In the last few years my brain has gravitated towards gaming systems as experiences. Similar to the deck-builder Dominion, a fantastic feedback loop sometimes makes for just as compelling a game experience as the deepest story.
And then there’s Balatro: A simple card game that is already my 2024 Game of the Year. It’s also one of the most maddening gaming experiences I’ve had in a while.
Balatro, you’re perfect. Balatro, you’re the worst.
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As if the past two years of the never-ending Pandemic weren’t enough, I’ve also been dealing with something else.
I’ve been sick. For a while now, with no real answers so far. So, that’s fun. For me.
There’s a classic cognitive psychological study involving a patient, a button, and a reward. The point of the trial is to leave the patient alone in the room with the button, to test how long they’ll go without hitting the switch. The test is a window into the ability — and in some cases, inability — to handle delayed gratification.
Similar trials with monkeys and dogs exist, showing that even the animal kingdom only has so much patience. Continue reading
I’ve cried two days in a row.
Call it stress, repressed nerves, or too much time to think, but I think at this point I can say that I’m not handling my post-Ohio life and current unemployment all too well. Continue reading
Tired, dripping with sweat, and feeling somewhat vacuous, three thoughts entered my mind as Kyle, Rachel, and myself shut the storage container door. Continue reading
So, how did you like my guide on Chromie? Did you find it informative?
….
What do you mean “I haven’t read it”?
Oh, right. I forgot that I could time travel and that this version of you, dear reader, hasn’t delved into the deep, dark secrets that my guide has to offer.
This means I still have to write the thing, doesn’t it? Bollocks. Continue reading
Extreme Rules has the supreme displeasure of being the weird, “between important stuff” event, filled to the brim with matches and feuds that have long overstayed their welcome. Continue reading
I have a confession: the Dark Souls 3 tutorial area boss killed me 15 times before I achieved victory. Continue reading
The husband and wife war rages on as Will and Rachel take their never-ending feud into the streets.
After months of speculation and a stream of glib, defensive sarcasm on part of WWE fans, we all have to finally admit that Daniel Bryan has retired from professional wrestling.
There’s a finality to that reality that wrestling fans simply aren’t used to. Such closure is uncomfortable, a squirming feeling that comes from an inability to tune in next week and see what happens next.
As fans wrestling fans we’re trained from the beginning to expect a payoff to come later. There’s always next week. A new episode of RAW. A new cycle to begin; a never-ending parade of emotion, fisticuffs, and twenty minute promos.
Perhaps that is why so many people were insistent that Bryan’s retirement had to be a story line. After all, everything else has been up for grabs as story material, even the “death” of Vince McMahon.
Alas, the show is over and the American Dragon has left the spotlight for the last time. Continue reading
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