Coast to Coast

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

With the international borders closed, my choices for holiday were severely limited. Reminded again by management that my leave was approaching unacceptably high levels, it was with a great relief that my mother suggested a trip up north – towards the border New South Wales shares with Queensland. I was glad for any excuse to go. Particularly as several celebrities had made their home up on the northern coast. 

The first day of our trip dawned with heavy clouds. Departing a little later than anticipated, we, which encompassed my mum as well as my grandmother, made good time until we hit Turramurra and the start of the Pacific Highway. It was here that the heavens decided to unleash a torrent of rain as we drove onto the slipway.

I’ll admit, there was a brief moment that I thought we would fishtail wildly as we hydroplaned across a slick part of the bitumen. Fortunately, disaster was not in the cards and we maintained control. Not long after, we were safely out of the storm and eager to speed north.

We stopped for a short break, just after Gosford, and grew a little concerned that the battery for the access key to our smart car was running low. What if it stopped working? How would we start the car when we were several hundred kilometres away from civilisation? With these worries in mind, we next stopped just out of Newcastle for a couple of pies at Heatherbrae’s: Diggers, teak and kidney, and steak and mushroom. We also got a caramel tart to sweeten the deal. Bellies full, mum zipped back to a local Bunnings Warehouse to DIY the battery for the access key.

Almost an hour later, we were back on the road, a little grouchy and saddled with plenty of problems to complain about. Fuel running low, we stopped again at another service station to fill up. And then I switched with my mum – taking up the mantle of driver for the last leg of our journey for the day.

Unfortunately, during the drive up to Coffs Harbour, we entered another storm front and I slowed down drastically to make sure that we made it safely to the hotel. After all, we had just experienced a terrifying experience of what it was like to break suddenly while the road was covered in water just several hours ago. In any case, it’s must better to be late than to never arrive at all.

Our accommodations at Coffs Harbour were humble, serving its purpose as a functional place to stop and sleep. Though we had driven upwards of 500 kilometres, we had arrived with plenty of time for dinner and soak in the ambiance. As such, we headed to the Mermaid Beach House, which had only opened quite recently. Although it didn’t have a view of the water, the food was delicious and the menu finely curated to match the strengths of the chef and owner. It was also incredibly close to where we were staying and we would have plenty of time to stop in at a local Aldi or Coles to pick up additional supplies for our more domestic trip.

Friday dawned bright and early and with plenty of sun. After breakfast, our bags packed, we were determined to have a day full of adventure as we made our way up to Byron Bay. Our first stop, however, was to the Pacific Plaza. Why? Because Bravely Default II had just been released and I needed to pick it up. I even brought my Nintendo Switch along to try the game out and make sure that my cartridge worked (spoilers, it did). 

Game in hand, we hit the road once more, stopping at the iconic BIG BANANA before detouring to the Forest Sky Pier for a view of Coffs Harbour in its entirety from on high. Woolgoolga was our next stop and we took a gander at the impressive Sikh temple and museum located there. By now, it was lunch time and my grandmother was desperate for Chinese. As such, we stopped at the RSL club at Maclean. As we were in a small country town rather than the big city, the wanton soup my grandmother ordered was disappointing to say the least. In my wisdom, I just got a bit of fried rice and salt and pepper pork.

Still, we managed to survive lunch and headed towards Ballina. The reason? To snap a photo of a huge prawn (that’s shrimp for you Americans out there) sculpture sitting outside the entrance of the Bunnings Warehouse. That done, it was nearly four by the time we limped into Byron Bay. 

After checking into our holiday apartments, my mother and I further stocked up on important vittles and set out, far too early, to the local lighthouse for the moonrise. Granted, the website I initially looked up was completely wrong. But how was I supposed to know that? Still, after hanging around for an hour or two, we did get to see the moon – a somewhat lacklustre experience compared to the setting of the sun. 

And so ended a quiet Friday. I’m sure the next day, I’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the Hemsworth family and possibly Zac Efron and Matt Damon…

“Put the shrimp on the barbie, mate!”
Even got to catch a glimpse of a wallaby!

To All the Books: Always and Forever

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For those that know me, there are two things in the world that I love more than anything else: video games and…books. All throughout high school, I was known as the one who always had a book in her bag, ready to whip out when I no longer had to socialise with my fellow mouth-breathers. To be honest, it was a source of shame as I’d be disparaged for reading when I could have been talking. Worse, even back then, people hardly read things beyond the prescribed texts set by the school’s English Department. To many, I was an anomaly. And it was difficult to discuss anything beyond those that had young adults enthralled such as Harry Potter, Twilight and Eragon with any of my friends. Due to my  niche repertoire, it was a little harder to find anyone with the same interests. Who’s Trudi Canavan? What’s the Silmarillion? 

Note to self: Do not read Chapter 13 of Gene of Isis, which is titled Seduction, when friends can very easily look over your shoulder and wonder why a thirteen year-old might be interested in hands sliding down knees. 

In my defence, I skimmed over most of the risque scenes as I was more interested in the actual world-building.

Recently though, I’ve stumbled upon a YouTube channel that features one of the major things I cherish: the written word and the characters lurking within. In fact, it’s been a great joy to delve into a few of the book reviews and to learn about the strange quirks that come from being a reader. It’s also great to hear what they might have liked or disliked about some of my favourite books. And, hopefully when the COVID-19 pandemic finally blows over, I too, hope to stop someone in the produce section of a grocery store to chat about Brandon Sanderson (who, by the way, signed my Mistborn books when he was in Australia for Supanova and I asked him a terribly stupid question because I hadn’t sat in on his panel).

It has also made me wonder that perhaps people might be more interested in hearing my thoughts on books. After all, if the internet has taught me anything, there’s still a sizeable audience for any type of content. Books and Fanfiction included.

The only problem, is that I read for leisure. I’ve always hated how, during English class, we’d try to break down each and every sentence an author inserted into their story. Did it matter that the dress was red? I would say ‘no’ but English Literature professors would say ‘yes.’ Why? Because it represents passion and sexiness and every in between. Clearly, the author is trying to state from the very first chapter that what proceeds next is going to be hot and steamy.

As someone that has dabbled with a bit of writing, I know for a fact that I’ve never put in that much thought about my random background descriptions. Most of the time, it’s been: how does that look good? And if I choose to use ‘pivot’ instead of ‘dodged’ in a combat scene, it’s only because I’m trying to change it up a little. And not because I wanted to allude to my failed career as a ballet dancer (which, by the way, would never have happened because I am a terrible dancer).

