Personal – Page 16 – In Third Person

The Super Nintendo Essays: Happy Birthday

September 10, 2017August 24, 2017JettLeave a comment

The Super Nintendo Essays is a series of posts detailing my history with and passion for the SNES. It had a profound effect on my life as a gamer, and I wanted to share some of my most memorable stories about it with you!

I remember the day when my Super NES hype hit a crescendo. For months, I pestered my parents about my desire to receive an SNES for my birthday. In response, they would usually troll me by saying they were going to get me a TurboGrafx-16 instead. As time went on, the jokes got a bit more intense, and one day, they broke me.

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The Super Nintendo Essays: Playing With Super Power

September 7, 2017September 7, 2017JettLeave a comment

When it comes to my history with video games, you can draw a very specific line on my birthday in 1994. The time before it was the era before I got a Super Nintendo. After that, is the era I still live in now, where owning a Super Nintendo changed my life. That era of gaming, and specifically my time with that console, transformed me into a kid who likes video games into a full-blown gaming enthusiast.

I vividly remember the moment I received that SNES from my parents and many of my gaming experiences after that. However, by that point, the console was almost two years old. What was I doing back then? And why am I struggling so hard to pull those memories of a time before the SNES out of my brain? Follow me as I ramble on in hopes of piecing together my life before owning an SNES.

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Time to Take a Break from ARMS

August 26, 2017August 28, 2017JettLeave a comment

I was so close. Like, thisclose.

My goal in ARMS is to hit rank 20. The highest rank in the game. After making a breakthrough in my play style, I got all the way up to rank 19 with just a few wins shy of 20. Then, it all fell apart.

A few internet issues caused the game to unfairly penalize me with rage quitting, combined with a ton of losses against stiff competition and my ranking has fallen off of a cliff.

After many losses and having thrown my controller more times than I can count, I think it’s time to take a break before I destroy my controller, my dignity, and my sanity.

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Lessons I’ve Learned While Climbing the Ranks in ARMS

August 17, 2017August 17, 2017Jett1 Comment

During the beta for ARMS, I was crushing my opposition with an iron fist. It got me thinking that I was going to waltz to the top of the leaderboard. Within hours of first playing the final game, it was me that was repeatedly falling to the canvas. There were nights where I would go on massive losing streaks that would cause me to lose ranks that usually ended with me throwing my controller. Forget about reaching the top of the world, I had to look in the mirror and ask myself if I was actually trash at this game.

Refusing to give up, I kept practicing. Kept making mental notes of all of the different ways I could improve. Having wallowed in the middle ranks for weeks, I’ve turned a corner and am making a strong push to reach rank 20, the highest rank in the game. Here are some things I’ve observed along the way!

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Playing Video Games for Fun vs. Playing Video Games for Sport

August 8, 2017May 28, 2017JettLeave a comment

I am a lifelong video game fan. I’m also a fan of playing fighting games at a competitive level. While both paths allow me to enjoy video games, they diverge in very different ways. Playing video games for fun usually means playing lots of different types of video games. Playing games for sport generally requires you to focus on playing one game until you have hit a certain level of mastery. It’s very hard to do both.

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Our First Legendary Pokemon Go Run

July 25, 2017July 24, 2017Jett2 Comments

Not long after the disaster that was Pokemon Go Fest concluded, Niantic unleashed the legendary birds Lugia and Articuno on gyms all over the world. While it sucks that those in Chicago got burned by cellphone carrier overloads and server errors, the Toronto experience seemed to be unaffected. The following morning, my wife, mother-in-law and I head out on a quest to catch these new Pokemon.

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Gaming Chair Get!

May 21, 2017May 16, 2017JettLeave a comment

For years, I have punished my body by sitting on a worn out office chair when I game. The butt cushion flattened out years ago, as did the additional cushion I bought as a stopgap fix.

My cheap and stubborn self probably would have stuck with that crappy chair forever. Thankfully, my wife recently gifted me this awesome gaming chair. It’s a sexy-looking chair with great cushioning and arm rests that flip up for when I need extra elbow room for fighting games. Thank you love!

I know that this style of gaming chair is hot right now, but whatever you’re sitting on when you game, make sure it’s comfortable! For all the time you spend sitting down in front of a television, you should take care of your body and feel good while you’re at it.

The Promise of the Nintendo Switch is Real

May 20, 2017June 2, 2017Jett1 Comment

When Nintendo first revealed the Switch, they did so by showing off a myriad of different scenarios for when the product would be useful. From showing how quickly the game could transfer from your screen to the unit, to showing off a woman bringing her Switch to a rooftop party to play with friends, Nintendo pitched this as providing a quality gaming experience everywhere you go.

At first, I didn’t buy it. Sure, the novelty was neat, but I didn’t see the ability to play the same games at home or on the go as a revelation. Now that I’ve had the console for a few months, I realize that its selling point is the real deal.

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Coming Soon: Injustice 2

May 14, 2017May 14, 2017JettLeave a comment

On May 16th, 2017, Injustice 2 smashes its way onto store shelves. While I adore that first game, my excitement for the title has been muted for quite some time.

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I’m Going to the Defenders of the Triforce – Real Escape Game X Legend of Zelda!

May 8, 2017May 8, 2017JettLeave a comment

Despite not having talked about this much on the site, I’m a fan of escape rooms. They’re an awesome way to partake in a video game like experience in real life. So when I heard that Nintendo was teaming up with Real Escape Game to make a Legend of Zelda themed escape challenge, I was immediately sold.

This touring escape challenge is in my city this weekend, so my friends and family will be there to try it out. Will report back on how things went!

Learn more about the escape game at Scrap Zelda!