A short interlude: Girl gamers

It just feels like yesterday where I was just a kid and playing video games was a guy thing to do. Girls thought it was dumb for the most part, although I did know a few that actually played. Come 2009 and now there are plenty of girls playin games. That's fine and dandy. More people to play with.

Then comes the picture -->.


Girls can play games. Go right ahead. Be happy. Play them games. More power to you. Help me make money by buying stuff I'll (hopefully) make in the future. Just don't use it as an excuse for attention, please? I like the mentality of, "Hey, I'm a girl who games, ain't it cool?", not, "HEY, I'M A GIRL GAMER, LOOK AT ME!!."

Thankfully enough, I don't know anyone like that (Jo? But Jo's a man =D)

Games, Street Fighter, and no part 2

In fear that I'll get reprimanded some more and offend more people, I'll just leave out part 2. I will say this, however. Part 2 was supposed to be about what defines us as Asians. You hear some people go around saying, "That's so Asian", or "You're so Asian" and I ask them what that really means. Whoever reads this damn thing, I'll write about it, if so desired.

This past weekend was the West Coast Super Battle Opera 2009 Qualifiers for Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike. Every year since I got into the fighting game scene, which was around the time the Justin Wong/Daigo parry video came out, I would check the forums all the big tournament results, exciting videos and matches. This year was particularly interesting because it was (as far as I can remember) the first time the fighting game community actually did something to broadcast a major tournament live. Not just the matches, but as the overall feeling of the tournament and the atmosphere.

Here's the video of the Grand Finals of the qualifier.

It is exciting to watch this for many reasons. With what little resources these people had, they managed to get this thing off the ground and on the internet, despite the stream crashing multiple times. The limit on views was about 1000, but thousands more were probably watching this stream from the beginning (which was around 12 in Cali, to 2 AM)

Watching this helps convey what the fighting game community is all about. There's just alot of hype goin around and that's what makes it so special. It goes beyond just pressing buttons and watching the characters hit each other until someone wins.

Watching the quals shows that games have come a long way in general. From its simple roots to its complicated development of today, games evolved immensely in the past near 30 years. No one would've imagined that it would grow beyond a hobby thing for kids. Is this where it stops though. Is this where games peak? One can only imagine. Microsoft got that crazy project Natal thing going on. Sony finally delivers with some decent projects. Nintendo is (maybe) trying to do some new things. Only time will get.

I will leave you with this.

Asian People and how they confuse me, part 1

People confuse me in general, but today, we're gonna focus on my people, the Asians.

While on facebook today, I read a status and it went:

"everyone in this asian world knows someone who knows somebody else who knows more asians"

How true this is. Somehow we all know each other, despite going to different schools, having different jobs or just having radically different backgrounds. We all just know each other, which I think is pretty nifty. It pays well to know the right people. However, let me ask my fellow Asians something. How many of you know people that are not Asian? Now I don't mean, "I know his/her name" and that's it. I mean, you know person fairly well. You know some tidbits or talk to this person sometimes. It's what we call friends. Facebook may have made us use the word more loosely these days, having us know personal stuff in their lives, and yet only know them at an arms reach. But I digress.

Honestly, ask yourself. How many people do you legittimately know that are not Asian. Everywhere I go, I see varying levels of cliqueyness. Some will hang exclusively with their fellow Asian people, like the crazy Koreans (unless I'm wrong and they're not angry folk who like to tell people to die all the time =P. Really, Koreans! If I'm wrong, let me know!). And then you have dopes like me who play the equal opportunity card and branch out. I try at least.

When with the yellow people, I used to mention my little escapades in the Bronx if they ask me what's been goin on. I would get stares telegraphing the question of why I'm there. Barring school, or maybe a yankee game, I'm sure alot of them barely step foot past 125th street, saving the exception of a few. Why have the need to go in a not so hot neighborhood, when they know they're safe with their fellow people in the surrounding neighborhoods near home.

And then I ask them why not. I have friends there. I used to think that the Asians judged me alot, just because I wasn't exclusively one of them. Not so much now, since things like racial boundaries are more trivial the more I see it as that way. Rather, if they still do, they're somewhat foolish for not going outside their comfort zone. I ain't missin out on meeting new people.

That isn't saying people of other races aren't guilty of it either. Blacks stick with Blacks. Hispanics are with their people. Of course people of the same cultural background stay with each other. The reasoning is sound. Birds of a feather, flock together. But why do I have to abide by the rules. I really don't and I don't have to and you don't have to either.


Stay tuned for part 2
-Nick