlap (yet...they've met each other in the hot springs a few times and have talked very little) as he's a runaway ninja being pursued for crimes he doesn't remember committing. He is helped by a fox demon who is drawn to his skill and strength and promises him the power to forge demon blades.
I've also had the privilege of playing WET, an action game by Bethesda (known for the Elder Scrolls games). It's a crazy, over-the-top, gun-slinging game full of cheesy dialogue, vulgar catch-phrases, and insane violence. You play as Ruby, a mercenary of sorts, who gets hired to pick up a black market heart for a transplant. From there, events spiral, and she ends up hunting down the people who gave her the job to begin with in a quest for revenge. The graphics aren't spectacular, and the controls take some time getting used to and understanding, but overall, it's so much fun and so frustrating that I sat and shook my head at the screen asking "Really?!" Especially as Ruby dives through the air, blasting heads with a shotgun in slow-motion.
I played a couple of hours of Red Faction: Guerrilla, as well. After liberating the first section of civilized Mars, though, I was done. While it was interesting, they ended up piling too much on you as if you're some sort of super-soldier...You're a miner. When I was granted access into the new area, I was promptly given five different missions, all of which required immediate action. There was a convoy headed to the location I had just freed, there was a truck that needed intercepted because of a letter that it carried, there were people requesting help fighting off the military...It took the fun out of the game. I didn't, however, get a chance to try the multiplayer, but I've heard good things about it.
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is a great addition to my PSP collection. You play a Prinny (a lesser demon of the netherworld introduced in Disgaea), and it's your mission to make Etna the Ultimate Dessert. Some poor schmuck ate her dessert, which sent her into a rage, and now she's taking it out on every Prinny. To make her happy, you run all over hell and back to get the ingredients needed to make her something else.
I'm excited about several upcoming games, as well. Dragon Age: Origins is going to push the boundaries of RPGs. Magna Carta 2 is going to be full of eye-candy (even though it's the third Magna Carta game...the first never came to the states). Left 4 Dead 2 is going to be as much fun as the first, especially with the addition of melee weapons. Every bit of Assassin's Creed 2 that I see makes me fan-girl squeal. Mass Effect 2 is still a ways away, but I'm looking forward to playing it since I love the first so much.
What I'd really like, is for Final Fantasy XIV to come out next summer like Square claims it will. It looks like such a beautiful game, and I've been trying to keep up on news and information on it so I'll actually be prepared to play it when it does launch. I think I got in over my head with XI and came off as as serious newb when I started.
Art updates will be coming soon. I've been working on things, I've just been neglecting my DA page, and haven't actually finished a non-school drawing in quite some time.
Soon.
2009-08-21
August '09.1
I've been working on my Pocco cosplay a lot this last month. I've made some patterns, cut out some wings and a sword from foam, bought a lot of fabric...I'd like to get the foam pieces done before cold weather falls since a lot of the work needs to be done outside (sanding, painting, and such); I can sew inside in any weather, so the costume itself is seen as a slightly lower priority right now.
I finished my Digital Image Manipulation course this week and have begun my Dynamic Figure Drawing class. Unfortunately, none of the pieces I did in this last class have been put on my DA site. Most of them were direct lessons from the Classroom in a Book text, so I haven't felt the need to upload them. I'm going to take some time to resize my final, though, and post it, as it turned out well enough.
I've also been spending a better part of my time working on some posters for a theater show in the Midwest to be put on by Trompe-L'Oeil Entertainment. Can't talk about the show since it's all hush-hush and secret right now, but I'm excited that my art gets to be part of it. ^_^
Video games have been slightly sidelined, though I have managed to level up my new job class in FFXI. A lot of new games are coming out soon! Kingdom Hearts, the second Professor Layton, the Batman game, Dragon Age Origins...I'm going to have to make the time to pick up some titles that I haven't beaten yet, like Ar Tonelico, but all in due time, I suppose.
I need to make some time for my personal art, but that seems to hardly happen. I did, however, finish drawing my Moonlight Armour picture, and it is awaiting colour. I'd like to begin sketching the Sunshine Armour soon so I can post the two of them at the same time, but we'll see. I did begin colouring a picture of Rin and Remy, the main characters from the Waking Dream story I've been conceptualizing, so that image may get uploaded first.
Hopefully, once I get my work/school/project schedules in order, I can find the time!
I finished my Digital Image Manipulation course this week and have begun my Dynamic Figure Drawing class. Unfortunately, none of the pieces I did in this last class have been put on my DA site. Most of them were direct lessons from the Classroom in a Book text, so I haven't felt the need to upload them. I'm going to take some time to resize my final, though, and post it, as it turned out well enough.
I've also been spending a better part of my time working on some posters for a theater show in the Midwest to be put on by Trompe-L'Oeil Entertainment. Can't talk about the show since it's all hush-hush and secret right now, but I'm excited that my art gets to be part of it. ^_^
Video games have been slightly sidelined, though I have managed to level up my new job class in FFXI. A lot of new games are coming out soon! Kingdom Hearts, the second Professor Layton, the Batman game, Dragon Age Origins...I'm going to have to make the time to pick up some titles that I haven't beaten yet, like Ar Tonelico, but all in due time, I suppose.
I need to make some time for my personal art, but that seems to hardly happen. I did, however, finish drawing my Moonlight Armour picture, and it is awaiting colour. I'd like to begin sketching the Sunshine Armour soon so I can post the two of them at the same time, but we'll see. I did begin colouring a picture of Rin and Remy, the main characters from the Waking Dream story I've been conceptualizing, so that image may get uploaded first.
Hopefully, once I get my work/school/project schedules in order, I can find the time!
2009-07-15
July '09.1
Video Games Live was an intense experience, proving that video games are not only entertainment, but an art and a part of our culture that should be recognized and respected. If you get the chance to go, I highly recommend it. Not only will you get to see game footage from several popular titles, but you'll hear live orchestral music and choirs. And maybe you'll get to see Tommy Tallarico head bang to One Winged Angel. ^_^
Well, school is back in session, and I'm already excited about upcoming assignments in my Digital Image Manipulation course. I'm sure I'll have plenty of new additions to my Deviant Art site, and perhaps a few of those will end up on Artician. I did finish colouring my Togruta picture over my break, and am fairly happy with the outcome. I also compiled a few pictures of a monkey I sewed together a while back and submitted them. I'm still working on cleaning up a sketch of a humanoid version of Phinny, my stuffed cat/sidekick. I'll probably be scanning that soon and colouring it...my goal is to add it to my portfolio, but I'm waiting to see how it turns out, first. If all goes well, I'll be drawing a similar version of my alter-ego Rin, and perhaps collage the two together.
I beat Mass Effect on my break, and am even more excited about the sequel that's going to be released the beginning of next year. It's amazing that the characters will be the same from the first game (I killed off Ashley, so she won't be in my crew), so I'm hoping that my Commander Shepard and Kaiden will still have their relationship.
Bioshock 2 got pushed back, which I'm fine with. I'd rather wait and have the game be that much better, rather than buying a piece of rushed crap. Assassin's Creed 2 is still looking good. Still excited about Muramasa and FFXIV.
BlazBlue is a lot of fun. I think I enjoyed it more than Battle Fantasia, but that may be because 2d graphics have a special place in my heart. Both are rather hard, though, and require some time to learn the moves, but I enjoy that about fighting games. I'll have to see if the new King of Fighters stands up to them, too.