I suppose I could always break down the things I liked about narrative or the characters. That’s something I’ve always done with video games. The problem with books, however, is that a lot of the characters also stem from the reader’s imagination. While some authors like to paint an explicit picture of what their protagonists might look like, others just give them broad descriptions and let their readers fill in the rest. It’s why I couldn’t get over the fact that Remus Lupin had a moustache in the Harry Potter films. And probably why I fell in love with book Faramir, but couldn’t seem to love his film portrayal in the Lord of the Rings films (which do make the franchise more palatable. Though, they did do Tom Bombadil a great disservice by not including him).

Still, it’s food for thought.

After all, in this day and age, it’s so hard to find someone that has similar interests as me. Honestly, I’d gladly go on a rant about some of the authors that I’ve been introduced to, and others that I’ve discovered. Better yet, I’ve been also trying to expand what types of books that I read. Though, of course, I’m a little leery about reading romance in public – what with their covers and all.

In any case, 2021 is the year that I hope to continue to indulge in my hobby. Hopefully, I’ll continue to read widely even though I’d much prefer to focus on my core genre that I take the most joy out of exploring. Because, even among readers, there’s judgement. Though this isn’t much explored, I still feel a little out of place to reveal how much I love epic fantasy. This might have been due to my mother hoping I’d read Jane Austen back when I was twelve, but honestly, at that time in my life, magic wands and dragons seemed much cooler than Regency England. Since then, however, I’ve read Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. 

Maybe I’ll read more of Jane Austen’s works in the future and develop a deeper appreciation for her writing. For now, my favourite is still Jane Eyre. Even if Rochester is a problematic love interest.

As for my other books, well…all I can say is that I appreciate how fast Mr Brandon Sanderson writes and I look forward to the next story in the Stormlight Archives. Scott Lynch, I need more from Locke and his merry gang of thieves. And you…Patrick Rothfuss…will you ever be able to finish what you’ve started?

But, just like my games, it might be best to go through the huge pile that I’ve yet to finish. Why is it every time that I enter a bookstore I seem to know no restraint and buy, buy, buy? There have been many books that have sat on my shelves, just waiting to be devoured, but have been eclipsed by the latest and shiny titles of a few of my favourite authors.

“Not Like Other Girls”

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

Despite sitting down and having a proper heartfelt discussion about the pressures of ‘continuing the family line’ and ‘finding a significant other,’ my mother is once again hoping that I will somehow befriend a man that I met only twice and exchanged about five minutes total of actual dialogue. Both she and my grandmother are worried about the ticking biological time bomb that is my reproductive system. And while they are also concerned that I’ll die alone, without family or friends, it’s more the former that seems to encompass their thoughts. Why? Well, it’s tradition. It’s the ‘normal’ way of life.

To be honest, I can see where they’re coming from. Yes, it’ll be nice to have a companion besides a body pillow or a strong protector to hold me in their arms…

But I would also like to think that if I decide to go it alone, it should be accepted. Why do I have to fit the mold? Be normal? 

My thoughts have turned back towards this because even at work, one of my colleagues is also hoping to help me ‘settle down.’ Nearing thirty, it’s the ‘expected’ thing to do. And as she strove to support me by offering possible love interests, she also, bless her heart, recounted the days of her youth when she had been a ‘tomboy,’ scarpering over roofs and fixing cars. It was only in her later years that she changed. In truth, it’s hard to envision the woman before me, with her mauve cardigan, loose white blouse, pencil skirt and perfectly coiffed hair as a rambunctious tomboy playing in the mud with scraped knees and elbows.

Growing up, I never could properly fit myself into the ‘girl’ stereotypes that were on TV or in films. There were times that I wondered if maybe I was actually a ‘boy’ trapped in the body of a ‘girl.’ After all, my interests always skewed towards the boyish: playing make-believe as knights, channeling my inner Saiyan and delving into the world of video games like the nerd I am. Lego, rather than Barbie, was what caught my eye. Chess instead of make-up. Pants instead of skirts and dresses. Of course, juxtaposed with these tendencies were my love for books and horses (my second favourite animal behind wolves). 

Unlike those that have taken the step to have their gender reassigned, undergone hormone treatment or have come out about their gender identity, I’ve never felt the intense body dysmorphia that often leads to this realisation. True, I’d prefer it if I had a thinner physique and the inherent ability to backflip or kip-up like those cool people in parkour or martial art videos, but there has never a vast disconnect between who I am and the face I see in the mirror each day.

I mean, what girl hasn’t bemoaned the periods that come every month? Or the discrimination that comes from trying to be the best at sport or hunting or computers or engineering. That’s not to say that dolls and frilly dresses and make-up is a bad thing. Some people are drawn to the prospect of raising a family, of wearing flowery dresses that have no pockets.  But others, such as myself, aren’t as inclined. In fact, my fashion sense is a little more conservative with collared shirts and scoop neck shirts that don’t plunge down to my non-existent cleavage (admittedly, throughout high school, I always hoped that my breasts would never develop and I’d be as flat as a washboard. Alas, it never happened. And the tradition of wearing bras has always chafed. As for the men that go around shirtless…WE DO NOT NEED TO SEE YOUR NIPPLES EITHER! TAPE THEM UP FOR GOODNESS SAKE! Or wear a man bra! Nobody needs to see those pecs. Abs yes. But you can wear a crop top for that).

Unfortunately, in the nearly three decades that I’ve been alive, the toy aisles are still gendered. Though women play video games on an equal level as men, it’s still considered a hobby relegated to angry white men that have the emotional range of a teaspoon. While there have been some strides in evening up the level playing field, I know quite a few people that still echo the sexist sentiments of the past. But, if you don’t want companies to have a quota of female staff, perhaps address the underlying perceptions in the society we live in. 

Being a man or a woman should have no impact on whether one is good at mathematics or the arts. There are plenty of men that would be great at nursing or serving as primary school teachers. Likewise, there are a whole host of women that would be excellent as video game programmers or construction workers.

That said, if a woman doesn’t feel the need to follow tradition and want to forge their own path, that should also be accepted. I’m so sick and tired of being hurried along the hetero-normative corridor, loaded down with the expectation that I should be married by twenty-five and have two children by the time I’m twenty-eight. All, of course, under the guise of love from a worried parent. It’s fine. I’m not lonely. And I’m certainly not something that needs to be pitied. 

There are times that I wonder if there’s something about me that intimidates the men around me. Or maybe they can sense something about me that I haven’t yet discovered. Alas, I can’t be sure. For now, I’ll just fantasise about all my good boys. The question is: do I get a body pillow of Riku (in his Kingdom Hearts 2 attire), Legoshi or best waifu Ignis.

