I like to stay up on what’s going on in the comic book industry. Chalk it up to curiosity — in my college days I routinely spent forty to sixty dollars a week on comics, and my first job after high school was working in a comic book store. So once or twice a weekContinue reading “On Retailing Comic Books and Video Games”
Category Archives: Video Games
On Building Walls
Far to the north, in the snowy wastes of the Yukon, I met the Russians and the Sioux in battle. Sod it, that’s about all of the “After Action” report I’m going to write in the faux military memoirs style I like to affect for such posts. There’s a reason for that. There really wasn’tContinue reading “On Building Walls”
On a Lankhmar Roguelike
When I was in high school, I discovered a game for MS-DOS entitled “Hack.” The concept of Hack was quite simple — you were an adventurer, you had a dog, you went down into a dungeon in search of pillage and plunder, and you fought all sorts of monsters along the way. It was aContinue reading “On a Lankhmar Roguelike”
On Wars of Attrition
Every inch of ground I gained on that island was stained with the blood of my armies. Much like my recent battles in the Caribbean, I met Marie Louise and Catherine the Great amidst islands, but these were snow-covered islands far to the north. The islands were small, they were low on resources, but theContinue reading “On Wars of Attrition”
On Holding the Narrows
We met in battle in the Caribbean. I had as my ally Frederick the Great. On another island in the archipelago were Maurice of Nassau and Henry the Navigator. Early control of the water — particularly the narrow straight between my island and my opponent’s island — would determine the outcome. My strategy was straightforwardContinue reading “On Holding the Narrows”
On Video Game Shopping
Despite giving the best years of my life to the video game business — and emerging with no desire for video games at all — I still read Penny Arcade. I like the snark. On Wednesday, Tycho wrote: “I don’t want to keep harping about this, okay, I do, but we went to the BestContinue reading “On Video Game Shopping”
On the Newest Find
People get rid of stuff at work, and then it’s free for the taking. Usually it’s comic books. Sometimes it’s magazines. I’ve picked up some manga here and there. Even a Torchwood DVD. But home improvement products? Not usually… Someone put a Superman Light Switch Plate on the reading rack yesterday. A couple turns ofContinue reading “On the Newest Find”
On EB Games and Robberies
I sometimes read Kotaku, a video game news blog. I know, it’s surprising — I can’t tell you the last time I turned on my XBox, yet I still stay somewhat informed of goings-on in the game industry. This headline shocked me. GameStop Manager Killed During Robbery. The facts are these. An armed robber enteredContinue reading “On EB Games and Robberies”
On a Battle Amidst the Valleys
Napoleon and Frederick wanted a rematch. I had ground them beneath my boot on the sandy beaches of the Carolinas, but now I wanted to fight them in the valleys of the Appalachians. Two against one. The French and the Prussians against me. Those two in their valley, me in mine. It would be glorious!Continue reading “On a Battle Amidst the Valleys”
On a NetHack Wiki
There’s a NetHack Wiki. I’m still wrapping my mind around this. There’s a NetHack Wiki. A NetHack! Wiki! I never really got into NetHack. Hack, yes. Hack 1.0.3 was a close friend during high school and college. Angband? Well, I’ve got a couple of different versions on my computer, but I’ve never spent any realContinue reading “On a NetHack Wiki”