I've been playing the crap out of Gears of War 2 with Ian lately. We beat the game on Insane the other night, and prior to that, we'd been milking the mulitplayer maps for all they were worth. We still need online and public achievements, but neither of us are much for playing public matches. We'll see how that goes. The new All Fronts download will be available by the end of the month, and I'm really looking forward to that, as well. More maps, extra campaign level, and new achievements makes me a happy girl.
Well, school is back in session, and I'm already excited about upcoming assignments in my Digital Image Manipulation course. I'm sure I'll have plenty of new additions to my Deviant Art site, and perhaps a few of those will end up on Artician. I did finish colouring my Togruta picture over my break, and am fairly happy with the outcome. I also compiled a few pictures of a monkey I sewed together a while back and submitted them. I'm still working on cleaning up a sketch of a humanoid version of Phinny, my stuffed cat/sidekick. I'll probably be scanning that soon and colouring it...my goal is to add it to my portfolio, but I'm waiting to see how it turns out, first. If all goes well, I'll be drawing a similar version of my alter-ego Rin, and perhaps collage the two together.
I beat Mass Effect on my break, and am even more excited about the sequel that's going to be released the beginning of next year. It's amazing that the characters will be the same from the first game (I killed off Ashley, so she won't be in my crew), so I'm hoping that my Commander Shepard and Kaiden will still have their relationship.
Bioshock 2 got pushed back, which I'm fine with. I'd rather wait and have the game be that much better, rather than buying a piece of rushed crap. Assassin's Creed 2 is still looking good. Still excited about Muramasa and FFXIV.
BlazBlue is a lot of fun. I think I enjoyed it more than Battle Fantasia, but that may be because 2d graphics have a special place in my heart. Both are rather hard, though, and require some time to learn the moves, but I enjoy that about fighting games. I'll have to see if the new King of Fighters stands up to them, too.
I've been playing the crap out of Gears of War 2 with Ian lately. We beat the game on Insane the other night, and prior to that, we'd been milking the mulitplayer maps for all they were worth. We still need online and public achievements, but neither of us are much for playing public matches. We'll see how that goes. The new All Fronts download will be available by the end of the month, and I'm really looking forward to that, as well. More maps, extra campaign level, and new achievements makes me a happy girl.
2009-06-26
June '09.2
School is out for a couple of weeks, so I'm trying to catch up on some personal projects while I have a bit of time. Today I finished and uploaded a picture on my Deviant Art site, and am debating on whether or not to put it on my Artician site. Originally, my Techno Girl was supposed to be Beat Girl, from the Shojo Beat magazine. A while back they had announced a contest asking people to draw their own version of Beat Girl, but they canceled the contest shortly after. I kept drawing, altering my original design a bit, and overall I'm happy. It took a little bit of time getting used to drawing with my tablet again, since my latest school assignments have been in graphite, charcoal, and conte.
I'm also taking the time to scope out some intern positions, now that I've finished my first year at Ai. I never heard back from Big Huge Games...I wasn't able to submit my resume and portfolio to them due to some e-mail error on their end, and when I wrote them to ask about it, they never replied. I wish I could have at least gotten some feedback from them about my work, just to see if they thought I had any talent, or what I should work on to improve my portfolio.
I did send in my resume to SilverTreeMedia, though. And have already heard back from them, as well. They told me they'd be in touch if they felt I would be able to contribute anything to one of their projects. I probably don't have anything too eye-catching in my portfolio as of yet (hopefully that will change as I progress through school and learn more), but I got excited when I found out that they made the Pixie Hollow game I've been poking around at for the last couple of months.
Anyway, I checked out Bionic Commando, and have been having fun playing that. By no means is it the greatest thing I've ever played, but it is fun. Aside from the odd controls and various impossible situations like your mechanical arm being more sensitive to radiation than your organic body, it's not bad. I've had some gripes with it (you can't have a robotic arm without the rest of your body having cybernetic implants...your arm would be so heavy it'd fall off!), but I know how to willingly suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy a video game.
I've been meaning to try the new Red Faction, as well, and I've been hearing good things about Ghostbusters. Until then, I'm content to play Gears of War 2 and Resident Evil 5 again, and I still need to beat Mass Effect. Jade Empire and Ar Tonelico have been put on the back burner, and I just bought Monster Hunter and created a character in that, but haven't done more than the first tutorial mission.
Argh. So many video games. ^_^
I'm also taking the time to scope out some intern positions, now that I've finished my first year at Ai. I never heard back from Big Huge Games...I wasn't able to submit my resume and portfolio to them due to some e-mail error on their end, and when I wrote them to ask about it, they never replied. I wish I could have at least gotten some feedback from them about my work, just to see if they thought I had any talent, or what I should work on to improve my portfolio.
I did send in my resume to SilverTreeMedia, though. And have already heard back from them, as well. They told me they'd be in touch if they felt I would be able to contribute anything to one of their projects. I probably don't have anything too eye-catching in my portfolio as of yet (hopefully that will change as I progress through school and learn more), but I got excited when I found out that they made the Pixie Hollow game I've been poking around at for the last couple of months.
Anyway, I checked out Bionic Commando, and have been having fun playing that. By no means is it the greatest thing I've ever played, but it is fun. Aside from the odd controls and various impossible situations like your mechanical arm being more sensitive to radiation than your organic body, it's not bad. I've had some gripes with it (you can't have a robotic arm without the rest of your body having cybernetic implants...your arm would be so heavy it'd fall off!), but I know how to willingly suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy a video game.
I've been meaning to try the new Red Faction, as well, and I've been hearing good things about Ghostbusters. Until then, I'm content to play Gears of War 2 and Resident Evil 5 again, and I still need to beat Mass Effect. Jade Empire and Ar Tonelico have been put on the back burner, and I just bought Monster Hunter and created a character in that, but haven't done more than the first tutorial mission.
Argh. So many video games. ^_^
2009-06-07
June '09.1
It seems like everyone's talking about E3 right now, so I guess I should say a few things about it, as well. But I'll be honest; there wasn't a lot that excited me. Most games I've known about for months, like Assassin's Creed 2, and Brutal Legend. Heck, I'd even been looking stuff up about BioWare's Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic. Gaming magazines and even the Internet have been full of information, screenshots, and trailers for a long while before companies showed off their stuff at E3.
I will say, however, that there were a couple of surprises, some of which were pleasant, some of which were...not. Microsoft's Project Natal is interesting enough, even though it creeps me out. It's just doing what the Wii did; cater to casual gamers. The whole 'body as a controller' thing could work well enough for some games, but I'm thinking that if you're going to be up and dancing around in your living room, you should go outside and get some fresh air. I mean, in one part of their commercial, a kid scan his real skateboard into the game and then proceeds to play. Why isn't he just outside riding his real skateboard? And sorry, Milo, but I can't see anyone actually playing a game with a VI child. It works well, as a demo, but I would question the motives of someone who bought this game. Maybe that's juat my lack of faith in humanity, though.
Square caught me off-guard when they annouced FFXIV for the PS3 and PC, especially since FFXIII hasn't come to the states, yet. And Nintendo threw all sorts of titles into gamer's faces...the most exciting of all being Metroid: Other M, which is being developed by Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame.
As far as up and coming releases go, though, I've got my eye on BlazBlue and Dissidia. My 360 and PSP collections need new additions, and I'm always up for good fighting games. Hopefully in a couple of weeks when I go on summer holiday, I can get back into some serious gaming.
