Empathy With Characters

     Games are a lot more intense when you care about what happens. It can make the difference between a chore and an activity. While I'm playing Pokemon Y I'm noticing small details that really make it shine for me. One of those details is the empathy I feel for the monsters I send out to fight for me. They're more interactive than ever and turn your friendship with them into a game mechanic.

Immersion Makes the World

     When you get into a game, and I mean really into, it'll stay with you as a life experience forever. I notice a big difference in the amount of investment I give a game when I feel like I'm in the world. I find myself pouring hours into games like Pokemon, GTA, Zelda, and Skyrim because I play games for escapism. To forget my worries for an unspecified amount of time so I can explore, overcome fantasy conflict, and just have fun.

     To make an RPG people can immerse themselves in is a dream of mine. I want to build a world people want to spend time in. Games that achieve this are the ones I love most and want there to be more of. Being able to put all my worries aside, even for just a moment, is the biggest reason I play games. It makes me incredibly happy and I just can't seem to give the feeling justice with words.

Yo-Ho, Yo- Ho! A Pirate I'll Never Be!

     I just can't do it. I can see why people do though. No money, not sure you'll even like the game, it's not available on your platform of choice, all good reasons. I just stand firm in my belief of supporting people who make the things I like. I do it so they have a reason to make more. I don't even get used games unless there are no new copies left in any game stores nearby. Voting with your dollars is one of the many ways every individual shapes the world. I don't even sneak popcorn into movie theaters because I want to support the theater that plays the movie I'm seeing (the food is only expensive because they aren't making enough money because people sneak in food because the food is expensive).

     You give, and you get back. Piracy hurts the developers. Games are crazy expensive to make, and to think that simple mobile games ask for $1 (small fries at McDonalds, or less than a soda out of a vending machine) and took some guys about a year to make, and people who actually like it would rather pirate it. It hurts. Heck, even Crysis abandoned PC exclusivity because of the rampant pirating.

     To get a feel for it first hand check out Game Dev Tycoon. If you pirate the game, you'll reach a point where your business fails because of most of your fans are pirating your games and you can't stay afloat. 

Expect Delays: Pokemon X & Y Came Out

     It's a good thing I took this into account when planning out how long Candy Catch Shop will take. There's no way I'd miss this gaming event. This game has, and will continue to, consume my entire weekend. I'll call it my mini-vacation. I'm learning a lot just from playing it anyway, like I do with every game I play, so if anything I'm studying the thing and finding lots of improvements.

    

     Now, I gotta get back to training to create the greatest Charizard who ever lived.