In any case, I’m essentially ‘not like other girls.’ For one, I don’t know how to make-up. What even is shaving legs or armpits. And I like books and video games too much to ever ‘grow out of it.’ If that’s not what you’re looking for, well, please look elsewhere. As for any others that might be possibly interested in a person such as myself, and are looking to apply to be my SO, I have a form ready and waiting to be filled out.

I mean, is there any other way of separating the wheat from the chaff in this day and age? 

Fair warning: my standards are HIGH. And like I said, no nipples.

A Hero Lies in You

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

On April Fool’s Day 2019, a video was released showing the latest game in the Yakuza franchise. Many thought it was a prank. The reason why? The sudden change in combat. Gone was the brawler beat-em-up that was associated with the series. In its stead was a turn-based system reminiscent of role-playing games. Characters waiting for their turns before utilising special skills? In a franchise known for its hard gritty storylines about gangs duking it out in the streets of Japan? ‘Haha Ryu Ga Gotoku. You thought you could fool us, but we see right through you. This isn’t our first rodeo and you’re not Square Enix,’ was many a thought when the footage had been viewed by thousands online.

What gamers did not know was that this was no gag. Fast forward several months to August 2019 and it was confirmed that Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, starring new protagonist Kasuga Ichiban, would actually incorporate turn-based battles. There would even be JOBS! 

As I had just finished playing through Kiryu’s story, as well as Judgment, in 2020 I was eager to see what new protagonist Kasuga Ichiban would bring to the table. From trailers, I could already see how much livelier Ichiban would be in comparison to the more stoic Kiryu. And, in contrast to Yagami, he was definitely more of an idiot. A lovable idiot, to be sure, but an idiot nonetheless.

Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon released in a huge week for video games. While I would have preferred to play it earlier, I had other huge titans to wrestle into submission first. Once I had managed to satiate my Ubisoft open-world needs with Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, I dived head first onto the streets of Yokohama, ready to bust some heads.

The bat of DESTINY!!

The game opens on a play. For a moment, I thought I had somehow purchased the wrong game. But as the lengthy prologue progressed, it was very clear that this was most definitely a Yakuza game. It just needed to set up a little bit of the tale, starting with Arakawa Masumi – father figure and role-model for our erstwhile hero. It isn’t long before players are introduced to Kasuga Ichiban with his trademark ‘punch perm.’ Born in a soapland and raised by those that lived on the fringes of society, Ichiban, rather than being hardened by his experience, is empathetic and not afraid to show emotion. Tasked with collection, he interprets his orders in a way to benefit those that are struggling. His goofball attitude immediately makes him a character one can connect to. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s a bit of a nerd, having played Dragon Quest during his childhood and likening many of the people around him to things in the game.

It’s not long before the plot escalates and Ichiban volunteers to give himself up to the police. Sentenced to fifteen years in prison, he inadvertently extends his sentence when his Patriarch is insulted by one of the fellow inmates. After nearly two decades spent in prison for a crime that he did not commit, Ichiban is released with little fanfare and no waiting convoy. Disappointed, he takes it in stride. The first thing on his order of business: to get his signature punch perm and reconnect with his second father-figure and Patriarch of the Arakawa family.

Along the way, he is dogged by a former policeman: Adachi. At first, it isn’t made clear why Adachi seeks Ichiban for help. After all, Ichiban had supposedly killed another yakuza in Kamurocho, Tokyo. Adachi, on the other hand, was a detective in Yokohama. Why would he have any interest in uncovering the truth behind what had put Ichiban behind bars?

After a few shenanigans are had in and around Kamurocho, our protagonist is shot and left for dead – waking up in a homeless shelter in the heart of Isezaki Ijincho. Climbing his way from rock bottom, Ichiban embarks on a journey to uncover the truth, stumbling upon a series of events and unearthing a vast conspiracy in which he was to serve as a pawn.

Many of the earlier chapters felt a little contrived. In particular was the death of Nonomiya. While it served to move the narrative forward, it was most assuredly a means to an end that didn’t highlight any significant character growth. Poor Nonomiya was fridged just to bring Ichiban into conflict with the Liumang branch of the Ijin Three.

It was only in the later chapters that the story picked up steam – with the confrontations with Bleach Japan and the encroachment by the Omi Alliance. Joined by a menagerie of characters like Zhao, Saeko, Han Joon-Gi, Nanba and Eri, there was a lot to keep track on as the plot barrelled forward at a breakneck pace, connecting Ichiban’s past with his current present and all the while setting up a juicy conflict between two men that could have been brothers. And honestly, the ending with Arakawa Masato and Ichiban got to me. I loved how that Ichiban was finally able to reach his old charge by being vulnerable and finally letting out a little of his resentment at the life Masato led, despite the fact that he could not use his legs.

The characters were superbly written and their motivations were a good reflection of the human condition. The themes of family and finding a home were evident, right from the start, even though a lot of it was glossed over by Ichiban’s desire to be a hero in a video game.

(I also really liked Seong-hui and would love to see her be an actual playable character in possible future instalments. On a side note, Arakawa…you cannot simply say: ‘See you tomorrow, Ichi,’ and expect to walk away. You basically wrote your own name into the Death Note with that line!)

As far as aping Japanese role-playing games go, however, Yakuza: Like a Dragon falls woefully short. While the Tendo twist was a good one – it was pulled a little too early. Worse, there was no world-ending threat. Everyone knows that a Japanese role-playing game MUST HAVE A VILLAIN/ EVIL GOD FIGURE THAT INTENDS TO DESTROY THE WORLD. Yakuza: Like a Dragon was too focused on old childhood rivalries to extend it further afield. I mean, yes, Aoki Ryo hoped to pull the strings of the Japanese government as chair of the CLP, but WHERE WAS THE METEOR HURTLING TOWARDS EARTH? 

Honestly, 1/10 for holding true to Japanese role-playing games.

Other than that, the summons with Pound Mates was amusing. As were the side stories. Honestly, there can never be enough side stories to flesh out the wacky world of the Yakuza franchise. So many old favourites made their return. From Pocket Fighter (now dubbed Dragon Fighter) and Gondawara Susumu with his baby fetish.

Also, I didn’t think I’d be so obsessed with it, but I think they cracked property management this time round. Ichiban Confections, later known as Ichiban Holdings, was a blast to manage and accrue juicy money for.

The bartender of Survive also looked very familiar. I mean…what with the huge scar across his face. My suspicions were confirmed when I searched up Kashiwagi up on the Yakuza wiki page and was awarded with the fact that HE MANAGED TO SURVIVE THE ASSAULT HELICOPTER FROM YAKUZA 3!!