Life Drawing is a demanding class. Most of what I've been doing has been uploaded in a special Deviant Art folder, but it's sad that my overall gallery seems neglected. I have, though, created a slightly more professional gallery that I'm using as my portfolio on Artician. I attempted to send it and resume to Big Huge Games in hopes of gaining an internship while I go to school, but they must have their e-mail set up so only people with autherization numbers can submit mail. I wrote another of their addresses asking about the problem I was encountering, so I hope to hear back from them in a few days. (Not like I really think I'll get an internship, but hey, I can try).
I have been working on a couple of drawings that I'd like to get into my portfolio, but classes come first. In a couple of weeks, I'll be able to focus on my portfolio and get it looking nicer, and hopefully after Life Drawing, I'll have another submission to add.
I will say, however, that there were a couple of surprises, some of which were pleasant, some of which were...not. Microsoft's Project Natal is interesting enough, even though it creeps me out. It's just doing what the Wii did; cater to casual gamers. The whole 'body as a controller' thing could work well enough for some games, but I'm thinking that if you're going to be up and dancing around in your living room, you should go outside and get some fresh air. I mean, in one part of their commercial, a kid scan his real skateboard into the game and then proceeds to play. Why isn't he just outside riding his real skateboard? And sorry, Milo, but I can't see anyone actually playing a game with a VI child. It works well, as a demo, but I would question the motives of someone who bought this game. Maybe that's juat my lack of faith in humanity, though.
Square caught me off-guard when they annouced FFXIV for the PS3 and PC, especially since FFXIII hasn't come to the states, yet. And Nintendo threw all sorts of titles into gamer's faces...the most exciting of all being Metroid: Other M, which is being developed by Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame.
As far as up and coming releases go, though, I've got my eye on BlazBlue and Dissidia. My 360 and PSP collections need new additions, and I'm always up for good fighting games. Hopefully in a couple of weeks when I go on summer holiday, I can get back into some serious gaming.
Life Drawing is a demanding class. Most of what I've been doing has been uploaded in a special Deviant Art folder, but it's sad that my overall gallery seems neglected. I have, though, created a slightly more professional gallery that I'm using as my portfolio on Artician. I attempted to send it and resume to Big Huge Games in hopes of gaining an internship while I go to school, but they must have their e-mail set up so only people with autherization numbers can submit mail. I wrote another of their addresses asking about the problem I was encountering, so I hope to hear back from them in a few days. (Not like I really think I'll get an internship, but hey, I can try).
I have been working on a couple of drawings that I'd like to get into my portfolio, but classes come first. In a couple of weeks, I'll be able to focus on my portfolio and get it looking nicer, and hopefully after Life Drawing, I'll have another submission to add.
2009-05-29
May '09.1
That's right, folks. It's time for another GameStop rant! And while I'm well aware that anything I say can and may get me fired, I'll begin with this...If this corporation has nothing better to do than read this, find out who I am, at which store I work, and terminate my employment, it will only prove that they're spending money on all the wrong things. I'm not representing or misrepresenting the company; I'm speaking my mind. If I'm honestly viewed as a threat...well, that's just plain sad.
But, hey. They're already enjoying their primary witch hunt, so it'll only be a matter of time before they turn to weeding us out on the Internet.
Pretty much, what's been going on in the last month is a series of secret shoppings designed to scare employees into using better selling tactics. Needless to say, it's not working. I've seen the best associates get the lowest scores, and all that this is accomplishing is setting everyone on edge.
Let's start from the beginning.
From what I understand, GameStop had a good year last year. While other businesses were floundering about in this economic turmoil and closing stores due to lack of sales, GameStop was making money and buying up European game retailers to add to their chain. For the winter holidays, every store (there are at least 3,000 stores, people...I'll let you do the math) was given a one hundred dollar gift card meant to go to a party for all associates in celebration for doing so well during one of the worst holiday recessions. Heck, GameStop wouldn't even fire people, they'd 'coach' them. If you did something wrong, you got 'coached' up to so many times before you were given verbal warnings. After that, you could be written up several times before true disciplinary action would take place.
In the last few months, however, things began to change. Corners were eventually cut to save money here and there, because even GameStop was starting to feel the pinch of people's wallets, but that was to be expected. This past month, though, has been outrageous.
Every company does secret shopping, I'm sure. Hire outside people, have them go in and ask the employees things, buy stuff, and rate them on their knowledge of the products, helpfulness, etc. It helps businesses make sure their people are doing the right things and treating the customers right, and I understand why this is done. The scores in our area, though, have been exceptionally low, and we're starting to feel uneasy about our positions. I feel like I have to watch my back, that every customer that comes in will be a secret shopper; it's borderline harassment, because I feel like I can't do my job right anymore.
We've had at least five in the last couple of weeks. One of these was a manager from another store (tell me that that's not conflict of interest). We get rated on if we greet the customer within 60 seconds of their entering the store, mention to them trade ins, ask about the magazine subscription/discount card that the stores offer, question about if they have reservation interests on upcoming games, talk about benefits of the product, point out that we have an online survey, and we must thank each customer for coming into the store (telling them to have a good day doesn't work, I found out).
On paper, this sounds like a good idea; we're having associates talk about all the things that the store offers. In practice, it's annoying. Greeting customers is something I regularly do, but I don't enjoy pestering every one of them with endless prattle about how the Edge could have saved them x amount of money, or telling them that they really should reserve such-and-such game that's coming out because it'll be popular and hard to get their hands on. Some people, yes. Others, no. Some people are genuinely interested in saving the 10% on used games via the card and getting the magazine subscription along with it. Some people are not. You tend to annoy those who aren't interested, who are there to buy their game and get out. Having a sales clerk harp on about how they should really reconsider the magazine and the card because over time it saves them so much money pushes some people away.
It just doesn't work. In large stores that are constantly busy, it's near impossible to greet everyone who comes in through the door. When there are lines of people at the register waiting to check out, you're ticking off people by giving a practiced speech about discounts and reserves. In mall stores, most people just wander in and look around. They may see a game that catches their eye, but most aren't interested in upcoming titles or they aren't in the store enough to care about buying the discount card.
Let me break this down.
The magazine subscription costs 14.99 and comes with a discount card that saves the customer 10% off of every used game or accessory that they buy. Do the math, and that comes to you spending $150 dollars in a year on used games to make up for the cost of the initial subscription. Most people do not buy that many games.
And I'll be honest here...reserves don't really matter. For more obscure titles, it guarantees that we get a copy into our stores, but even when it's something big (take the GTA4 launch for example), the company sends out e-mails that say to sell every copy of the game we have to the general public, and to not hold onto reserved copies. That's right. We badger customers to reserve the games they want, then we're told to sell them. Someone explain to me how fair that is.
And GameStop expects us to reach a certain percentage in our reserve and subscription numbers every week. They don't offer anything like commission for the numbers that we get; my pay is the same if one week I get one reserve and the next week I get fifty. But they're trying to scare me into getting these numbers by sending in a secret shopper every other day.
I'm nice to everyone who comes into my store. I help people find things, answer questions to the best of my ability, and tell people I appreciate them coming in and to have a good day. When people are going to be saving themselves some money on used games, I bring up the discount card. Others I ask about upcoming games they may want to reserve. And I've failed these secret shopper surveys.
