The Blog Squatter
You see, for over a year now, I’ve enjoyed reading the blog of fellow single parent Mommy Pie, But it turns out, she has gone on an even longer hiatus than I have! So I’ve done what everyone likes to do when their neighbor goes on vacation, I’ve broken in and I’m having a party.
Since I don’t have the keys to the front door, so to speak, and therefor can’t post on her page, I’ve commandeered the comments section of her most recent post. So come on over any time and join in the fun. It is strictly BYOB (Bring Your Own Blog) Let’s see how many posts we can publish there before she returns.
This might be just the kind of juvenile delinquency I need to get me out of my own blog rut. What do you say? Will you join me in a party at my neighbor’s house?
Mission Accomplished?
The other day in the
car....
Oliver: Papa, why do you play
Warcraft 2? Why do you like it?
(and by this, he meant, why do I like that
version of the game, and not one of the many versions
that have come out since then. Why do I continue to
play a game that is ten years old? And the fact of
the matter is, that once a year or so, I pull out my
old Warcraft 2 CD and replay some of my favorite
missions and scenarios.)
Depot Dad: Well, I really like the
balance of that version. The missions are well
designed. I like the balance of humor, strategy,
pacing, and the way there are many ways to solve a
mission.
Sometimes, I replay a mission right after I finish it
and try a different strategy. For example, when I
first started playing the game, I was terrified of
the enemy forces controlled by the computer. I used
to spend all of my time and gold on building up
impenetrable defenses. But I soon discovered that
this only gave the enemy time to build up an
un-defeatable offense and I could not win.
I learned that some missions require you to go on the
offensive right away, even when you don’t have any
defenses built up. This has been a great lesson for
me and I can even say that I’ve brought that skill
into my real life. If a game is well designed, I feel
it actually helps me identify my own habits of
thinking and problem solving and it can help me to
see how the way I go about solving problems may not
be the best way, or even a successful way.
Also, the later versions of the game start to take
itself too seriously. The artwork loses that cartoony
style and starts to get more realistic. The missions
start to play out in a way that forces a
predetermined story line and focuses too much on
individual characters. I guess I like the open ended
feel of Warcraft 2 best.
Oliver: Oh.
moment of silence
Depot Dad: Oliver, why do you like
Club Penguin?
Oliver: Because it is fun.
-------
I tell you, I have a lot to learn from this boy.
At times like this, I feel I should shut this blog
down for good. I don’t know if it is doing me or
anyone else any good that I spill so much information
or overanalyze everything. Or maybe I’m trying to
excuse my lack of posts lately. It has done me a lot
of good to just participate in my own life this month
and leave it at that.
But more than that, I’ve also been surprised at my
lack of inspiration and motivation here, and I am
really starting to feel that the job of this blog has
run its course. I think I might be done.