Other than that, my few other gripes involved the implementation of the levelling system and the way area of effect skills were handled. In particular, the pathing for how characters moved around the battlefield proved, at least to me, a bit of a frustration. Often, characters would be blocked by a knee-high fence or a corner. Sometimes they would be able to go around, but other times the game (after several seconds of watching them fail to walk through a solid building) warp to the enemy that I had targeted to launch their attack.

And even though the combat is turn-based, most of the enemies tend to walk around the battlefield – either clumping together or distancing themselves from each other. What truly annoyed me was when there were moves that could be used as an area of effect, with the MP cost to go along with it, but were limited by their effectiveness when the enemy combatants were too far away. Yes, it makes sense, but golly gosh, how much of a pixel measurement does it have to be for it to not hit?

Besides that, the levelling was also a bit of a tedious chore. Were it not for the invested vagrants, I feel like I might have put the game down with how much grinding there was – particularly when it came to the various jobs. The biggest hill to climb was from 20-30. Without the exp (experience point) boosting items, it would have been a torturous slog. I know that in the original Japanese release of the game, the cap for jobs was level 30, but if you change it to 99, please, for the sanity of all the gamers out there, tweak the requirements to make it easier. And maybe give normal trash mobs a bit more experience points for the playable characters to munch on. 

Goodness, imagine having to grind on level 55 Ornery Yakuza and receiving a paltry 1000xp for each battle (when, in order to level up a job, you needed almost a million).

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a break from the traditional formula that’s been a staple of the franchise for many years. Much like Ichiban, it’s a bit of fresh air to liven up the experience that might have gone a bit stale after I slogged through the whole Kiryu arc last year. With a few tweaks, and a few more Persona 5 CD soundtracks, I’m eager to see how the story evolves and whatever contrivances Ichiban will somehow force him into.

Although, to be fair, is it still appropriate to call this franchise Yakuza when the game literally saw the dismantling of the two biggest clans? Then again, Civilian: Like a Dragon 2 just doesn’t have the same ring to it. In any case, I hope the next one comes soon and we’ll be able to have Seong-hui in our party. I feel like she’d be wielding a gunblade.

(Did I just use a lyric from Mariah Carey? You bet I did! I had been tossing up the idea between this line and ‘I need a hero.’ Why? Well, I think that would be self-explanatory after knowing Ichiban’s proclivities. And it fits so, so, so well!) 

The Great Internet Debate

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

Since the tail end of 2020, many Australians were informed by Google of a political stoush between big news corporations and the tech company behind our favourite search engine. The open letter to end users read like a doomsday spiel – spelling out the encroaching disaster if a mandatory news code came into effect. The proposed legislation – the News Media Bargaining Code – was explained as a means of paying for news content when all that Google did was provide the necessary links for people to ‘choose’ what content they actively consumed. Google also advised that the News Media Bargaining Code would make it unfair for small businesses as larger media companies would be informed of algorithm changes ahead of time and be given data on users to maximise coverage.

A grim picture was painted. Why should big news media companies receive data and information about everyday users of a search engine? Why should their links be propped up higher than other smaller outlets?

At the start of 2021, after a Senate hearing, Google also warned that the proposed legislation might lead to the removal of Google Search in its entirety in Australia. Why? Because why should it pay to just provide a multitude of links based off whatever a person is searching for?

I know that as a writer, most of my searches aren’t news related. In fact, they’re mostly about things people wore in the 18th to 19th century. I ask the internet when doorknobs were invented or the nature of horse care. There was even one enquiry that might have put me on alert lists across the world: how long does it take for a body disposed in water to rise to the surface?

But that was important for a very singular scene in my story, all right! Murder happens in my stories! I just want to make sure that I’ve got all the facts right as well as the science!

What Google, and by extension Facebook, failed to address was the uneven distribution of ad revenue when it comes to large news media. With the advent of the internet, it’s become much harder for traditional newspapers and television stations to accrue the wealth they had.

The news media Bargaining Code however would force huge tech giants to negotiate with each individual news corporation and find a way to ensure a ‘fair’ means of distributing ad revenue by entering into commercial agreements or be subjected to arbitration. In this way, jobs could be kept and journalism could be regarded, once again, as the respected profession that it should be. So, to be honest, it does sound like a noble thing to do in order to support struggling companies.

As for my personal opinion? Well, I’ll be honest with you. I’m not entirely swayed by any one side. There are pros and cons to each.

My own experience with the search engine is indicative of this. The only time I’ve used Google to search for the news is when I’ve been too lazy to memorise the actual link for ABC News. Otherwise, it’s very easy to simply type into your browser: news.com.au or smh.com.au

Often, I feel that the one great problem with these news websites is their inability to modernise and to accommodate a generation that prefers immediacy. A lot of news websites, based off the newspapers that are still being published, have arbitrary gatekeeping with regards to the number of ‘free’ articles that can be viewed each month and an exorbitant subscription fee.

Let’s, for the sake of argument, use the Sydney Morning Herald as an example. Most of their articles on their main website have intriguing headlines and a small excerpt for what the article is about. One can easily get the gist of the content readily available simply by skimming over the content. There’s no mystery or anything too attention grabbing.

If one were curious and wished to learn more, they’d simply click open the article.

But this is where the Sydney Morning Herald falters a little.

Ad revenue, as most people know, is driven by clicks. The more clicks an end-user makes, the more money a company can make. Perhaps, it’s true, that news corporations could make a few more dollars by partnering with search engines to ensure that ads on their website are linked to whatever other websites that the end-user was previously poring over. After all, I’m not as interested in say a NAB home loan than a new game that’s come out.

Yet the crux of the matter comes from the very fact that the Sydney Morning Herald only allows five ‘free’ articles per month. In order to get around that, one needs to ‘subscribe.’ And the subscriptions aren’t very cheap. Particularly for the younger generation. $3.50 a week sounds nice, but if you add it all up, it can be quite significant. Annually, the Starter Digital is $160 per year.

Not a choice most people are willing to dip their toes in when they also have to pay for Netflix, Stan, Disney+ and a whole host of other things that catch their eye.

So, how does something like the Sydney Morning Herald make money when paper is all but dead? One thing they could implement is additional ads on their website and perhaps at the top and bottom of their articles. They could also stop hiding their articles behind paywalls. No student has the money to pay for it, particularly when they’re only using the website for a school project.

Lower your subscriptions and give more back to the consumer. Make it more appealing.

News.com.au might not have the cleanest reputation, but their headlines catch the eye. It might be click-baity as all hell, but in this day and age, it’s what helps it to survive.

It’s not a perfect solution, true, but it might give them a little bit more of a boost.