I think GameStop needs to stop trying to weed out "bad" employees this way. Get rid of the ones who show no interest in the customers. Get rid of the ones who don't know anything about games or systems. Get rid of the ones who don't try. Don't harass the ones who are decent and knowledgeable.
Witch hunts, I say.
On top of all this, we had to watch a training video showing us how to behave to customers. I viewed most of it as a joke, because the video instructed us to tell customers on the phone to wait while we greeted customers in the store. We're also supposed to stop waiting on customers at the register to ask if incoming customers need help with anything. I'd be pretty miffed if I was waiting in line and a sales rep turned their attention to someone else while I was checking out.
It also portrayed stores as if there is only one customer at a time, with their own personal associate to follow them around and answer all their questions. The people who run our corporate office do not know how the stores really work. Most of them have never worked in a store; they're upper management, they're the people who make all the decisions, and they've more than likely never set foot into one of the stores, much less worked behind the register. If they had, I can bet that things would be run much differently.
Moving on, a bit...
After my 360 took a dive into the world of the red-rings, I've been playing my original Xbox a lot. I never got into the Xbox, primarily because I bought it last year, and have had the 360 much longer. But, Jade Empire is one of the best games I've ever touched, and Knights of the Old Republic is a lot of fun. Both are developed by BioWare, bless their creative souls. I've also been spending time with my PS2, enjoying Ar Tonelico, despite the fact that it's a little slower-paced than I'd like.
Jade Empire is set in a world that appeals to me, I suppose. It has Chinese mythology, creatures, and lore. The characters are all interesting, the overall design is breath-taking, and I've generally been having a blast with it. My character's name is Sweet Malingshu. Malingshu is...Chinese for potato, and a bit of a nickname my boyfriend has given me.
Drawing various anatomical studies for my life drawing class has been keeping me busy. I do miss my game development class, but my teacher gave me her e-mail address so that I may keep in touch with her. The life drawing class is very interesting, and I'm learning a lot, but it's not quite as enjoyable. In a few weeks I'll have a bit of a summer vacation from school, then I'll be taking a digital image maniulation course, to which I'm greatly looking forward.
Perhaps during my break, I'll be able to draw more...but then again, I always say that.
But, hey. They're already enjoying their primary witch hunt, so it'll only be a matter of time before they turn to weeding us out on the Internet.
Pretty much, what's been going on in the last month is a series of secret shoppings designed to scare employees into using better selling tactics. Needless to say, it's not working. I've seen the best associates get the lowest scores, and all that this is accomplishing is setting everyone on edge.
Let's start from the beginning.
From what I understand, GameStop had a good year last year. While other businesses were floundering about in this economic turmoil and closing stores due to lack of sales, GameStop was making money and buying up European game retailers to add to their chain. For the winter holidays, every store (there are at least 3,000 stores, people...I'll let you do the math) was given a one hundred dollar gift card meant to go to a party for all associates in celebration for doing so well during one of the worst holiday recessions. Heck, GameStop wouldn't even fire people, they'd 'coach' them. If you did something wrong, you got 'coached' up to so many times before you were given verbal warnings. After that, you could be written up several times before true disciplinary action would take place.
In the last few months, however, things began to change. Corners were eventually cut to save money here and there, because even GameStop was starting to feel the pinch of people's wallets, but that was to be expected. This past month, though, has been outrageous.
Every company does secret shopping, I'm sure. Hire outside people, have them go in and ask the employees things, buy stuff, and rate them on their knowledge of the products, helpfulness, etc. It helps businesses make sure their people are doing the right things and treating the customers right, and I understand why this is done. The scores in our area, though, have been exceptionally low, and we're starting to feel uneasy about our positions. I feel like I have to watch my back, that every customer that comes in will be a secret shopper; it's borderline harassment, because I feel like I can't do my job right anymore.
We've had at least five in the last couple of weeks. One of these was a manager from another store (tell me that that's not conflict of interest). We get rated on if we greet the customer within 60 seconds of their entering the store, mention to them trade ins, ask about the magazine subscription/discount card that the stores offer, question about if they have reservation interests on upcoming games, talk about benefits of the product, point out that we have an online survey, and we must thank each customer for coming into the store (telling them to have a good day doesn't work, I found out).
On paper, this sounds like a good idea; we're having associates talk about all the things that the store offers. In practice, it's annoying. Greeting customers is something I regularly do, but I don't enjoy pestering every one of them with endless prattle about how the Edge could have saved them x amount of money, or telling them that they really should reserve such-and-such game that's coming out because it'll be popular and hard to get their hands on. Some people, yes. Others, no. Some people are genuinely interested in saving the 10% on used games via the card and getting the magazine subscription along with it. Some people are not. You tend to annoy those who aren't interested, who are there to buy their game and get out. Having a sales clerk harp on about how they should really reconsider the magazine and the card because over time it saves them so much money pushes some people away.
It just doesn't work. In large stores that are constantly busy, it's near impossible to greet everyone who comes in through the door. When there are lines of people at the register waiting to check out, you're ticking off people by giving a practiced speech about discounts and reserves. In mall stores, most people just wander in and look around. They may see a game that catches their eye, but most aren't interested in upcoming titles or they aren't in the store enough to care about buying the discount card.
Let me break this down.
The magazine subscription costs 14.99 and comes with a discount card that saves the customer 10% off of every used game or accessory that they buy. Do the math, and that comes to you spending $150 dollars in a year on used games to make up for the cost of the initial subscription. Most people do not buy that many games.
And I'll be honest here...reserves don't really matter. For more obscure titles, it guarantees that we get a copy into our stores, but even when it's something big (take the GTA4 launch for example), the company sends out e-mails that say to sell every copy of the game we have to the general public, and to not hold onto reserved copies. That's right. We badger customers to reserve the games they want, then we're told to sell them. Someone explain to me how fair that is.
And GameStop expects us to reach a certain percentage in our reserve and subscription numbers every week. They don't offer anything like commission for the numbers that we get; my pay is the same if one week I get one reserve and the next week I get fifty. But they're trying to scare me into getting these numbers by sending in a secret shopper every other day.
I'm nice to everyone who comes into my store. I help people find things, answer questions to the best of my ability, and tell people I appreciate them coming in and to have a good day. When people are going to be saving themselves some money on used games, I bring up the discount card. Others I ask about upcoming games they may want to reserve. And I've failed these secret shopper surveys.
I think GameStop needs to stop trying to weed out "bad" employees this way. Get rid of the ones who show no interest in the customers. Get rid of the ones who don't know anything about games or systems. Get rid of the ones who don't try. Don't harass the ones who are decent and knowledgeable.
Witch hunts, I say.
On top of all this, we had to watch a training video showing us how to behave to customers. I viewed most of it as a joke, because the video instructed us to tell customers on the phone to wait while we greeted customers in the store. We're also supposed to stop waiting on customers at the register to ask if incoming customers need help with anything. I'd be pretty miffed if I was waiting in line and a sales rep turned their attention to someone else while I was checking out.
It also portrayed stores as if there is only one customer at a time, with their own personal associate to follow them around and answer all their questions. The people who run our corporate office do not know how the stores really work. Most of them have never worked in a store; they're upper management, they're the people who make all the decisions, and they've more than likely never set foot into one of the stores, much less worked behind the register. If they had, I can bet that things would be run much differently.
Moving on, a bit...
