welcome to my blargh

Video Game Addiction Stories

http://bit.ly/8IXzg

I love this gem:

I do not see my husband much since he does work 50 hours a week. However, when he is home the first thing he does it turn on his Xbox 360 and play "Madden" for hours on end. When I walk in the room and he messes up, I'm immediately blaimed for it. His family and I joke that we need an intervention for him, but I'm not really joking when i say that.

--Melissa ,Waltham, Mass.

Ok seriously, is this addiction or just a really tired guy that just wants some escapism. He's working 50 hours a week for christ's sake....

The one thing I constantly come across when reading "horror stories" of online game addiction is that people start to not go out as much, and don't "hang out" as often as they used to. What exactly is different between interacting socially with people online and people in real life? Take into account that if you're "hanging out", you're not truly accomplishing anything anyway. Why are "real life" relationships more valued than online ones? There seems to be a great amount of bias against Internet relationships in general, even though they don't differ much from long distance ones that people have been having for generations (pen pals, etc).

Just because you can't understand what he sees in the game doesn't mean it's not a worthwhile past time. I'm not sure why it's okay for people to unwind in front of the TV for four hours but if you're playing a video game for that long then your wasting time. I have no idea why anybody would want to spend large amounts of time and money scrapbooking either but to each his own.
— Rachelle, Plainville, Conn.

DING DING DING! We have a winner folks!

Lucky Star Does MMORPG

$30 and I'm back in action

Feels kind of good to have my Pally back, especially since I put so much work into him.

Champions Online - My Characters

So, I've been having a ton of fun playing in the open beta for Champions Online. There's some little quirks that I don't like about the game, and some things that I had to get used to, but overall it's more than a worthy successor to City of Heroes. I just hope that this time around they plan to have more story quests and missions with meaning rather than for the sole purpose of grinding. They do have crafting right out of the gate with this one, so that's nice.

The real treat is the character generator. CoH had a fantastic one, and CO only improves upon it.

The first guy is a super hero I designed when I was a wee lad: The Mystic Crusader. He flies and shoots arcane bolts of energy at his enemies.

Second dude is one of my favorites. Basically just a normal guy that's good with pistols: Murdock. I don't know why, he's just cool.

The third one is really my attempt at being silly: The Refined Gentlemen. I couldn't find the top hat option my first time through (it's there though), but I can add it later. I giggle everytime I play him, I guess that's good.

Fourth is Shadowstrike. He's pretty much a Deadpool ripoff, yep. But Deadpool was a Deathstrike ripoff anyway.

Finally, just to show off the power of the character generator I made Hadesdude. I think you can tell who it is. I'm a little bummed I couldn't get the doom hand right, had to settle for a normal sized rock fist. Also, there is no option for just one pistol, akimbo only it seems.

The service officially starts in September and I'm really considering signing up. If it has more depth than CoH I think I'd be really into it for a while.

         

Click here to download:

Champions_Online_-_My_Characte.zip (655 KB)

Oh LOTRO, you so crazy

Navel Gazing

And here's what I look like today. Loving this matching armor.

Crab Hands

Jackie and I have been levelling our alts pretty hard the last few weeks. This is what I looked like a few days ago.

Doggies like boxes too

WTF Goldshire

Just when you think Goldshire couldn't get any worse...

Death Knight Heroic (Pre Naxx) DPS Gear

Work in progress of course. This is a list of gear that requires you to enter a heroic, either boss drops for badge rewards)

Head

Planetary Helm http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37849 (Halls of Lightning)

Chitin Shell Greathelm http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37237 (Azjol-Nerub)

Neck

Gold Amulet of Kings http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37397 (Utgarde Pinnacle)

Necklace of Arcane Spheres http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37861 (Violet Hold)

Shoulders

No straight dungeon shoulder rewards at the heroic level? Save for your T7 via badges then.

Back

Cloak of the Gushing Wound http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43406 (Violet Hold)

Chest

Breastplate of Undeath http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37722 (Drak'Tharon Keep)

Engraved Chestplate of Eck http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43310 (Gundrak)

Bonegrinder Breastplate http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37612 (Old Kingdom)

Wrist

Bands of the Stoneforge http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37668 (Halls of Stone)

Golden Limb Bands http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37217 (Azjol-Nerub)

Hands

Gauntlets of Dragon Wrath http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37363 (The Oculus)

Gauntlets of Capture http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37874 (Violet Hold)

Waist

The General's Steel Girdle http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37826 (Halls of Lightning)

Flame-Bathed Steel Girdle http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37171 (The Nexus)

Legs

Legplates of Steel Implants http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37675 (Culling of Stratholme)

Staggering Legplates http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37193 (Utgarde Keep)

Legplates of the Oculus Guardian http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37263 (The Oculus)

Feet

Rift Striders http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37150 (The Nexus)

Ring

Mobius Band http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37685 (Culling of Stratholme)

Band of Frosted Thorns http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37151 (The Nexus)

Hemorrhaging Circle http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37642 (Gundrak)

Trinket

Meteorite Whetstone http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37390 (Utgarde Pinnacle)

Sphere of Red Dragon's Blood http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37166 (The Nexus)

Incisor Fragment http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37723 (Drak'Tharon Keep)

Weapon

Colossal Skull-Clad Cleaver http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37852 (Halls of Lightning)

Sword of Justice Sword of Justice http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37653 (Halls of Stone)

Hammer of Grief http://www.wowhead.com/?item=38618 (Halls of Stone)

Mojo Masked Crusher http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37733 (Drak'Tharon Keep)

Edge of Oblivion http://www.wowhead.com/?item=43281 (Old Kingdom)

Saliva Corroded Pike http://www.wowhead.com/?item=37861 (Violet Hold)