Ludic Dreams

Delicate discord is where I fire off a great list of odd thoughts. This is less for entertainment and more of an excersize in clearing my mental Cache.

• Coming back from college this first time, or rather, having others come back- it allows for some great moments, like when you see that nothing is on, untill you flip to mythbusters .
• Listening to Nerdcore Rap with Black Friends is seriously awesome.
• I have not been in a play for so long, it feels both great and miserable.
• Microsoft surface. Want.
• No matter how good your grades are, do not wake up the parents at 12:24 A.M.
• researching your past by locating friends of old is a great way to learn bout yourself.
• One finds much knowledge during the night hours in the parking lot of a shaw’s.
• Parents are very confused as to why you might buy a car, or for that matter, wish to buy one.
• Boston is a fantastically wonderful town.
• Curiosity has killed many cats; Cats have 9 lives.
• I can never be sure of the sincerity of my friends when I speak of odd things; this is mostly because I suppose that they are thinking the same thing I am about myself; Whatever you say, alex. Whatever you say.
• Apples are more important than they seem.
• Why in the hell do I have less free time in the summer?

-A F K

Check out my new banner at my blog ( ludologistjarvi.blogspot.com, for all my facebook friends.)

Classy, methinks, with a hint of nerdy philosophy.

A bit large, but I think it works.

*that’s what she said.*

-A F K.

*sigh*

The year is coming to an end, and it is a dual bladed sword.Let me tell you, I have alot on my plate- I am not sure, of all the things on said plate, should I focus on. I know that the school year is ending soon, meaning that what I have just spent last semester focusing on will end, and that is bitter sweet. But, I will continue to do what I am doing now, despite the sheer magnitude of what is in front of me.

Of course, I am referring to Godfather for the wii, World of Warcraft, Pokemon Pearl, And Super paper mario. Too little time.

I should be doing…. something.

Something.

- A F HOLY GOD EXAMS.

This post has been floating in my mind for some time now. I will offend, but lets face it, this is the internet.

The following is a post to all those who believe certain things like Creationism, 9/11 conspiracy theories, grassy knoll shooters, racists, media-blamers, down players of things like wiretapping, no-warrant arrests, people against immigration, and more.

You guys are Loud.

The Internet is full of people just like you, and you all have a message. I support it wholeheartedly, with every fiber of my being- this is the world, and your voice has just as much as weight as mine. You have a lot of vigor and resolve, and I respect that as well. However, where does logic float aloft and leave you? How much fluff do you have to throw into a theory until it overflows?

It made me think really hard. Perhaps no one has ever presented these people with logic? Perhaps no one has sat them down, told them to take a deep breath, and think? And I do not mean this in an evil, or menacing way – far from it. However, at a certain point, there needs to be a voice telling us exactly how silly we sound. So, I thought about it a lot. I watched video after video, story after story, about people who seemingly ruined their lives over these issues, yelled, screamed, made their voices run hoarse with this belief, standing on it proudly and making it a definition for themselves. The further I dug, the more it hit me- this was not a rock. There was no grand stand. These beliefs are not a platform; they are a liferaft.

I get it.

We all get scared sometimes.

It would be a lot easier if god made us just 6,000 years ago, upright and speaking. It would mean that god is in fact real, and perhaps there is some purpose for us. *

It would be a lot easier if 9/11 was an inside job. Perhaps then it means that there aren’t those who want us dead, who hate us and everything we stand for.

It would be a lot easier if it where those damn video games that caused Virginia Tech; then the blame wouldn’t be on bullies, the mistreaters- it was the electronics.

It would be a lot easier to blame problems on Muslims, Blacks, Latinos- because you can just point at the skin, not the faces, and scream at “the problem”.

It would be a lot easier to think Santa came in the morning, because then those gifts where really magical, and not just a sale at the local wal-mart.

But the truth is, we live in this world. 9/11 was caused by terrorists who hate us. Kennedy was shot by Oswald. Columbine, Virginia Tech- those where causes of our society and how it treats young people, not some electronic box.

This is our world, and many of us don’t live in it.

But let me tell you- embrace whatever bravery you have in you and step out. Take that moment, calm down, and think. Use your brain and your heart. Realize the facts, and join the party.

-A F K

* A Definiton; while I went through a mild crisis of faith at the head of this article, I do, in fact, believe in God. What God, you ask? Well, none and all, if that makes any sense.

I have had more than I expected ask me about “This Planet Earth”, and what is happening with the chalkboard warrior project. For CBW, our effort in the semester was too little too late ( our acquisition of control in the Computer lab, not the efforts of the team). It is currently put aside, waiting for a bigger push in the next semester, where we can get some new blood. No offense to the current team- I am so glad we are all friends, but there needs to be more focus and less distraction.

This planet earth, which is a working title, will not be a traditional game as I have said before. I will give scant details, with the hopes of gathering interest! Also, if you are a friend of mine; you will beta test this.