After my 360 took a dive into the world of the red-rings, I've been playing my original Xbox a lot. I never got into the Xbox, primarily because I bought it last year, and have had the 360 much longer. But, Jade Empire is one of the best games I've ever touched, and Knights of the Old Republic is a lot of fun. Both are developed by BioWare, bless their creative souls. I've also been spending time with my PS2, enjoying Ar Tonelico, despite the fact that it's a little slower-paced than I'd like.
Jade Empire is set in a world that appeals to me, I suppose. It has Chinese mythology, creatures, and lore. The characters are all interesting, the overall design is breath-taking, and I've generally been having a blast with it. My character's name is Sweet Malingshu. Malingshu is...Chinese for potato, and a bit of a nickname my boyfriend has given me.
Drawing various anatomical studies for my life drawing class has been keeping me busy. I do miss my game development class, but my teacher gave me her e-mail address so that I may keep in touch with her. The life drawing class is very interesting, and I'm learning a lot, but it's not quite as enjoyable. In a few weeks I'll have a bit of a summer vacation from school, then I'll be taking a digital image maniulation course, to which I'm greatly looking forward.
Perhaps during my break, I'll be able to draw more...but then again, I always say that.
2009-04-29
April '09.1
I dare say it's been a while since I've updated.
I had a wonderful Spring Break, played too much Oblivion, and enjoyed having my sister and brother spend a week with me (too bad it rained nearly every day and we couldn't do anything I had planned). I miss them, though, and I'd like to make plans to see them once school is out for the summer, as well. ^_^
Speaking of school, I'm having a spectacular time in my Game Development class! It's great reading about and discussing our potential ideas for video games, game play features, characters, and the such. All class long we've been building up a game document entailing story, backstory, plot, characters (playable and non), environments...essentially showing us all the work it takes to pitch a game idea to a company. Granted, some students are showing a little more creativity than others, as there are a few that continue on with the same old 'tried and true super heroes overcoming evil' plots. Not to say that this couldn't work in a game, but it's amazing how someone can come up with an idea that's never been done before (at least to my knowledge), and how someone else will do what's always been done. I suppose it's a safe way out.
There are a couple of students that I'm not so sure of...Some show little knowledge of the world of gaming. No, I don't expect everyone to know everything there is to know about the history of video games, or the specs of every system on the market, but the lack of research is what gets to me. If you don't know something...simply look it up. I don't mean to sound rude, but you can't get far in the field if you don't know what you're dealing with, and if you're serious about finding a career in game development, you should make it a point to learn all that you can.
But, I digress. At the end of the week we're supposed to submit concept sketches into the classroom of a character, an object, and an environment, all three of which will be seen in our 'game.' I've been watching The Patriot, Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, and have found screenshots and production photos from Brotherhood of the Wolf, all of which take place during or after the American Revolution, as my game is set in that era. Sleepy Hollow is being used as reference for the mood of my game, since Tim Burton is a master of aesthetics (but since it takes place in 1799, I'm not using it as historical reference). The Patriot is perfect for costuming and locals, and the Brotherhood of the Wolf is set in France about the same time as the Revolution, so outfits and weaponry are fairly accurate. Once I have my sketches completed, I plan on uploading them onto my Deviant Art page, which has somehow become a bit neglected.
I submitted a colouring of Sponge's character not long ago, but I have other things I need to finish before putting them in my gallery. I've completed my Togruta line art and have began colouring it, I've been digitally inking my Shojo Beat contest entry (though the contest doesn't exist anymore), and there are other random pictures I've not completed, so needless to say, I need to get on the ball!
I've been reading one of the greatest webcomics and would like to share it with everyone; go and read Gunnerkrigg Court...right now! I've been meaning to draw some fan art, so hopefully I can do that soon. After my homework, of course.
And I'd been once again sucked into Mass Effect, but my 360 decided to red-ring on me, and I don't exactly have the money right now to buy a replacement. So, the galaxy goes unsaved until I can afford a new system. But, I've picked back up my PS2 controller and have been playing the new Samurai Shodown Anthology with Ian. It's nice having another fighting game in our collection. I've also been attempting to solve puzzles with Zack & Wiki, but wow, does that game make me feel stupid sometimes. d:
Been watching Gurren Lagann, which is amazing. Have been wanting to read more After School Nightmare, which is thought-provoking, and unavailable, it seems. Have been wanting to read more Berserk, but am unable to find it anywhere (curse you bookstores!).
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is coming out soon. Assassin's Creed 2 is launching later this year, and so is Mass Effect 2, and Bioshock 2. But I'm not sure I know enough about them to write much, and most of the 'hot' titles aren't coming out until closer to winter. Personally, I'm excited about Muramasa, but after it lost it's publisher, who knows what'll happen to it...
I had a wonderful Spring Break, played too much Oblivion, and enjoyed having my sister and brother spend a week with me (too bad it rained nearly every day and we couldn't do anything I had planned). I miss them, though, and I'd like to make plans to see them once school is out for the summer, as well. ^_^
Speaking of school, I'm having a spectacular time in my Game Development class! It's great reading about and discussing our potential ideas for video games, game play features, characters, and the such. All class long we've been building up a game document entailing story, backstory, plot, characters (playable and non), environments...essentially showing us all the work it takes to pitch a game idea to a company. Granted, some students are showing a little more creativity than others, as there are a few that continue on with the same old 'tried and true super heroes overcoming evil' plots. Not to say that this couldn't work in a game, but it's amazing how someone can come up with an idea that's never been done before (at least to my knowledge), and how someone else will do what's always been done. I suppose it's a safe way out.
There are a couple of students that I'm not so sure of...Some show little knowledge of the world of gaming. No, I don't expect everyone to know everything there is to know about the history of video games, or the specs of every system on the market, but the lack of research is what gets to me. If you don't know something...simply look it up. I don't mean to sound rude, but you can't get far in the field if you don't know what you're dealing with, and if you're serious about finding a career in game development, you should make it a point to learn all that you can.
But, I digress. At the end of the week we're supposed to submit concept sketches into the classroom of a character, an object, and an environment, all three of which will be seen in our 'game.' I've been watching The Patriot, Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, and have found screenshots and production photos from Brotherhood of the Wolf, all of which take place during or after the American Revolution, as my game is set in that era. Sleepy Hollow is being used as reference for the mood of my game, since Tim Burton is a master of aesthetics (but since it takes place in 1799, I'm not using it as historical reference). The Patriot is perfect for costuming and locals, and the Brotherhood of the Wolf is set in France about the same time as the Revolution, so outfits and weaponry are fairly accurate. Once I have my sketches completed, I plan on uploading them onto my Deviant Art page, which has somehow become a bit neglected.
I submitted a colouring of Sponge's character not long ago, but I have other things I need to finish before putting them in my gallery. I've completed my Togruta line art and have began colouring it, I've been digitally inking my Shojo Beat contest entry (though the contest doesn't exist anymore), and there are other random pictures I've not completed, so needless to say, I need to get on the ball!
I've been reading one of the greatest webcomics and would like to share it with everyone; go and read Gunnerkrigg Court...right now! I've been meaning to draw some fan art, so hopefully I can do that soon. After my homework, of course.
