Originally Posted by Kepi

John you might like worlds of magic. It's on steam. It's basically the game Master of Magic updated, and it's Civ meets D&D (minus beholders) and you're a Sorcerer Lord fighting for control of all 5 realms. It's 40 bucks, but I've already spent 80 hours on it, to me, worth the money.

Yeah this does sound like the kind of game I could sink way too much time in to...

But I'm with Gianthogweed. I'm hooked on the pen & paper again and it's so much stronger and more pure than any video game! Ever since we were kids, me and my friends looked forward to the day when video games would allow the level of freedom and creativity that tabletop RPGs can provide, but twenty years on, the digital gaming media seems just as predictable, linear, and one-way with the narrative as ever.

Of course, Hasboro/WotC is making big promises for the DM tools in the next online D&D video game, but even if it is the best game editor released in a decade, it's going to be a very tedious creation process and it's going to rely on whatever stock content WotC provides. All indicators suggest that "collecting DM content" will be just as expensive for digital assets as it is for physical ones.

Heheh, I know a few as well. I play, and so do my kids. Minecraft is a significant departure from the gaming trajectory we've experienced say 1975 - 2009. It serves more of a platform rather than a game. I play and moderate on a server that is full out raiding, griefing competitive server with a rather high level of play. The player mix is quite diverse in all respects. I'm encouraged by the number of women that play, and play well, leading teams, doing web development, running the show, etc. It is also interesting to note the number of folks in my age bracket (Jones) that are active there. Homeland and Millies always seem SO SHOCKED to know that "old people" even know what video games are all about.

Playing with my son (10) and daughter (7) has proven a great learning and bonding experience. I cant say enough about the usefulness of Minecraft's "sandbox" format as a laboratory for creative thinking, collaborative decision-making and strategic thinking. Good stuff.

Originally Posted by JohnMc82

Yeah this does sound like the kind of game I could sink way too much time in to...

But I'm with Gianthogweed. I'm hooked on the pen & paper again and it's so much stronger and more pure than any video game! Ever since we were kids, me and my friends looked forward to the day when video games would allow the level of freedom and creativity that tabletop RPGs can provide, but twenty years on, the digital gaming media seems just as predictable, linear, and one-way with the narrative as ever.

Of course, Hasboro/WotC is making big promises for the DM tools in the next online D&D video game, but even if it is the best game editor released in a decade, it's going to be a very tedious creation process and it's going to rely on whatever stock content WotC provides. All indicators suggest that "collecting DM content" will be just as expensive for digital assets as it is for physical ones.

I'm *shocked* that Hasbro would do this

It will be a while before online games can match a live GM, even a bad one.

Originally Posted by Skabungus

Heheh, I know a few as well. I play, and so do my kids. Minecraft is a significant departure from the gaming trajectory we've experienced say 1975 - 2009. It serves more of a platform rather than a game. I play and moderate on a server that is full out raiding, griefing competitive server with a rather high level of play. The player mix is quite diverse in all respects. I'm encouraged by the number of women that play, and play well, leading teams, doing web development, running the show, etc. It is also interesting to note the number of folks in my age bracket (Jones) that are active there. Homeland and Millies always seem SO SHOCKED to know that "old people" even know what video games are all about.

Playing with my son (10) and daughter (7) has proven a great learning and bonding experience. I cant say enough about the usefulness of Minecraft's "sandbox" format as a laboratory for creative thinking, collaborative decision-making and strategic thinking. Good stuff.

Sand box games are great, for those with patience. That's in short supply.

Originally Posted by JohnMc82

But I'm with Gianthogweed. I'm hooked on the pen & paper again and it's so much stronger and more pure than any video game! Ever since we were kids, me and my friends looked forward to the day when video games would allow the level of freedom and creativity that tabletop RPGs can provide, but twenty years on, the digital gaming media seems just as predictable, linear, and one-way with the narrative as ever.

As much as I like my current video games, and believe me I have spent (or wasted) months of man hours playing Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout, Skyrim, Bioshock, and Saint's Row, a lot of my fondest memories from my earlier years are of playing D&D with friends. I also recall at the time that D&D was criticized by the adults much as and in the same manner that video games are today.

I still play a weekly game session.

Anyone remember the FMV horror games for the PC in the early 90s? The 7th Guest/The 11th Hour, Shivers/Shivers II: Harvest of Souls, Phantasmagoria/Phantasmagoria II: A Puzzle of Flesh...



That was always my shit. I was a little young to appreciate them - this genre was dead by about 1997, when I was eight - but they all had an atmosphere that I don't think has been captured since, even in genre classics like Silent Hill.

The gameplay was always a bit clunky, which I guess is why they never really caught on. But the selling point was mood and atmosphere. I'd probably be more into games if there were fewer FPS and RTS games and more of these.

Oh yeah, Shivers II had a totally bitching grunge soundtrack.

Originally Posted by Wiz83

The 8-bit Era/3rd Gen (1985 - 1991) Famous Games: Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Punch-Out!!, Contra, Mega Man 2, Tetris
Target Audience: Core Xers, last-wave Xers

The 16-bit Era/4th Gen (1991 - 1995) Famous Games: Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario Kart, Doom II, Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger
Target Audience: Last-wave Xers, Xer/Millennial cuspers

Yep, the 3rd and 4th nail me perfectly. I really haven't been able to develop a rapport with games later than those eras. Hell, I've instead played very well done hacks of some of the games listed there!

http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2015/08/...k-girls-comic/

Originally Posted by mockingbirdstl

http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2015/08/...k-girls-comic/

That is hilarious!

Originally Posted by mockingbirdstl

http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2015/08/...k-girls-comic/

Ataris kick ass!

Speaking of geek girls:

More Women Own Video Game Consoles Than Men in US.

Researchers find that female PC gamers outnumber males