Now that I finally done my training in VMWare VCenter, it’s time to implement it in my own home lab setup. So, here is part two of my home lab saga.
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Upgrading the Tamaki Shimai Home Lab – Part II
Gaming
Thoughts on Sommers’s video on Sexism in Gaming
You can see the video here
Just yesterday, Christina Hoff Sommers have pretty much disprove the points made by a certain video series and opponents of video games that has been thrown around for several weeks now. While I knew that most of the core gaming audience who plays more than 20 hours a week in a ratio of boys to girls is 7 to 1. Of course, male gamers tend to play games that are competitive in nature such as violent or action pack video games while females tend to play other games such as simulation, puzzle games and social games. That is to say, everyone is free to play any type of games regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. I admit that I don’t play games that most male gamers play like violent first person shooting games. I tend to enjoy Japanese games (mostly role playing games), racing/driving, simulation, music types of games.
I think the important point she makes out of this video is that the moral panic of video game causing sexism is not true for many reasons. There is a study that clearly proves that video games scare was about nothing since video games does not cause violent behavior. In other words, the same should be true for this moral panic as gamers tend to be more diverse and accepting of people with different backgrounds. Even so, does this mean that there is sexism in video games. I already shared my thoughts on that issue on my main blog, but some tropes like Damsels in Distress is just lazy story writing and I do agree that creators should strive to make a more interesting and engaging story.
Lastly, while I will not take a side on the debate since I would rather not get involved, it’s not all right to bully/harass people or censor people just because you don’t agree with them. Sure, you should call out abusive behavior, but I believe that everyone should have the right to voice their opinion as long its done rational and civil manner (meaning no berating people or a group of people). Phil Mason (thunderf00t) makes a good point about that in his video responding to his account being blocked on Twitter.
Weighing in on the Turmoil in the Gaming Community
For two weeks, things has finally erupted in the gaming world over the integrity of Gaming Journalism and the Zoe Quinn scandal. While I don’t have much to say as I don’t want to talk about it, I do agree with TotalBiscuit’s recent post taking a rational approach about what happened during the last two week. I suggest everyone to take a listen.
The idea of pushing Nintendo to make Smartphone Games is Stupid
Back in June, I got a shiny Nintendo 3DS as a replacement for the broken DSi. I have played around with it for nearly two months and I think it’s a good handheld gaming console. However, it cost a bit more money and many of the first party and worthwhile titles weren’t out, except Ocarina of Time, which is why it was underperforming for a while until now.
Just recently, Nintendo has slashed $80 dollars from the price, bringing down the price of the 3DS to $169. In addition, they are giving incentives to early adopters with free downloadable games. Sadly for most investors, it wasn’t enough. They insist that the 3DS will still flop and Nintendo should give up on the console business to make games on smartphones. This idea made me angry since they don’t understand gaming more than just playing a mini game of “Angry Birds” or “Cut the Rope.”
The problem with mobile gaming is that while the games are considerably cheaper than the handheld consoles, they aren’t specifically designed for it. I know smartphones are becoming more capable. We can now play music, surf the Internet, read emails, view maps, take pictures and etc. I still feel that gaming is one of those areas that it does horribly in. While touch orientated games like “Angry Birds” works well with the smartphone, more complicated games that requires more controls makes the gaming experience subpar or downright horrible. This is because touchscreen controls don’t give any feedback compared to physical ones. In addition, most mobile games don’t have depth and typically shovelware because the makers are more concentrated on making a quick profit than on quality. While quality games exist on the app stores, most of these games still give a very forgettable experience.
For Nintendo, making games for smartphone devices are not in their DNA. They are the visionaries of the video game industry. If they give up on making hardware or start making games on other platforms such as the iPhone, they will completely lose their mojo and their ability to innovate. They have to devalue their games and probably end up in the same boat like SEGA is in.
In conclusion, I strongly disagree that Nintendo should just give up. I know smartphones are becoming more popular, but I think there is still a place for handheld gaming consoles. I believe the 3DS will eventually take off and become popular once good games are released for it. People just have to be patient.
Macbook Pro (Mid 2010) Gaming Performance
It blows away the Late 2008 Macbook Pro overclock 3dmark06 score, 6361 by 349 points… without overclocking (besides the turbo boost). I will try it with the GPU overclock after class.