And I'd been once again sucked into Mass Effect, but my 360 decided to red-ring on me, and I don't exactly have the money right now to buy a replacement. So, the galaxy goes unsaved until I can afford a new system. But, I've picked back up my PS2 controller and have been playing the new Samurai Shodown Anthology with Ian. It's nice having another fighting game in our collection. I've also been attempting to solve puzzles with Zack & Wiki, but wow, does that game make me feel stupid sometimes. d:
Been watching Gurren Lagann, which is amazing. Have been wanting to read more After School Nightmare, which is thought-provoking, and unavailable, it seems. Have been wanting to read more Berserk, but am unable to find it anywhere (curse you bookstores!).
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days is coming out soon. Assassin's Creed 2 is launching later this year, and so is Mass Effect 2, and Bioshock 2. But I'm not sure I know enough about them to write much, and most of the 'hot' titles aren't coming out until closer to winter. Personally, I'm excited about Muramasa, but after it lost it's publisher, who knows what'll happen to it...
2009-03-20
March '09.2
First, let me start off by saying that Resident Evil 5 is amazing. My complaints with this game are minimal (like why can't you walk and shoot at the same time?), but this is primarily due to my playing Gears of War so much. I miss being able to duck for cover, run and fire, roll and dodge, but these things were never present in an RE game to date. They should be, in my opinion, now that RE is a third-person shooter, but I digress. I never thought a game in broad daylight could be so creepy, but the graphics are nice and the lighting is perfect. Being able to actually play co-op is a great thing; I can't imagine taking on a mass of running, jumping, weapon-wielding Majini with an AI partner.
Oh, and the scariest thing in the world? Chainsaw-carrying Majini. Not because of the chainsaw (which is instant death, of course), but because of the fact that they have a burlap sack over their heads with a single eye peering out at you. Worse yet, TWO chainsaw-carrying Majini chasing you all over a playground of metal platforms and you have two shots left with your handgun. And worse still, a single chainsaw-carrying Majini in seriously close quarters, doors locked, and you with no where to go.
Totally got a chainsaw blade lodged in my collar bone and nearly wet myself in the process.
And I love it!
And it's not a racist game, like I've been hearing. Believe me, I'd be one of the first people to riot against a game that promotes the slaughtering of a people based on their skin-colour or ethnicity, but this is survival. Yeah, a white guy goes to Africa and kills African zombies. Not because they're black. Because they're trying to eat his face off! There's a difference. No one made a fuss when Leon waltzed into a Spanish village in RE4 and started offing zombies there. And guess what...Sheva's black. And she's right there with Chris shooting the heads off of her people. Because they're trying to eat her face off! I'm convinced that people like tearing apart popular video games just to start crap. "Popular" being the key word here. No one said anything when Luminous Arc came out. Heck, the whole point of that game is to kill the god of your world. But people whined about Assassin's Creed attacking religion, Bioshock for the option to kill children, and Grand Theft Auto 4 for it's drunk driving.
Moving on...
Udon's Darkstalker Tribute book has accepted its fan art, mine not being included, but at least I can say that I tried. I was going to enter the Shojo Beat contest this month, but it was cancelled, sadly, after I started drawing my entry. I plan on finishing the picture just because I want to, but it's been placed low on the priority list.
This session in nearing an end, and while I've learned a lot, this class has been the hardest thus far. I've enjoyed drawing in perspective for once, but I find it difficult and haven't been able to wrap my head around it entirely. Yes, the principle and concept I get, but executing it is another matter. I'm convinced that I need much more practice and will be forcing myself to draw backgrounds with many of my drawings from now on.
I'll be happy when Spring Break rolls around. I need a holiday to catch up with my gaming (Ar Tonelico, here I come!), drawing what I want, and writing. I've picked up my Arden Rain story again after realizing that I had 15 pages of it typed up, and have been adding to it for a few days now. I suppose I could say that it's nearly finished. I always meant for it to be a short story...after all, it's based off of a dream I had a year or so back. The whole of it is plotted out; I know where it's going, what'll happen. It's just doing it. Who knows...with the way I end up dragging things out, it'll probably turn out to be a novel.
Oh, and the scariest thing in the world? Chainsaw-carrying Majini. Not because of the chainsaw (which is instant death, of course), but because of the fact that they have a burlap sack over their heads with a single eye peering out at you. Worse yet, TWO chainsaw-carrying Majini chasing you all over a playground of metal platforms and you have two shots left with your handgun. And worse still, a single chainsaw-carrying Majini in seriously close quarters, doors locked, and you with no where to go.
Totally got a chainsaw blade lodged in my collar bone and nearly wet myself in the process.
And I love it!
And it's not a racist game, like I've been hearing. Believe me, I'd be one of the first people to riot against a game that promotes the slaughtering of a people based on their skin-colour or ethnicity, but this is survival. Yeah, a white guy goes to Africa and kills African zombies. Not because they're black. Because they're trying to eat his face off! There's a difference. No one made a fuss when Leon waltzed into a Spanish village in RE4 and started offing zombies there. And guess what...Sheva's black. And she's right there with Chris shooting the heads off of her people. Because they're trying to eat her face off! I'm convinced that people like tearing apart popular video games just to start crap. "Popular" being the key word here. No one said anything when Luminous Arc came out. Heck, the whole point of that game is to kill the god of your world. But people whined about Assassin's Creed attacking religion, Bioshock for the option to kill children, and Grand Theft Auto 4 for it's drunk driving.
Moving on...
Udon's Darkstalker Tribute book has accepted its fan art, mine not being included, but at least I can say that I tried. I was going to enter the Shojo Beat contest this month, but it was cancelled, sadly, after I started drawing my entry. I plan on finishing the picture just because I want to, but it's been placed low on the priority list.
This session in nearing an end, and while I've learned a lot, this class has been the hardest thus far. I've enjoyed drawing in perspective for once, but I find it difficult and haven't been able to wrap my head around it entirely. Yes, the principle and concept I get, but executing it is another matter. I'm convinced that I need much more practice and will be forcing myself to draw backgrounds with many of my drawings from now on.
I'll be happy when Spring Break rolls around. I need a holiday to catch up with my gaming (Ar Tonelico, here I come!), drawing what I want, and writing. I've picked up my Arden Rain story again after realizing that I had 15 pages of it typed up, and have been adding to it for a few days now. I suppose I could say that it's nearly finished. I always meant for it to be a short story...after all, it's based off of a dream I had a year or so back. The whole of it is plotted out; I know where it's going, what'll happen. It's just doing it. Who knows...with the way I end up dragging things out, it'll probably turn out to be a novel.
2009-03-01
March '09.1
The month of February passed by in a blur. I completed my Design class and spent far too much time making sure my final looked as good as I could make it, considering the due date was a day earlier that I had anticipated. I'm in the second week of my Perspective course, and have started off on the wrong foot with my instructor, who probably thinks me a moron for the simple mistakes I've made in such a short amount of time. My only true, albeit weak, excuse is that I was busying myself with the Udon Dark Stalker Tribute contest. With school and work keeping me predominately occupied, I had gotten behind in my fan art for the contest submission, so I had to pull a last-minute-stay-up-late-and-slack-on-my-homework week in order to make the deadline. Now I'm back to busting my chops drawing boxes in two point perspective to perk up my grade.
I picked up the new Gears of War novel the other day, and I have to say that I'm pleased with it, and mildly impressed considering it's based off of a video game. Besides, it's nice to see what happened before the first game, as well as the events that transpired between the first and second game after the Lightmass bomb detonated.
