Category: General

Here’s another New Year’s Resolution: No, not more physical activity — more physical media!

I love physical media and always have. Perhaps it’s because I grew up with VHS, DVD, and video game cartridges and discs. I’m accustomed to having my favourite digital experiences contained within physical products. I love pouring over the box and liner details. And at $10-20 max, the price is right for a product that often holds its value as a collectible, or can be resold later for more.

As a result, you can see why I’m still irked by streaming and digital download technologies in 2024. The content ownership rights pale in comparsion to physical media. If these companies — Netflix, Steam, Apple — decide to revoke your ownership of the movies, music, and games you’ve purchased, you’re SOL. So to me, the issue always echoes the modern sentiment, “you’ll own nothing and be happy.”

Unfortunately, gaming — specifically PC gaming, my platform of choice — has been moving towards digital-only distribution for some time. PC games rarely get physical releases anymore, and current-gen consoles seem to be following their lead: Microsoft’s next Xbox Series model will ship without a disc drive.

Thankfully, the future of physical music and movies looks brighter. Music continues to release on both CD and vinyl. And movies seem to be enjoying niche popularity with 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray releases, which can look quite stellar. Best Buy is discontinuing the sale of both, but f*** ’em.

So physical media will continue to get more love from me in 2024. Eventually, I’d love to get to the point where I own all my favorite albums, movies, and previous-gen video games in their physical form. No rush though.

There were several instances during 2023 where I needed to muster up confidence, but didn’t/couldn’t. This led me to miss out on life-changing opportunities.

So while I’m not usally a “manic” personality, I can see the value in it. Sometimes, life demands that you take a leap of faith. And if you don’t have the “faith” or confidence in that moment, you won’t leap.

My idea to rectify this in 2024 is alcohol. Specifically shots of hard liquor. When I encounter a confidence-demanding moment, I’ll reach for some good ol’ liquid courage. Not too much; Not too little — just enough to get me over that hump of uncertainty. And I’ll always drink after identifying the best course of action while sober.

Within reason of course. And never when driving or operating heavy machinery.

I will report back with results.

Technology and the internet have seemingly entered a dismal era. The hivemind of artificial intelligence mimics human ingenuity, steals art indirectly, and threatens human jobs. Social media has made us more anxious, isolated, and depressed. And the latest iPhones offer sparse innovation while carrying the same high pricetags.

The internet of the mid-aughts (2000s) was far less detrimental and existentially threatening by comparison — and I miss it. Here are some reasons why:

• Websites were more diverse and decentralized. Social media giants existed, but were far less authoritative. As a result, independent sites were more relevant and drove more traffic and profit. Remember when you could make webcomics full-time? Now one company (Meta) owns more than half of social media (Facebook, Instagram), and most webcomics are posted there. And other than acting as professional portfolios, most independent, non-corporate websites won’t generate much traffic or profit. And if they are, I bet you their numbers are dropping… because websites are only becoming more centralized
• Social media and the internet were supplemental to life, not fundamental. The internet and every day life were two distinct places. You could inhabit one or eschew the other depending on your preferences. And while new and exciting things were happening on the internet, it was still a nascent and quirky technology that didn’t have mainstream appeal. Most critically, social media’s lower-fidelity bandwith meant it couldn’t reproduce life thru high-res video and communication: It was merely a supplement. Now you can attend schooling, work a job, and meet your wife all within a web browser. Life and the internet have merged completely
• Art media had been liberated, but not yet cheapened. The internet started and boosted many artists’ careers. Musicians could release and sell full albums on iTunes without being beholden to greedy and archaic record companies. Podcasting amplified the voices of thousands of would-be talk show hosts and DJs. And improving online video fidelity allowed burgeoning filmmakers and hobbyist producers to find audiences. This greatly improved media — but with time, it cheapened it too. The sheer volume of content and instant-access desensitized audiences to its value, antiquating the notion of paying for it or supporting creators. But back in the mid-aughts, there was a more harmonious balance of consumption. People still bought CDs, went to movie theaters, and bought webcomic paperbacks

What about you? What was your favorite internet era or decade?

In a 2023 post, I acknowledged that I wasn’t posting here nearly enough: That my work life had been all-consuming and I’d been shirking blogging as a result. However, I also emphasized that if I had the time, I’d blog more throughout 2023.

That didn’t happen. 2023 only got more stressful and involving. And eventually I fell off the blogging bandwagon entirely.

And sure, 2023 may have kicked my ass professionally. But I still love games. And more than ever, they were a reliable source of comfort and joy as I navigated 2023’s perils. If anything, 2023 only made me appreciate them more.

So here I am, at the dawn of 2024, making a similar commitment to blogging. Only this time, I have an actionable plan.

I’m committing myself to one post here per day, excluding weekends, starting today. Crucially, there is no word count requirement. The goal isn’t to stress myself over quality, but rather, consistency. This blog serves to log and reflect on my gaming — and whether that necessitates full-blown dissertations or quick screenshot posts, the end goal remains the same. If I have a detailed summary of my gaming at 2024’s end, I’ll be happy.

Do you have a similar blogging goal this year? And of course, all the best to you and yours in this new year ✨

I started this blog last year in an attempt to write more. Since then, I’ve written several dozen posts — many of which I’m proud of. But since the start of 2023, I’ve fallen off the blogging wagon completely.

I know actions speak louder than words. But I wanted to formally stress my commitment to this blog. For me, 2023 has been a challenging year work-wise, and adult obligations have occupied most of my time. And while I typically prioritize responsibilities over hobbies, this months-long gaming drought has reminded me how important my hobbies are: Namely, gaming and blogging. Without them, I feel hollow and soulless.

Thankfully, 2023’s work stresses seem to be slowing. So, this post isn’t a promise to blog more: It’s a reminder. I love blogging, and as long as I have the time, the words will follow.

Thank you for reading.

At the start of this month, I pledged to publish a cumulative 7500 words on this blog in October, or about 250 words a day. While this was purely a self-led challenge, I christened the event “Blogtober,” — y’know, to be whimsical and all.

I’m happy to say that, counting this post, I’ve hit my target! In the last 30 days, I’ve strung together 7500+ words with varying results and levels of quality.

But before I pass out from blogging exhaustion, I thought I’d reflect on what I’ve learned from this last month of feverish blogging.

Quality > Quantity

The problem I have with these blogging challenges is that they incentivize quantity of writing over quality. Having a set word count goal means occasionally scraping posts together of sub-par quality to meet quota. To me, “pressure” or “obligation” aren’t good writing motivations. And if writing an insightful, provocative post takes more time and energy than something “bloggy,” then so be it. For instance, this piece I wrote about video game blood decals is my favourite Blogtober creation — but it involved considerable research and editing and reads more like an op-ed.

I Will Not Continue to Blog Daily

Given my belief in “quality over quantity,” I will not be continuing the “Blogtober” approach. You’ll get new posts here when I feel I have something worthwhile to say.

Still, “Blogtober” was an interesting test of discipline and endurance. There’s something to be said for setting a writing goal and staying true to your word.

See what I did there?

I recently discovered old backup DVDs I made as a teenager, and spent hours scouring them. Each disc held all sorts of digital treasures: Old drawings, writing, saved pictures, mp3s, and more.

Since many of these files provide “snapshots” of moments in time, I thought I’d take some time to reflect on some of my favourite findings.
Continue reading “Reflecting on Old Digital Files from My Teenage Years”