And instead of only relying on the written word, it might be prudent now to create more videos to elucidate the topics they want to explore. Particularly when it comes to news that most consumers want on a more instantaneous basis. These days, video streaming is the way to go. Three-minute or five-minute videos are pretty easily digestible. And a lot of it can be monetised. It might not be a huge amount of money, but every little thing counts.

Investigative journalism, on the other hand, would need to be well researched and thought out. You can have a written article and transcript or you could have a well-plotted fifteen-minute video. The dialogue needs to be snappy yet informative. News needs to learn how to target their audiences instead of catering only to the older generation.

As for recaps of movies or television shows? You can’t go wrong with James Weir and his commentary. I might not watch Married at First Sight or the Bachelor, but I’d almost definitely read his recap of the episodes because of his biting comments and snide observations.

APPEAL TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR!

Make your websites lively. Make them relevant. Grab the attention of millennials and Generation Z instead of pandering to baby boomers.

Beyond that, find ways to adapt in the current marketplace. So many YouTube creators have to constantly find ways to get around changes to the YouTube algorithm. They complain, sure, but in order to be fair, no one content creator should be told what the changes will be beforehand.

Above all else, negotiate in good faith. And stand your ground. Google and Facebook should not just threaten to remove their services from the good people of Australia just for few million dollars in ad revenue. But, there’s also no need to demand algorithms or have your links unfairly pushed to the top of Google Search and quashing smaller independent voices.

Even if Facebook were to take away the ability to share links, though, I’m sure people will still be able to make do. I know that I, for one, could very easily summarise an article that I’ve read. And if someone wanted links…well…I’m sure I could devise a method to provide an alternate solution to do so. 

In any case, depending on how Google reacts, this humble blogger might have to think about investing in a VPN. Which, unfortunately, might see local Australian businesses suffer because the massive search engine I’m using would be defaulted to another country somewhere in the vast piece of rock we call home. Of course, in saying that, we do still have Bing. So, you know what? Everyone, it’s time to put Bing on the map and make it a serious contender against Google.

So, despite my limited understanding of the entire kerfuffle that’s been kicked up between Google and traditional news media, that is my two cents on the situation. Greed is not good. And don’t use a good honest people as hostages to the regulation of the wild west internet.

Edit: By the time this post goes up, Google has come to several agreements with major news corporations in Australia whilst Facebook has removed all news content for Australians. Which means no sharing of links to news websites for all of us down under.

Unfortunately, news wasn’t properly defined and so many other pages had their posts wiped, such as emergency services and a member of parliament. Here’s hoping that Facebook will also put a stop on conspiracy pages and anti-vaxxer propaganda.

Further edit: After a week of removing news content, Facebook has reversed its decision.

The Busywork of Sniffing Roses

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

A few weeks back, I was discussing the mounting pressure I felt to provide a consistent flow of content on my blog with one of my friends, particularly when it came to impressions for the video games I play. These always seem to be the ones that draw quite a few readers than my other ones. And these posts also seem to occasionally warrant a like from a random person on the internet, thus validating my very existence. So, you can see why I push myself through the games I play, taking screenshots of inappropriate stunning moments that would further serve to wow or astound my audience.

Yet the way I play my games flies in the face of maintaining a regular schedule. Most of the games that draw my attention are lengthy behemoths. Much like the books I buy, the games I play can get to upwards of eighty or ninety hours depending on how much of a completionist a person can be.

Though I’m not one to chase trophies, I do like to experience most everything a game has to offer before I see the credits roll. For me, the credits are a way to tell me that the game is finally over and that I can set it aside for something else. It is because of this strange perception that I have on games that I strive to do absolutely everything I can before the credits roll. While it does mean I might miss out on playing through the additional post-game content (which is rare in most games but a staple feature in many a role-playing game), it does mean that I’ve basically explored the entire world and done most of the sidequests and minigames that have caught my eye.

In fact, when I platinumed Ghost of Tsushima, the trophy popped just as I wrapped up the main narrative. Why? Because I had essentially cleared out all the outposts, found all the foxes, composed all the haiku and completed all the shrines.

It is also the reason why I spent an entire DAY simply sailing around the Skellige Isles in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If there is a question mark, I will find out what it is and make it known! The latest entries in the Assassin’s Creed franchise also saw me spend far too much time roaming around the vast playgrounds Ubisoft gifted the players. 

This ‘habit’ of mine also very much helped in several other games that I somehow managed to platinum. Like Horizon Zero Dawn. By that game’s end, I was only one trophy away. And, in order to get it, I just needed to hit the straw deer scattered around the village. Easy. Done within the hour.

The problem that comes from my playstyle is that I’m unable to provide a complete and multi-faceted view of a video game until I’ve finished and seen the last few cutscenes. True, I could give an impression of the first few hours and the gameplay, but for this humble blogger, the narrative of the games I play have always been the driving force. Everything else is secondary. My video game literacy is decent. I pick up controls quickly. And while good mechanics do contribute to an enjoyable experience, they’re simply just that: mechanics to move the player from Point A to Point B.

In all honesty, I’d probably struggle through Tetris after the first hour. If, however, a developer could slap on a somewhat riveting storyline for why I was moving all these tetromino blocks to create solid lines, I might be able to push through.

So, despite howlongtobeat.com telling me that the games I’m playing should take a certain amount of time to complete, the yearning I have in open-world games (for which there was a lot released in Holiday 2020) often means that I can’t complete the video games I play within as timely a fashion as I would greatly desire in order to churn out interesting content for all my followers to read. 40 hours? Okay. But why does the game clock say that I’ve already put in 38 hours and after perusing online walkthroughs I only seem to be halfway through?

Gosh darn it! Why did I spent four hours playing Orlog? 

At time of writing, I’m still plugging away at Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon. When this goes up, I’ll probably have started Immortals Fenyx Rising or just bought Bravely Default 2.

The one thing I’m struggling with is how slow it is to level up even during Chapters 9 and 10. Nearly 60 hours in and I’ve done plenty of karaoke, bashed away at dream sheep and got my company to the Number 1 spot on the local Yokohama stock market, but none of my party members have actually hit Level 30.

In saying that, I’m still a level or two higher than the bosses I faced and I haven’t experienced too much of a difficulty curve…

But the progress just seems a little jarring to me. It would have been better if there was a more even grade to the levelling (particularly for jobs). Then again, it IS a Japanese role-playing game and if there’s no grinding…is it really a Japanese role-playing game?

Still, that’s no reason for me to cut out all the things that I enjoy doing in a video game just to make sure I beat the game in a timely manner. There are other things to write about than the video games I play. And maybe there’s an audience for that kind of content as well. Although, truth be told, I’m not sure how many people actually read whatever I throw out into the void that is the internet. Perhaps most people skim through whatever nonsense I write and toss in a like. While others barely glance at my weekly attempts to ensure some kind of routine.