I've also had the chance to play through the first bit of Ar Tonelico and am enjoying that, as well. The voice acting isn't the greatest, but there are few games that do a good job that way. I like the story line so far; it takes place in the future after the world has been destroyed twice (first by humans, and a second time by artificial life), and is being threatened a third time by manifestations of computed data called Viruses.
A couple of weeks ago, I took a look at the Oneechanbara game for the 360, Bikini Samurai Squad. I enjoyed it enough (nothing like hacking away the undead with a katana), but was disappointed with the overall appearance of the game. Sure, it's made for men who want to see some skin, and the game literally begins with a shower scene, but the breast physics were horrible, and the models weren't as good-looking as I would expect from a next-gen game. It was fun to slice through a few levels, but even killing zombies got old, especially when your character berserked out (she'll do that when she gets covered in blood) and rapidly started loosing health with no way of stopping it. Sorry, but if your looking for a "breastacular" game with some better jiggle physics, play Soul Calibur 4. Ivy's got enough for everyone.
Oh, and for the record, it's pronounced oh-nay-chahn-baa-rah, not won-chen-bara. It's Japanese for Big Sister Sword Fighting.
Most of my gaming time, little though it is, has been devoted to Street Fighter 4. Fun, fast-paced, and beautiful. I highly recommend it to any fighting game fan. Some of the voice actors made me wince when I heard them (I had to put Chun Li in Japanese), and it was very odd hearing them speak English, as all of SF games have only been in Japanese up to this point. The movie that came with the collector's edition of the game was...not great, but good, I suppose. It featured only a handful of the characters and left you hanging, but the animation was nice, and the story was decent.
Aside from homework, drawing, reading, and minor gaming, I've been thinking up new cosplay ideas. I've just bought shoes to use for my Linna hardsuit costume, and I've been playing around with paper mock-ups for a potential Pooco cosplay, as well. I've even found those goggles!
Well, here's hoping for a good March!
I picked up the new Gears of War novel the other day, and I have to say that I'm pleased with it, and mildly impressed considering it's based off of a video game. Besides, it's nice to see what happened before the first game, as well as the events that transpired between the first and second game after the Lightmass bomb detonated.
I've also had the chance to play through the first bit of Ar Tonelico and am enjoying that, as well. The voice acting isn't the greatest, but there are few games that do a good job that way. I like the story line so far; it takes place in the future after the world has been destroyed twice (first by humans, and a second time by artificial life), and is being threatened a third time by manifestations of computed data called Viruses.
A couple of weeks ago, I took a look at the Oneechanbara game for the 360, Bikini Samurai Squad. I enjoyed it enough (nothing like hacking away the undead with a katana), but was disappointed with the overall appearance of the game. Sure, it's made for men who want to see some skin, and the game literally begins with a shower scene, but the breast physics were horrible, and the models weren't as good-looking as I would expect from a next-gen game. It was fun to slice through a few levels, but even killing zombies got old, especially when your character berserked out (she'll do that when she gets covered in blood) and rapidly started loosing health with no way of stopping it. Sorry, but if your looking for a "breastacular" game with some better jiggle physics, play Soul Calibur 4. Ivy's got enough for everyone.
Oh, and for the record, it's pronounced oh-nay-chahn-baa-rah, not won-chen-bara. It's Japanese for Big Sister Sword Fighting.
Most of my gaming time, little though it is, has been devoted to Street Fighter 4. Fun, fast-paced, and beautiful. I highly recommend it to any fighting game fan. Some of the voice actors made me wince when I heard them (I had to put Chun Li in Japanese), and it was very odd hearing them speak English, as all of SF games have only been in Japanese up to this point. The movie that came with the collector's edition of the game was...not great, but good, I suppose. It featured only a handful of the characters and left you hanging, but the animation was nice, and the story was decent.
Aside from homework, drawing, reading, and minor gaming, I've been thinking up new cosplay ideas. I've just bought shoes to use for my Linna hardsuit costume, and I've been playing around with paper mock-ups for a potential Pooco cosplay, as well. I've even found those goggles!
Well, here's hoping for a good March!
2009-02-07
February '09.1
Classic Chun Li 101
Prior to the completion of my Chun Li costume, I felt bad about critiquing anyone on their Chun Li cosplay. You can always say that you “would have done this,” or that “they should have done that,” but until you make the outfit for yourself, you really can’t say.
Well, I’ve made mine. And I feel that I’ve earned the right to say that a good Chun Li cosplay can be done (I'm not great, just good, I know there's room to improve). This isn’t a blog about demeaning anyone or ripping on bad costuming, but it is a rant about how simple things can be done, and act as a sort of guide for future Chun Li cosplayers.
Do your research. Sometimes I feel like people who cosplay as Chun Li don’t bother to find source pictures. Depending on the game/artist, her sleeves are different, and sometimes the cut of her dress changes, or the number and size of the spikes on her bracelets is different, but there are things that remain constant; she has bangs, she wears giant pearl-like earrings, her bracelets only have spikes (no studs unless you’re an Alpha Chun Li, no flowers), her waist band in white, etc.
First of all, Chun Li has tights. Her legs are not naturally that much darker than the rest of her skin. If you’re going to dress up as her, find a pair of brown tights or hosiery. It’s not that hard, people. I found mine at a local K-Mart, of all places, and only spent a few dollars on them.
Secondly, Chun Li doesn’t wear high heels. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine to see Chun Li cosplayers tottering around in stripper boots that zip up. I understand that Chun Li is a fictitious character wearing fictitious clothing, but similar items exist in the real world. Trust me, you can find flat soled boots that have laces. Granted, it can be a bit of a challenge locating them. I searched on sites like Ebay for a while before coming across the ones I bought (which are actually Lonsdale wrestling boots). They’re practical and comfortable. Which would you rather have when you’re out busting some drug-ring thugs? Heels? Or wrestling boots?
And for the love of God, people, put on some underwear! I thought it was obvious that she had something on under that dress, but there have been some cosplayers who didn’t think that far. I’ve actually read forums about girls flashing people doing kick poses. I’ve even talked to a cosplayer who told me that it was too windy one day and her butt was hanging out. Play the games. Look up some pictures. Chun Li has undergarments that match her dress! I made an entire swimsuit/leotard to prevent any panty-mishaps (bunching and the such) as well as provide frontal support so I didn’t have to worry about a bra. You don’t have to go that far, but make sure the undergarments you chose to make or wear are cut so they aren’t hanging out of the dress, or so they show your waist.
Also, Chun Li wears makeup, yes, but don't goth your eyes out by outlining them in an inch of charcoal. It makes you look ridiculous, not Asian.
Practice poses for pictures, too. Chun Li is famous for her legs, so work on balancing for a kick. Kikouken.com is a well-spring of knowledge when it comes to Chun Li, so I recommend going there and doing some research, for poses and images.
Actually, go to cosplay.com. It's full of forums to help with costume construction, links to various cosplay sites, and is generally a nice place to be. ^_^
2009-01-20
January '09.2
I am writing to you in regards to the recent cast announcement for Mr. M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming movie The Last Airbender, and am asking you to reconsider the selection of actors. I believe that the choices made in choosing an all-white cast for a film based off of an animated show so obviously rooted in Asian influences and cultures is racist and offensive. Part of the charm for the original television series was that the spectrum of characters was so refreshing and diverse when compared to other shows, and I feel that you are doing a great injustice not only to the people whose cultures are represented in the series, but to the general audience of Avatar, as well. By choosing actors that do not represent the minorities depicted in the show, you are creating a racial message that should not be tolerated in today’s society.