- It will run on Java, the J2ME platform, meaning it runs on most Motorola, Nokia, etc. Phones.
- It uses a piece of the camera that is not really used for games. Ever.
- It is half-game, half-social networking site.
-Google maps might be involved.
- This planet earth is prolly not the final title. But I like it because it is currently verbatim to the aforementioned Quote.

I am planning on using this as a developers diary, which will be easier considering the game will pretty much be made ( or assembled slightly) in about a month.

To the Sleeping Thing!

-A F K

A family member of mine recently got released from the prison system. In my short talk with him, he said something oddly profound;

“I wish there was a way for everyone to appreciate the world they live in, this planet earth.”

It stuck with me.

Two days later, I have strangely birthed as concept document for a new game, with black arial lettering on the front;

“THIS PLANET EARTH.”

And I’ll have the perfect opportunity to make it.

-A F K

Hello. I am talking to you.

Yes, you. I know you are reading this, and you know who you are. And let me say, you are one very dedicated individual. You have come up with so many different ways to waste your time – or did you not get it? Did you not understand that I exist in a strong, confident, and loving relationship? Did you not get the fact that I, much unlike yourself, are very happy with my life, and every aspect of it? Have you processed the notion that your taunts are not met with my stomach gurgling, eyes tearing, and faith shaken – but instead, I grin, laugh, share them with friends, etc? You have become a joke, and truly, I pity you – for you have enslaved yourself to your cause, namely, myself.

You seem very dedicated, and you have devised many ways to show this dedication. I am surprised, because while the method of delivery would suggest you are knowledgeable, the content betrays the facade – you are the utmost of simpletons, deciding to spend an unfortunate amount of time simply pissing away megabytes on useless incantations.

It also serves to mention that there could be various ways you are reading this; facebook, perhaps? are you a friend of mine? Are you a close friend? Do I trust you? If this is all ‘yes’, then consider what you are doing, and ask yourself; what have I done?

Or, perhaps, the more likely option; you envy me. You do not believe I deserve what I have, and vicariously insult me so that you may attempt to bring me down, while all you do is bolster my cause, my case. And I mean ‘case’ in the most literal sense – every e-mail, even the ones you thought where deleted, have been reviewed by the eyes of the law. And they are simply waiting for more evidence to confirm our suspicion. Please, give us this evidence. It counts as a computer crime, which is oh-so-very punishable.

To all of my friends; if I say something odd ( odder than I might say otherwise), something obviously indignant, obnoxious, you get odd e-mails from me, etc; you have been tricked by this same, sad, Doppelgänger. This pitiful homonculus has already been identified, and will stop soon enough.

And to you, the most sad of the bunch; You have failed, and you act now as the most sad of doom-sayers, yelling on the street corner to an audience who no longer cares. Consider this a dollar in your old, worn hat.

-A F K

[ Once and a while, I feel it is my duty as a man who studies games to step away from the most recent incarnation- namely, video games - and look towards other types of play. I try to dissect any game I find, and talk about what it means to the ludo-sphere at all. The original incarnation, which was not official but did chronicle my intersection with Warhammer 40k, can be found here.]

Don’t be thrown off by the title here; I am not referring to the 3.99 Burger king games that apparently sold really well. I am actually referencing a completely different game I discovered upon dining in the store itself.

My youth was ruled by several novelties, one of which being the burger king crown. The crown was always there, waiting just at my reach at that odd castle, now torn-down. It was not simply a crown, but my crown. It was the building of an ego, that I was in charge of all, even as my mother buckled me in and gave me a toy to play with. It seems that the marketing peeps at BK have latched onto this. When I saw again the crown, I noticed there where rules inscribed on it, and found the game 1, 2, 3, king.

The game is a modified version of Master/slave. The crown holder, the “king”, has control over an eminent kingdom, his magic circle extending 10 feet around him. He also controls interface devices- if the remote control is within his domain, he controls the television. Most importantly, he has control over those within the circle. The important rule, however, is the crown’s royal transition; If one of the ruled removes the crown, he must wait three seconds and then say “1, 2, 3, king”. When he dons the cap, he then is king, and the game continues.

What I found very interesting is how important the crown suddenly became. I played the game in the lounge of my dorm, where decisions regarding the television, food, etc, are often lazy and full of sloth – “what do you wanna do?” ” I dunno.” – the hat suddenly gave purpose and meaning. The king must walk a thin line- one, he must make sure that no task is too harsh, lest he suffers a similar wrath when he is a slave – but more importantly, he must keep his slaves at a distance. One time, a king requested to have his shoulders massaged…. well, that ended up with quite the coup. Some of the more effective strategies included making people sit on top of one another so that the king may occupy the couch alone. And again, people proved obedient, because they entire time they plotted their rise to power.

It was almost worth the heartburn from the chicken fries.

A F K