The Professional Gamer - January 18, 2016

Hello readers!  I've had another great week out here.  In spite of that, I don't feel like I have a lot to discuss with you all that is really new and interesting.  I continued to work on my Traveller sector and finished reading The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage.  I also watched the last 14 episodes of Season 6 of Adventure Time that was recently release to Hulu, and the "Log Date 7 15 2" of Steven Universe.  Mostly, I seem to be finishing (in some sense at least) a lot of things this past week.

In terms of starting things, I've picked up a new book.  Not anything that is likely to sound like a lot of fun to you my readers.  The book is Ways to the West by Tim Sullivan, in which the author attempts to take a road trip through the American west without using a car.  Along the way, he discusses our dependency (addiction even) to automobiles and the influence that has had on the cityscapes of the western United States.  But, he's also looking at some changes that have come about in the past decade and how these my influence the future of design.  Due to my exposure to various public works projects, I often take an interest in articles and books that discuss the future of our public infrastructure.  Since most of the books that I have read previously seem to assume the types of urban densities more typical of the coastal and mid-west metropolises, Ways to the West offers a fresh perspective.  Especially with regards to the lower density development that has been the norm in the western states.  I'm a little less than a quarter into the book so far, and I'll have to dedicate some major time to it if I'm going to finish it before it is due back at the library, so wish me luck.

That's all I have for this week.  Have a great week and game on!

The Professional Gamer - January 11, 2016

Hello readers!  This week has mostly been full of adulting. Went to a chiropractor to try and reduce the tightness in my neck (seems to be helping), scheduled a dental exam and cleaning, and did some more yoga and pilates.  All told, I'm feeling pretty good about things.  

Some cool things happening this week.  Of primary interest, we had another Steven-bomb this week.  I haven't watched the Friday episode yet ("Log Date 7 15 2"), but I have enjoyed all of the new episode so far this week.  I loved learning more about Ruby and Sapphire, and seeing some more development of Peridot's character.

I also spent some time this week watching the last few episodes of Community.  I'm sad that the series is over, although the finale was a lot of fun.  Now I have to find another casual show to binge through during the week.  Any suggestions?

In roleplaying news, I've got about a third of my systems information input into a game wiki and have started inviting my players to make some stories about some of the inhabited planets.  I'm hoping that we can make this game a bit more of a collaborative, storytelling game.  This would be in sharp contrast to our typical dungeon delver / combat heavy type games, but would hopefully be a welcome change.

Finally, I'm still playing through Knights of the Old Republic.  I'm a Jedi now, running around with a blue lightsaber in one hand and a vibroblade in the other.  Future goal: duel wielding lightsabers.

That's all I've got for this week.  See you next time, and game on!

The Professional Gamer - January 4, 2016

Happy New Year readers! I hope you all have enjoyed the end of one year and the beginning of a new.  I enjoyed a short week at work (probably the last until we get closer to summer).  And I've ended up spending most of my free time this week working on plans for my Traveller game.  And I've got quite a lot done.  For example, I've made a map of the sector where the players will start out:

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If you can't tell, I'm rather excited about this whole game.  I have Star Wars to blame for a large portion of that enthusiasm.

Speaking of Star Wars, I'm still reading Shadows of the Empire, and it has improved somewhat.  I still feel that reads a bit like a fan-fiction, with a lot of purple prose and too much telling, rather than showing.  I'm a bit surprised that I was so into these sorts of novels when I was in high school and college.  I suppose that imagining the action sequences, like the star fighter battles and the blaster shoot-outs, was more important to young Jim than artful prose and characterizations.  In spite of my concerns about the quality, I'm having a ton of fun reading it.

I also got back into reading The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage.  I haven't quite finished yet, though I think my favorite part is the visit from George Boole.  I just love the setup and build to the punchline.

That's all I've got for this week.  I hope 2016 treats everyone with care and respect, and that you all have a great year.  Have a great week and game on!

The Professional Gamer - November 23, 2015

I must report that I may have fallen off the the wagon this week.  You see, I started reading The Lord of the Rings again.  When I was middle school and high school, reading through LotR was an annual ritual for me.  As I moved onto college and, later, a career.  I found it harder to keep up with my regular habit.  I think the last time I actually read through the books was during graduate school.  I still really love Tolkien's prose, and the slow unfolding of the plot.

At other times, I read a few more pages of The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage.  As I've written before, this is a really fun comic, with a fun blend of slapstick humor and discussion of the historic context via footnotes.

That's all that I have going on this week.  I'll see you all again next week.  Game on!

The Professional Gamer - November 16, 2015

Hello again readers! I've had one of those weeks with a completely normal load at work, but way to many things to do outside of work hours.  I'm a bit limited on what I can talk about this week, but let's proceed anyway.

I discovered Seven Deadly Sins this week.  I find that I'm a bit ambivalent about the series.  It provides some fun action.  But, for reasons that I don't entirely understand, the male protagonists fits the lecherous trope that tends to be rather common in anime.  In spite of my ambivalence, I've already watched more than 13 episodes.  The world building is good, and the secondary characters are interesting.  Its available on Netflix streaming, which means you won't waste any "real" money if you give the series a chance.  I think it is worth at least that chance.

In postal news, I received my copy of Eat More Comics, which is a collection of comics the were published by The Nib over the past few years.  I haven't had a chance to read through much yet, but the book itself is beautiful.  If you missed the Kickstarter campaign, the book is for sale on TopatoCo. 

That's all I've got for this week.  Have a great week and game on!