As a fan of the animated show, I find it unfortunate that Paramount Pictures is whitewashing a film that should be celebrating a break from Western and European influences. The world of Avatar provides a wonderful change of pace that opened many people up to other cultures and lifestyles, and I feel that the American audiences that see this movie should be exposed to minority actors. It’s disappointing that the choices in casting are not more diverse, and I’m sorry to say that if nothing is done to correct this, I will not be supporting this film and will encourage everyone I know to do the same.
That was the letter that I mailed to Paramount. I, like so many others, have responded to the racism of Hollywood, and am happy to say that I'm speaking out against it. To be honest, though, I'm a little hesitant to be writing a blog about this because so many others have done the same, and have probably already said what I want to say.
But, I'm angry (still) and I want to write about it.
-I'm tired of hearing the excuse of how the world of Avatar is not set on Earth, therefore meaning that there is no "Asia," thus no Asians. By your logic, they entire cast of Avatar should be...what? Extra terrestrials? White? Since we can't very well cast spacemen into the movie, it only makes sense that the people we do cast should look similar to the characters they're portraying, yes? Why, then, should the main characters (the heroes) be played by white actors?
-Don't tell me to judge the actors on their acting, not the way they look. I'm not judging them. I'm sure they're all wonderful actors. And I'm sure that they can act the way the main characters of Avatar do. That doesn't mean that a minority actor couldn't have done the same. And don't preach to me about the wonders of makeup and tanning beds. They're still white, only with tape on their eyes and have a potentially higher risk of getting skin cancer. I have a degree in Theatre. I studied makeup. I know what it can do. That doesn't mean that you paint a white man and have him play a black man's role.
-This is racism, plain and simple. I'm sorry for those of you who don't see it. I'm even more sorry for those who seem to think that the reason why these actors were cast was because they were the best choices. From what I understand, Noah Ringer, the actor portraying the main character Aang, was the only one cast during an open audition. The other three were simply cast. Non-famous, potential, minority actors didn't get a chance.
-"But the characters are voiced by white actors," I've heard. Not all of them. Dante Basco, the voice of Zuko, is Phillipino-American. Mako, the voice of Iroh, was Japanese. However, voice-actors are just that. Voices. They aren't seen, and the animators do the physical acting for them. The Aang Ain't White Livejournal said it best when they responded "An animated character is formed by many people -- the voice actor is just one part of what creates their identity, working in collaboration with storyboard artists, designers and animators. Women, for example, play preteen male characters all of the time.However, in live action films like this one, the actor has to be the character to a much greater degree, and essentially becomes that character to the audience. Daniel Radcliffe IS Harry Potter in a way that Dante Basco will never be Zuko and Zach Tyler Eisen will never be Aang."
For those of you wondering, no this is not the first time I've been angered at the movie industry's treatment of minorities.
I hated The Last Samurai. There was no need for a white man to go to Japan and be better at being Japanese, and survive when no one else did.
I'm boycotting the upcoming Akira movie, as well. It's supposed to be set in Neo-Tokyo, people.
I could go on.
But this is the year 2009. I'd like to think that we're moving beyond racism. I'd like to think that Hollywood could have a more progressive mind-frame and start thinking about incorporating positive messages into their films.
We obviously have a long way to go.
2009-01-05
January '09.1
In accordance with GameStop's employee handbook and whatnot, I am not allowed to represent, or misrepresent, the company, so let's start this blog out with a little disclaimer, shall we?
The comments and views expressed in this blog are solely my own and do not necessarily represent the views of my corporate employer, or my fellow coworkers.
Go into a GameStop this week, and take a look at the "Shape the Body, Sharpen the Mind" section. Take a look at the games that marketing has selected for us to display there. Under the "Shape the Body" category, we have titles such as My Fitness Coach, which makes sense, and Wii Music, which makes...not so much sense. On the other side of the display, we have games meant to "Sharpen the Mind," like My Word Coach, and Flash Focus. More disappointingly, we have games from the Imagine line.
Explain to me how any of those games sharpen the mind. In my opinion, all they do are reinforce female stereotypes. Not negative sterotypes, mind you...just sterotypes. I have nothing against teachers, fashion designers, movie stars, or figure skaters, or whatever else...I just think it'd be nice to see a game aimed at girls that wasn't so damn cliche. It's just the media pushing of how women are "supposed" to be. We're "supposed" to be mothers, caregivers, and look beautiful all the time. Or so it appears.
Look, I like my job. I'm a gamer, and I do enjoy working around games with other gamers, but I'm sick and tired of people (game-makers, customers, and the whole corporate company) treating me like an inferior because I'm a woman. And it's all thanks to the media, which puts these ideas into the ignorant mass's heads.
Then again, these "Sharpen the Mind" games don't even compare to when I just about flew off the handle when GameStop decided to air a Christmas commercial promoting pornography. I'm not allowed to sell a mature-rated game to anyone under the age of seventeen, or anyone who can't show me an ID proving that they're over seventeen, but it's OKay if they stuff their mattresses with adult magazines. I'm also not allowed to swear inside the store, and am supposed to ask customers not to as well because we're a family-friendly company, but it's OKay if we make commercials with blurred-out centerfolds. Am I the only one getting mixed messages?
And this sends negative stereotyping images about male gamers, as well. One, they live with they're parents (because they're either too young or too dependent). Two, they obviously can't get a girlfriend.
But I digress.
How are these Imagine games supposed to sharpen my mind? GameStop has chosen a myriad of games (regrettably) aimed at little girls, rather than titles that actually enhance the brain. Do they honestly think that these are good choices for games to improve ones mind?
Explain to me how any of those games sharpen the mind. In my opinion, all they do are reinforce female stereotypes. Not negative sterotypes, mind you...just sterotypes. I have nothing against teachers, fashion designers, movie stars, or figure skaters, or whatever else...I just think it'd be nice to see a game aimed at girls that wasn't so damn cliche. It's just the media pushing of how women are "supposed" to be. We're "supposed" to be mothers, caregivers, and look beautiful all the time. Or so it appears.
Look, I like my job. I'm a gamer, and I do enjoy working around games with other gamers, but I'm sick and tired of people (game-makers, customers, and the whole corporate company) treating me like an inferior because I'm a woman. And it's all thanks to the media, which puts these ideas into the ignorant mass's heads.
Then again, these "Sharpen the Mind" games don't even compare to when I just about flew off the handle when GameStop decided to air a Christmas commercial promoting pornography. I'm not allowed to sell a mature-rated game to anyone under the age of seventeen, or anyone who can't show me an ID proving that they're over seventeen, but it's OKay if they stuff their mattresses with adult magazines. I'm also not allowed to swear inside the store, and am supposed to ask customers not to as well because we're a family-friendly company, but it's OKay if we make commercials with blurred-out centerfolds. Am I the only one getting mixed messages?
And this sends negative stereotyping images about male gamers, as well. One, they live with they're parents (because they're either too young or too dependent). Two, they obviously can't get a girlfriend.
But I digress.
How are these Imagine games supposed to sharpen my mind? GameStop has chosen a myriad of games (regrettably) aimed at little girls, rather than titles that actually enhance the brain. Do they honestly think that these are good choices for games to improve ones mind?
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