In any case, what I often have to remind myself is that this blog isn’t a job. It’s something fun that I enjoy. The moment it stops being that, it should be an indication to perhaps stop or at least give some thought as to why what previously gave me joy now seems like such a chore.

And that includes the playing of video games. Because, if I’m not having fun with a game, what’s the point? Time is precious and it needs to be spent wisely.

How to Deal with a Pandemic 101

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

When this post goes live, it’ll have been nearly a year since I went to Taiwan, my first and last trip overseas in 2020. It’s strange, going back over my initial thoughts on COVID-19. Never once did I think it would become a global pandemic that consumed the world with over two million deaths and nearly one hundred million infections (as of time of writing). In those early days, I thought that the virus would fizzle and die like many before it. Notably ones that come to mind were swine flu and bird flu. Nor did I think mask-wearing would become the norm in so many countries.

I remember thinking that the citizens of Taiwan were making a mountain out of a mole hill with how many masks I saw in early February 2020, the hand sanitisers at every entrance and staff rushing to do temperature checks everywhere you went. Fast forward to February 2021, and now firmly back in Australia, I often feel like many businesses – such as shopping centres, restaurants and government entities haven’t done nearly enough. 

After all, the state I live in, only made masks mandatory on public transport and in certain indoor settings as the world brought in the New Year. Granted, Australia has been incredibly lucky, in keeping COVID-19 numbers low. The call for hotel quarantine rather than self-isolation, the lockdowns, the support to people that have lost their jobs, our faith in science and obeisance to the law has meant that we haven’t suffered as catastrophically as other nations. And while tennis players complain, they need to know that the lives of the many outweigh the discomfort of a few. 

That said, there are many things that could have been done better. Like regular testing of hotel quarantine staff and other workers in high-risk areas. Ensuring people that are flying into Australia have returned a negative COVID-19 test before allowing them to board a plane. And if people are averse to hotel quarantine because they ‘need fresh air,’ another viable option might be the construction of quarantine facilities in locations that separate them from the rest of society. Reusing the detention centres on Christmas Island, perhaps, or putting them on other small islands/ peninsulas and allowing them to enjoy the summer camp experience of yesteryear.

Tired of being stuck in your rooms? Then hop on outside and do some rock climbing, abseiling or high ropes? Physical activity not your thing? Just stay in your rooms and watch Netflix.

Other activities of interest include: fencing, trust exercises with your family, orienteering and eating shitty camp food.

I digress.

Just today, I was reading the local news headlines and was glad to see US President Joe Biden enact quarantine for all travellers. The signing of executive orders to make masks mandatory on public transport and in Federal property were also good ideas. Yet while I commend him for actually taking a step forward in fighting a pandemic that has seen nearly half a million Americans dead, I also feel like it’s a little too late. These were actions that should have been taken at the very start – when COVID-19 was still struggling to lay down roots in countries other than China.

Perhaps governments were simply too optimistic. Or maybe they were too pessimistic – deeming extermination, or even suppression, an impossible task. And so, instead of going hard and fast, they were too slow to implement measures as they sent mixed messages to their citizens. To make matters worse, many reopened too early after their lockdowns. Without enough information to say if COVID-19 would spread more easily during the summer, Europe thought it best to keep the golden goose of tourism alive. 

Cue their rising numbers in September, October, November and December.

And after one lockdown, many were and still are reluctant to endure another. But, my friends, how can an economy sustain itself if the people that go out and spend money are sick. How can places of business remain open if half of their workers are dead or dying?

Also, who in their right mind thought herd immunity was a good idea WITHOUT a vaccine? Did you think that it would only be a few people in the vulnerable category would die? That the rest of society would just get the sniffles and bounce back stronger than ever?

For this humble blogger, living in Australia, it boggles my mind that so many countries reopened their economies when they only had a ‘few hundred’ cases each day. A few hundred IS A LOT! And it means that those ‘few hundred’ can very easily spread it to a ‘few thousand.’

So, when Melbourne hit 700 cases a day back in July, I watched on in trepidation. Why? Because it reached those numbers very quickly from low double-digit figures. 

Just one person can unknowingly give it to so many others. Particularly when the mask they’re wearing doesn’t cover their nose. Or they pull it down to sneeze.

Even with the vaccine rolling out across the globe, it shouldn’t make us complacent. Hand-washing, staying at least one and a half metres away, wearing a mask…these are all ways to help stop the spread. To repeat something that was shared for the first few months of the pandemic: FLATTEN THE CURVE!

Now, let’s hope that people are also taking a hard look at other ways to help stop the spread such as proper air ventilation in buildings, planes and public transport. 

Research also needs to be done on long-haulers and the lasting effects of COVID-19. Because even though the world might pick itself up after the pandemic, there’s still so much that is unknown about the disease and whether nations will see a rise in other deaths that could be sourced back to 2020: the year that could have been. 

A Vikingr Saga for the Ages

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

Ever since the first game in the franchise, I was enraptured by the idea of stalking my prey on the rooftops of Renaissance Italy and then leaping down – slaying them with a flourish. I didn’t know it yet but the marriage between history and stealthy parkour had me hooked from the very first trailer for Assassin’s Creed. When the series pivoted towards mythology and set further in history than ever before, I eagerly followed. From Ptolemaic Egypt to Ancient Greece. It should come as no surprise that I devoured, then, that I devoured as much of the world that I could in the latest entry: Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. And after clocking in just under 150 hours, there is much for me to unpack in Ubisoft’s latest entry into the Assassin’s Creed franchise. That, and a fierce desire to finally start watching Vikings. 

When I initially booted up Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (AC:V), I will admit that I was a little disappointed with the control scheme. Once again, Ubisoft had made it a confusing mess with trigger buttons instead of face buttons used to attack. Since I had just come from Spider-Man: Miles Morales, it took a good long while for me to adjust. Several hours later, after fumbling through my first battle with a lost drengr (I actually dumbed down the difficulty a litte), I finally managed to find my footing and was on my way to England to scrape out a place for the Raven Clan.

As for stealth…well, the less said about it the better. I never found it effective. It was much easier to smash my way through, axe in hand (or greatsword) and lay waste to their paltry resistance with a mixture of heavy attacks and parrying. I also, hardly used the bow (one of my favourite weapons to being stealthy in Origins and Odyssey). 

The story in AC: V is a little messy. Most of it is done through a separate arcs for each territory Eivor ventures through: from East Anglia to Snotinghamscire, with little to link it all together except the main character. Were it not for the very loose story threat surrounding Sigurd and the conquering of Mercia to establish a firm foothold in this new land of England, many of the storylines could be regarded as standalone adventures in Eivor’s epic saga of conquest.

