156: The Force is Strong in This One

[Russ Pitts]

The Force is Strong in This One

"My parents' generation was informed by great and powerful things. By the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the deaths of John Kennedy, his brother Robert and Martin Luther King. Before them, my grandparents were raised on dirt, suffering through the Great Depression with a grim determination to do it better for their kids. Me? I grew up making six-inch-tall replicas of Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher have sex in the backseat of a toy space ship. Now I write about games for a living. Perhaps a little struggling is good for the soul. If I have children, they'll eat dirt."

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[oldmanscene24]

Yet another great article. It brought back lots of memories. Thank you, sir.

 

[HellToast]

...

 

[Russ Pitts]

Yet another great article. It brought back lots of memories. Thank you, sir.

This one was for you.

 

[Finnish(ed)]

The bit about the girlfriend was funny, and sad. I know it is evil to laugh at the misfortunes of others, but comedy is evil. Or then I am. I forget which.

To comment on gaming addiction: This might be too big of a simplification for some, but games, movies, drugs, music and sex are all the same. They feel good and rewarding and they are addictive for the same reasons. They alter the chemistry of our brains and produce different, or altered, states of mind. Therefore, the negative or positive value of any of those things, can only be derived from their effects on the user's environment. I guess the question is: Are you stealing cars and robbing old ladies to fuel your gaming habits? Can you get STDs or someone pregnant by playing a game?

 

[zoozilla]

The Escapist really is great. Thank you, Yahtzee, for introducing me to this great site.

Another great article. I'd like to learn to be a better writer, and I always enjoy reading Escapist articles because they're always filled with wacky descriptions and neat ways to keep the reader interested.

Usually, I wouldn't be too enthusiastic reading about someone's obsession with Star Wars video games (no offense), but little things like "I followed the development progress of that game with the rabid intensity of a pitbull on meth" or "I was an upset supernova" kept me hooked to the end.

I think I can learn some things from this "web-zine".

 

[Russ Pitts]

Glad you liked it, Zoozilla. And thanks for the compliments.

A teacher of mine once said if you can reach out and say something meaningful to just one person, you've achieved the most you can possibly hope for. So I always try to reach at least one person and say something meaningful (or interesting) to them. If I reach more than that, bonus.

BTW, oldmanscene24 is my brother. I don't often get to write about experiences we've shared, but this time it was a pleasure. Our shared interest in games goes back all the way to the beginning, to Pong and the Fairchild Channel F. Also, he introduced me to Guitar Hero a few years back, so I owe him for that one still.

 

[the_tralfalmadorian]

i always look forward to reading your articles. They're my favorite on the site.

I'm a bit on the young side, so i didn't get to see the original star wars movies in theatre, but my parents introduced me to the series at age 4, and i saw the rereleases in theatre, so i've been a rabid fan for most of my life. You hit the nail on the head with Knights of the Old Republic, though. i rented that one out of boredom one day, then returned it almost immediately because i decided it was just more economical to go ahead and buy the damn thing. must have logged 150+ hours in that game. Now i eagerly await the release of The force unleashed and pray every day a KOTOR3 will be made.

 

[sharp_as_a_cork]

I suppose if I'd ever considered a computer anything other than a machine for playing games, I would have used this hard-won knowledge as a jumping-off point to a career as a computer programmer, but that seemed too much like work. Besides, beyond the games, what was there, really?

Oh, how this sentiment echoes with me.
However, unlike you, Russ, I stayed on the light side and still play games exclusively on my PC... except for that black box labeled "PS2" I bought for the singular pleasure that is Guitar Hero.

How come there's no mention of Jedi Knight 2? The temple I would build for this game would only be a little smaller than the one I'd build for KotOR.

 

[Russ Pitts]

I actually lost interest in games - temporarily - around the time Jedi Knight 1 & 2 were out. That was around the same time I founded my theater company and I was spending nights writing plays and days rehearsing and performing them. That didn't leave much time for games

 

[Ian Dorsch]

Man, that old Star Wars arcade game was awesome.

 

[oldmanscene24]

BTW, oldmanscene24 is my brother. I don't often get to write about experiences we've shared, but this time it was a pleasure. Our shared interest in games goes back all the way to the beginning, to Pong and the Fairchild Channel F. Also, he introduced me to Guitar Hero a few years back, so I owe him for that one still.

You owe me nothing, kind sir. That's what brothers are for.