Gaming Questionnaire Hype!

Well, I've seen several others complete this gaming questionnaire created by Jasyla over at Cannot by Tamed, so I decided to jump onto the bandwidth...err wagon, of which many Blaugust members have completed. There could be some things I say here that I have previously mentioned, but this is a pretty broad set of gaming questions, so that'd probably be expected. Anyways, on to the queries!

1) When did you start playing video games? 

The the best of my knowledge, I started with educational titles in my elementary school computer lab, so that was probably early-mid 90s. I know, I'm kind of a youngin', deal with it.

2) What is the first game you remember playing?

If you're counting educational titles, the ones that stick in my head are Math Blaster and Word Munchers. If not, one of the first I can recall was Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, though I may have played some kiddy games before that.

3) PC or Console? 

PC...I have owned a couple of consoles, but the time spent consoling it up is likely a drop in the bucket next to the time spent PC gaming.

4) XBox, PlayStation, or Wii? 

None of the above. The latest console I own is the Nintendo Gamecube. I do think the Wii was pretty revolutionary at the time, and liked how it was geared toward family entertainment.

5) What’s the best game you’ve ever played?

I think the best games I've played are not just those that I have enjoyed playing, but also go beyond the in-game barrier. Diablo 2 was not just a title that I'd enjoy spending countless hours mashing on my mouse and keyboard, but it also gave me my first true experience with a forum community. I was not only a member over at D2Sector, but also moderated for several years. As such, it was akin to a volunteer experience that I feel helped give me a better ability to deal with people through online conversations, through the good and the bad (still love reading a good bit of drama, get your popcorn ready!).

For the same kind of feeling, LOTRO is also one of the best games I have played. Being an MMO, it gave me a good chance to meet all sorts of new people, both in and out of game. LOTRO generally has a more mature crowd, so my experiences have mostly all been good. I have also been fortunate enough to join up with the good peoples at LOTRO Players and do a bit of writing and all that good stuff, which would have never been possible if I never had played LOTRO.

6) What’s the worst game you’ve ever played?

Hard for me to pinpoint this one. I generally always look at the good in the game, and because I do not usually participate in gaming that had been a burden financially, I usually don't feel like I was ripped off by buying or acquiring the game. However, Duke Nukem Forever was a little "eh" for the 15 years or so it had of development. I was not too hot with the limit on weapons, when I wasn't exactly sure what I would need for the challenge ahead.

7) Name a game that was popular/critically adored that you just didn’t like. 

Not sure of an exactly game, but I do know that real-time strategies are not my cup of tea. The couple I have tried (most just a demo thing) generally made me think more than I'd like to for a gaming experience. I have nothing against people that do like them...like I said, just not my cup of tea. Maybe one example of this is that Starcraft is probably one of the biggest strategy titles I've played, and I spent a good chunk of that playing their Use Map Settings (UMS) maps that involved RPG gameplay. Go figure.

MOBAs are another genre I'm not too hot over...maybe it's because both of these genres are so competitive, and I am not a competitive gamer.

8) Name a game that was poorly received that you really like. 

While I don't think it bombed per se, I rather enjoyed Hellgate: London. Once again, an RPG shooter stole my heart (or at least a nice big chunk of gaming time). This post-apocalyptic shooter was later made into a F2P online title (at least in Korea, I believe), and I'm not sure of its current status. I always stuck with the original offline CD-ROM like a boss. I enjoyed both RPG and shooter elements, and there was plenty of ground to cover (and re-cover, and re-cover...love me some grinding).

9) What are your favourite game genres? 

I would say my favorite genre is the RPG. There's just a cool feeling when you start from nothing, and can acquire new skills and equipment throughout the entirety of the gaming experience. By slowly building your abilities up, you can basically control the difficulty. I also like hybrid RPG titles, like the action RPG (Diablo series) or the similar shooter RPG (Borderlands series).

10)Who is your favourite game protagonist? 

Well, I suppose most of the story NPCs (part of the epic) in LOTRO could fall under this umbrella, and even just some that you meet in the quest zones. Aren't Horn and Nona a-dork-able? While I have not even played Bioshock Infinite, but from what I've seen (including the ending...woops), I think it's safe to say that both Booker and Elizabeth are pretty neat characters.

11) Describe your perfect video game. 

Toss me an open-word experience that is constantly in flux, add some humor and well-enriched NPCs, don't make me think too much, and I'm good.

12) What video game character do have you have a crush on? 

If I said Borderlands, you'd probably assume Moxxi. What if I said Tannis? Sure, she's a little...out there. But hey...uh...yeh.

13) What game has the best music? 

I'll admit that I do not listen to in-game music as much as some others may, but when I do, the background to the Elder Scrolls games are pretty sweet. I really don't listen to the music/any in-game sounds in LOTRO, but don't tell anybody about that. It's not because it's bad (from what I've listened to, it's enjoyable), but I usually either have my own music on in the background, or I'm multi-tasking and maybe listening to a podcast/Twitch stream.

14) Most memorable moment in a game: 

The first time I beat Diablo in Diablo 2. I have discussed it in the past, and while I have had many great moments in gaming, I think it was just my age and the environment I was in that gave me such a cool memorable impression. I have also beat Diablo in the first game since, but because it came several years later, it did not give me that same experience.

15) Scariest moment in a game: 

Yep, I'm looking at you, F.E.A.R. Never had I seen something usually so innocent turned in a mind-wrecking horror, exacerbated by playing in the dark. Needless to say, I only hoped I didn't dream of descending ladders, only to be met by Alma that night.

16) Most heart-wrenching moment in a game:

I'm not sure I have a specific moment in time. Now if you are talking about my run of Bioshock where I went all out with the wrench, then there you have it. Wrench Jockey for life!

17) What are your favourite websites/blogs about games? 

With #Blaugust, I have been reading more blogs than I have in the past (many/most which are gaming related). Prior to that, I was pretty partial to LOTRO Players, and other than that, I just Google stuff when I want to know.

18) What’s the last game you finished? 

Hard to say when I play so many open-ended games, plus MMOs (which really don't have endings...until they pull the plug). I've technically finished Skyrim, but that's not gunna stop me from raiding more dungeons and caves, and do more unnecessary leveling as much as I can. I'm also doing another run of Far Cry 3 on a higher difficulty, and have mostly been just messing about lately.

19) What future releases are you most excited about?

I do not necessarily hype over new releases. I'll normally get around to playing games once they are discounted enough, or free (Oregon Trail hype!). That being said, I am looking forward to free-to-play games such as Trove, and I think I may be interested in trying out Everquest Next.

20) Do you identify as a gamer? 

Of course I identify myself as a gamer. I play games, and as such can call myself a gamer. I don't go around in public shouting at everyone, "HI THERE I'M A GAMER, MAN IT'S PRETTY WARM TODAY," but that doesn't stop me from enjoying video games on my own time.

Similarly, I don't go around telling everyone that I'm a breather, eater, and a sleeper, but I do all those too. Well, at least the first two.

21) Why do you play video games?

I think that I enjoy participating in an interactive virtual environment, where I don't have to be a professional or perfect to enjoy. If I screw up, oh well - there's a respawn. Overall, it's just something fun to do to escape the realities that exist outside the door, plus I sometimes get to meet some cool people along the way. While I can't say I've met m(any) outside the real door, just chatting or talking to what are allegedly actual humans has been a blast. Sure, it's not traditional human contact, but I figure we'll all be robots in five years anyways.