That doesn’t, of course, mean it’s bad. Merely disjointed. Particularly when I went from Jorvik and its Yule Tide celebrations to Glowecestrescire that was right in the midst of Samhain right after each other. Did I go back in time? Or did almost an entire year fly past Eivor with none the wiser?

Still, even though they were mostly standalone storylines, I still very much liked all the characters I met along the way. My favourites were the earnest Hunwald, noble Ceolbert (his death was almost as bad as all the horse deaths I’ve encountered in video games) and fun-loving Twydwr (particularly when he and Eivor were drunk, and messing with the local chickens) On the Norse side, I very much enjoyed the banter between Eivor and her childhood friend Vili. But the one that I admisted most was Soma. She was the jarlskona of Grantebridgescire – the first place I explored after landing in England. And one, I hoped I could romance to some degree. Alas, my hopes were dashed on that end.

What I did find a little intriguing were how Sigurd and Eivor were sages for the Isus: Odin and Tyr. And in their little Raven Clan, revealed much later, was also Freyr. It seemed strange that so many of the reincarnated Isu were all incredibly close at hand.

Excalibur, in all its glory!

In this title, Ubisoft was able to focus again a little more on their complex lore that was seeded throughout the first few games. And while some questions were answered, it still left plenty of mysteries of where the games go from here – particularly from a modern-day standpoint. Though I am reluctant to see the franchise go, it does feel like Ubisoft is finally coming to a close on the grand story that they are trying to tell. What the end result turns out to be is still to be determined, but more emphasis needs to be focused on the central conflict.

For a game that still has Assassin’s Creed in the title, Eivor’s connection with the order and their enemies seemed very tangential. While I killed many Order of the Ancient members, there was no sense of personal investiture, like, say with Ezio’s quest. The only ones that I felt motivated to put an end to were Fulke and Kjotve the Cruel. Unfortunately, all the build-up in the first scenes with Eivor were quickly resolves within the first two to three hours of the game, and Fulke’s arc was all but over in the half-way point.

I suppose the main reason for my discontent with the narrative of AC: V is the fact that there is no Big Bad for Eivor and her Raven Clan. Yes, Aelfred of Wessex is a ‘villain’ that hinders our protagonist, but he never felt like an oppressive threat. 

Basim’s reveal, somewhat late in the game, was also a little underwhelming. Yes, he did look an awful lot like Loki, but how did he manage to get to Norway? He hadn’t accompanied Sigurd and Eivor. Did he travel with a third party? How did he know that Sigurd and Eivor would be in the ruins of an Isu temple? So many questions, so little time.

It honestly makes no sense to me how there’s a holder on the back of Layla’s leather jacket. Still. At the very least, it’s not just stuck on there.

Then there was the whole ‘Heir of Memories’ and the fact that Layla seemed so worn. After finishing Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, my last impression of her was receiving the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus from Kassandra and being hopeful for the future. Fast forward to AC: V and Layla is tired. The world is on the edge of destruction once again and she’s now paired up with married couple: Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings (the two last appearing undercover in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag). 

On a side note, why are their adventures all done in the comics or some other media? AND WHY DO I NOT HAVE ACCESS TO ANY OF THIS?

And because I didn’t play the expansions for Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, I knew too little regarding the modern-day struggles with Layla. In fact, I basically resorted to the Assassin’s Creed wiki to bring me up to date. Honestly, DLC should never be story-related. Or, if it is, should be more tangential rather than major. It’s a terrible practice that quite a few publishers do, and which leaves players such as myself playing catch-up.

The only one that landed with any oomph (at least for me) were the Asgard and Jotunheim arcs. These were connected and told the story of Havi as he struggled to find a way to avert his fate. The final battle also proved challenging and climactic. A far cry from the ‘endings’ that the main story provided. In all honesty, I probably should have left that to last while completing everything else first. But the temptation was too great and I was vastly overlevelled.

I also enjoyed the play on the Norse myths. The only downside with the Builder was that there was no horse to help him. And so, there was no sexy mare Loki to tempt away the Builder’s horse – giving birth to Sleipnir. The other stuff, though, was clever. And I liked the references made to other myths, such as fighting against ‘old age’ and Thrym’s disastrous marriage to ‘Thor dressed as Freyr.’

What was also a little odd, at least for me, was that there was no definitive part where the credits rolled. Much like in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and Assassin’s Creedy: Origins. Personally, I hate it. Credits give closure and tell gamers that the narrative that they were pursuing has come to an end. It lets me reflect on everything that I experienced and is an indication that I can finally set the controller down.

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla also came with its fair share of bugs and glitches. Many, after reading up on them, made me frightened to continue. One, in particular, took me a while to figure out an alternative to: entering Lunden. I didn’t help that the more I read, the more I worried about encountering a game-breaking bug. Thankfully, most were simply treasure hoards not loading, late texture pop-ins that were a little frightening, and the drunk Eivor every time I loaded up the game. 

Despite its many faults, I still very much enjoyed my time roaming around England, Vinland and Norway as I worked to build up Eivor’s reputation and to ensure her name would be sung for ages to come. Like a true Vikingr, I played copious amounts of orlog, drank mead and tore up the battlefield to create a home for my people.

Even better, at Gunnar’s wedding, I managed to finally woo Randvi (who I abstained from bedding down with earlier on in the game)! That, perhaps, elevated the game for me and I can be happy knowing that all my hard work paid off.

(As an additional aside, I also love how many of the side quests or ‘mysteries’ in AC: Valhalla made references to popular culture. From Winnie the Pooh to Alice in Wonderland. AND ROBIN HOOD! THE NPC CALLED LITTLE JOHN HAD ME GUFFAWING!)

Little Miss Know-It-All

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

It’s only been a month into 2021 and yet nothing feels that much different to the end of 2020. I know that many wrote 2020 off and looked ahead to the new year for a fresh start. COVID-19, however, has not made that as readily possible as one would hope. In fact, the United Kingdom (as of time of writing) is on the verge of collapse. Back in the Southern Hemisphere, Queensland, Australia’s sunshine state, has put the major city of Brisbane into a three-day lockdown due to a quarantine worker testing positive with a more infectious strain of the virus.

Unfortunately, unlike video games, the world doesn’t reset after each new instalment. The actions of the human population have consequences.

As for the United States of America, well…let’s not go anywhere near what happened at the US Capitol in Washington D.C. Or mention the blatantly seditious act of far-right activists hoping to put a stop to democracy – and that it was incited and, mostly condoned, by an incompetent failure of a man and world leader.

Instead, let’s turn this post towards my personal exploits and frustrations. Like work. That’s mostly innocuous, right?

