My name is Jon. I play video games. I also don't like a lot of them. Mostly, I don't have issues with games that are broken - the physics are bad or the graphics aren't up to par - those are technical issues that maybe, just maybe, could've been dealt with by having some more money pushed into them or more talented developers working on them. The issues I tend to have is with the content of a game. As you'll see with my reviews, when a developer makes a choice about characters, or plot developments those are issues that can be changed. The choices developers make are also choices that should have been discussed, especially when dealing with social issues that as a world we face.
I'm not saying everything should be Polyanna; I like grit, violence and attractive people as much as the next guy. However, I always tend to look for patterns and reasons for those choices. I am not an industry insider. I do not have connections to anyone in the video game industry. If offered, I certainly would play and write about video games for a wage. I work in education, and I do enjoy that field. However, I grew up with video games, and frankly they've taught me more than any education system could.
I'm also old. No, really, I owe Jesus five bucks.
Well, OK, not that old. I'm pushing 40 as of this writing, and probably need to see a psychologist to understand why I can't let go of youth culture (punk, video games) and age gracefully.
So why do this blog?
Well, I wrote a bunch of reviews for a failed online review site - it failed so bad that it never got off the ground. I kept writing thinking that they might actually be able to do it, but no, it never happened. Then there was another blog that I was going to start with my friends, all of which who play a lot, but again, it just never happened.
So taking a cue from punk's DIY attitude, I'm going to do it myself. Fuck it.
Clearly, this is a labour of love - but I'll be doing my best to get it right. I will play the games as far as I need to. If the game is shit, I'll reserve the right to preserve what free time I have to devote to another game. I will give my honest opinion. Games that are completed, will be given a post-mortem. I play mostly on Xbox 360, however, I do have a PS3, Wii, PS2, Playstation, SNES, Sega Master System and Vectrex at my disposal in my house. I do play on PC or Mac as well, and have an iPad and an Android phone. I do like technology. If you have made a game, and want me to review it, I would love to, contact me and we'll sort it out. I will probably not deal with new releases in a timely manner, because I think the game deserves a full play through - and frankly that's something I want to do anyways.
I will give games a score out of ten. The review I write may not line up with the score - sometimes a flaw I find in a game is not a deal breaker - does a game that executes it's vision well deserve a high mark? Yes. Some people just don't give a shit about latent racism, bad plot holes or use of bad puns.
Like Polygon, I will disclose, in the unlikely event, if a game has been given to me for review.
Happy New Years, and as General Tani from Takeshi's Castle says, "Let the games, begin!"
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