Articles & Content Archives

Best Matches of EVO 2015

Esports, Lists, Video Games | 21 July 2015

It’s that time of the year once again, and this one looks to be quite different from previous iterations. EVO 2015 seems to be the changing of the guard, with prominent players getting eliminated to make way for newer generations of players (except in Smash Melee). If you’re one of those who didn’t get to watch it live or just want to watch the great matches again, then this list might help you with your viewing pleasure. Even if it’s over now, these high-level matches will live on in memory and on the Internet for all to watch. (more…)

Artistry and Delusion in Game Development

by: Sonny Go

Game Development, Opinion | 19 July 2015

The practice of an art form is indeed self-expression. There is much thought and dreaming that goes into it, but you can make mistakes if you stop and think for too long. A common case would be putting way too much of oneself into the project without considering other factors other than your own, which has the creator enter the realm of delusion. This is what we shall talk about here, the product of obsession that drives some talented yet misguided creators to the brink of madness. (more…)

Real-Life Stimpack: PEDs in Pro Gaming

by: Sonny Go

Esports, Opinion, Video Games | 16 July 2015

This news on professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players taking Adderall for performance enhancement came as no real surprise. There has always been the talk regarding steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in sports, and it wasn’t long before it became a topic in eSports. But while the dynamic is more obvious with athletic sports, there’s less that’s known about how performance enhancement affects eSports and other competitions centered more on the mind. (more…)

We Understood: Giving One’s Life to Games

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Video Games | 13 July 2015

This post was written in haste, hoping to get it up while the news was still fresh. I slept just after the news started to circulate; I admittedly didn’t think much of it at first. I just posted a semi-humorous status on social media about it before I turned in (I’m nocturnal at the moment). I did show respect to Iwata-san with that status, but I kind of feel bad that I didn’t think of writing a post about him right away. My experience with the products of Iwata-san’s hard work and vision had only been recent, but he still made an impact. (more…)

The Peculiar Aversion to Hotkeys

by: Sonny Go

Computers, Enrichment, Opinion, Productivity | 10 July 2015

For once, here’s a post written about a pet peeve of mine. If you’re not into reading other people’s rants, then you may want to close this. This is about people who like to do things the hard way on computers. Instead of pressing Ctrl-Shift-Esc to open Task Manager, they would press Ctrl-Alt-Delete and click on Open Task Manager. Instead of Shift-Delete to permanently delete files, they right-click on the file and click delete, then click Yes to send to Recycle Bin, then right-click on the Recycle Bin and click on Empty Recycle Bin and click on OK to empty the Recycle Bin. (more…)

Fistful of Bolts: Thoughts on the Robot Duel Challenge

by: Sonny Go

Internet, Opinion | 07 July 2015

Robot Duel Challenge: Suidobashi vs. MegaBots

So that Robot Duel Challenge thing is going viral as of this writing, and I was excited at first. But the cynicism instilled by disappointing video game releases and the realities of adulthood are holding back my childish glee from the potential of seeing two fighting robots duking it out in real life. I started thinking of how they could ever put such a thing together and what has to happen once they do start getting the robots fighting, and some of my friends agreed with my skepticism. Let’s talk a little bit about this; not too seriously but just some fun discussion on what can and cannot happen. (more…)

8 Videos and Films on Financial Disasters

by: Sonny Go

Current Events, Finance, Lists, YouTube | 06 July 2015

Amid financial ruin, Greece just had their bailout referendum on whether they will agree to the conditions set by the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund, and the European Central Bank (they voted no). Elsewhere, stock markets in China have experienced their biggest plunge since 1992. The last great economic recession we’ve had was back in 2008 with the American housing crash, and we may be in the verge of another one. If you don’t know what any of this means, then perhaps it’s time to learn a bit about financial disasters and how they happen. (more…)

Reddit Blackout and the Bigger Picture

by: Sonny Go

Internet, Opinion | 04 July 2015

Reddit is pretty much part of regular online routine at this point, but it had recently gone even deeper to shit. It’s not the usual mud-slapping like Gamergate and whatever SRS and SJW nonsense going on. This time, it’s a Reddit blackout after the firing of a key personnel and mods went on a mutiny. If there’s one thing wrong with community sites, running them is a perilous balancing act. Users riot under threat of autocratic control, but they also turn communities sour when given too much freedom. That’s pretty much the story in this case as well. (more…)

Space Colony Review — If We Ever Get to Mars…

by: Sonny Go

Reviews, Video Games | 02 July 2015

The release of HD remasters of old games may be grumbled at by some as unnecessary and even distractions getting in the way of developing brand new titles. However, there are plenty of good games, both mainstream legends and hidden gems of the past, that do deserve to be enjoyed by a new generation. I don’t know if Space Colony: Steam Edition is one of them, but maybe someone out there can appreciate it, especially those who are into building and management games. (more…)

Learning About World War I with New Media

by: Sonny Go

Guides, History, Internet, Video Games | 30 June 2015

It has been 101 years since the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, paving the way for the First World War. It ended empires and welcomed the modern age; this world we have now is because that happened. This post is also a whole year late, but maybe this is the best time for it as there are now more ways than ever to learn about that piece of history, as well what came before and after it. We now have videos, games, and other new media that shows us what would be the cause for everything else that happened in the 20th century and what’s happening now in the 21st century. (more…)

Batman, Steam Refunds, and a Kick to the Shin

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Video Games | 25 June 2015

What we’re seeing now may be the start of a sea change with AAA gaming companies. As late as last year, they were doing deplorable things with impunity, as if knowing their products will get bought anyway. We can keep going on with big bad capitalist monsters and sticking it to “The Man”, but this development affects both big and small. It’s just that when you see a giant putting things right, it’s a bit unexpected due to the norm. (more…)

Some Better Ways to Reading Books

by: Sonny Go

Guides, Self-Improvement | 24 June 2015

Let’s take a break from the video games for a while and talk about books, specifically the process of reading them. It’s said that reading is one of the most effective habits, not only for success but also for enrichment of one’s life. For those who are already into reading as a beneficial activity, they may have trouble with making the habit stick. Major parts of that problem are not being able to finish reading fast enough and being unable to retain most of what was read. If you have that and want to deal with it, please read on. (more…)