Now, my job isn’t anything fancy. It pays the bills and helps fund my dreams for the future, despite how unrealistic they may be. Of course, perhaps if I can find the courage to just nudge myself into sending my stories to publishers, I might happen upon someone that will be willing to give me a chance. Alas, my own worst critic is a foe that I’ve not yet been able to defeat and I’m reluctant to put myself out there. Rather, I’ll post my work on the internet and not get paid a penny for the different worlds in my head.

(In all honesty, though, I write the stories that I kind of want to see but don’t often get to see published. Then again, there are so many fantasy novels out there, my ideas might have already been published and I simply haven’t stumbled upon them. And in many ways, it’s fun to have a story writing hobby. There’s no pressure except the ones I PUT ON MYSELF.)

Back to work.

Some might say that my job is of great assistance to a lot of people. Yet, as the months went by during 2020, I couldn’t help but feel like what I did was repetitive and a little dull. There was nothing about what I did that sparked in me, a honest to goodness millennial, a sense of fulfilment. I go to work, do what I’m paid for and come back home.

To be perfectly frank, I’d rather get paid to pursue my actual interests. Like video games or writing. As with everything in life, however, you don’t always get what you want.

None of this is helped, of course, by the fact that people seem to gravitate towards me with a handful of questions. At my workplace, I’m a fount of knowledge that is tapped from old veterans to recent hires. I’m not entirely sure how I managed that, considering that I’m no enthusiastic hand-waver like a certain Hermione Granger. But, I suppose that going to a selective high-school prepares me to absorb information and regurgitate it to anyone within close proximity.

And while it’s not always a bad thing, I oft feel like I’m a mini-manager without any of the perks. People from far and wide come to me for my expertise – whether I actually know something or not. Kyndaris, you’re young, you must know technology. Or, Kyndaris, could you explain the step-by-step procedure for this very simple task? When have I ever expressed a sense of self-confidence that you would look to me? I AM A LOW SELF-ESTEEM PUDDLE OF A PERSON! STOP COMING TO ME WITH YOUR ENQUIRIES! But yes, Google tells me that if you restart your computer, it should work. Also, you need to do A, B and C before you can arrive to D. Here, let me go through it with you so you might finally be able to remember. Did you hear that? You did? Great. That was my passive-aggressiveness reaching another level. It’s now over 9000.

This is not helped by the fact that I’ve been designated a subject matter expert on something that EVERYONE should be trained on. How else are they expected to do their jobs when those specific factors come into play? What’s worse is that even my team leaders tend to tell everyone and their mother’s, ‘Oh, just leave it to Kyndaris. They know what to do, so we won’t bother to train you.’ 

It’s been a very frustrating experience. And one that is likely to carry on during 2021 as I prove to be reliable and flexible in the workplace. THIS IS WHAT YOU’RE MISSING OUT ON, OTHER PLACES THAT DIDN’T HIRE ME!

So, here’s my cry for help:

STOP RELYING ON ME! IT’S TOO MUCH PRESSURE! ONE OF THESE DAYS, I’LL FAIL TO LIVE UP TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND CRUMBLE INTO A HEAVING PILE OF TEARS! I AM THE IMPOSTOR! IF GOOGLE DIDN’T EXIST, I WOULD BE NOTHING!

But, if you really must know pi to two decimal places, it’s 3.141592…

Darn. I did it again, didn’t I?

“99 Little Bugs In The Code…”

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

With the release of so many titles during the holiday season of 2020, I was barely able to keep up. But, what I was saddened to learn were the plethora of bugs and glitches that permeated the video games I enjoy. In fact, after researching ways to resolve an initial issue where a cutscene refused to load but Eivor was unable to move, I discovered a series of different problems that could possibly prevent me from wrapping up the story of the video game. Cue the anxiety.

I am quite proud to admit that most games I have started, I have actually finished. If not the platinum trophies, then the main story and many of the side activities along with a hefty amount of trophies to showcase my dedication to the game. Often, when I’m writing up impressions/ reviews/ analysis of the narrative in video games, I’d have explored nearly every nook and cranny of the fantastical world I’ve been thrust in. While some people prefer to power through the story and finish the game like The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt in approximately 50 hours, I spent almost an entire day just sailing around Skellige, seeking out the treasure chests and vanquishing any and all question marks that remained on the world map.

A game is not finished until the credits roll. But until that happens, I’ll be doing all that I can to take in the sandbox developers have built around me.

As such, when I encountered a game-breaking bug in Grand Theft Auto V, I was devastated. No matter what I did, the mission circle would not appear. Even as I scoured the internet for a solution, I was unable to make the yellow circle appear in order for me to continue the story. 

My only recourse would be to start the game afresh.

But I had already invested so much time and energy to get where I was. Could I handle another 30 or 40 hours to reach the point where I was at?

It was a hard thing for me to do, but in the end, I simply let it go. It is disheartening for me to admit, but I never finished the story in Grand Theft Auto V. I had neither the time or the energy to go through what I had done before. After all, what if the same error occurred? Then I would have put in so much effort, only for it to go unrewarded.

Besides, I still had a mountain of games to get through.

As I have gotten older, I’ve also become more appreciative of the time I spend with each game. And though I’ve not many other commitments, besides my writing and Netflix, I still feel that my time is quite precious. So, why would I want to waste it on trying to repeat the same things if it might not resolve the problem I faced? 

What’s worse is that I also feel the pressure to get my hands on the latest and greatest video games. Developers are pumping these monsters out in record speed and it is hard to sink my teeth into each and every world. I also feel bad, as someone that blogs about the video games I play, that I’m not keeping enough of my readers entertained with my thoughts on the latest releases. But, because I’m not recognised as a video game reviewer, I don’t receive any of these earlier than other people. In fact, I often have to go out of my way just to pick them up, pop them into my console and start playing on Day 1 or Day 73 (depending on the other titles in my relatively imposing pile of shame).

But maybe I just simply put too much expectations on myself and you, the few readers that I have, are content with anything that I put out. Even if it doesn’t arrive as timely as it can. 

In any case, I’m somewhat heartened by the latest patches for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla because it was incredibly frustrating to know that I had a treasure hoard I should have been able to collect, but not being able to loot anything in Ledecestrescire. And by the time I finally get to Cyberpunk 2077, it’ll hopefully look a lot better on my PlayStation 4 Pro and most of the kinks will have been ironed out.

I dread to think when I’ll finally be able to play Trails of Cold Steel 4. Why, I hear you ask? Because I still haven’t even STARTED Trails of Cold Steel 3.

Then there are the new games I’m eagerly looking forward to such as Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Horizon: Forbidden West.