Zombies Still

From the ancient times up to now, we’re still in love with the idea.

Photo from Lindsey Turner’s Flickr

Stories about zombies are rampant. I first learnt of it in the traditional story telling during Halloween season. Now, seasons after seasons of TV shows are featuring zombies. The end of the Twilight Saga, whether you accept it or not, will be a blockbuster in a few weeks. Gamers will kill off zombies again in the new Resident Evil 6. Even songs and commercials are inflicted by the zombie virus.

Why do we love it?

Hollywood can produce movies where we don’t have to use our imaginations. What we watch in movies is extremely believable. In the top 10 bestselling horror movie franchises, Texas Chainsaw Massacre rounded the 10^th position with $364 million, and while the Exorcist notched the top 1 with $2.3 billion. This meant people wanted to be scared (for a while). These people wanted to see gore. This stuff is wicked cool.

The zombie idea is interesting. We wanted to know how humans would fare against the dead. There are different stories that can be created around it. I’m sure you’ve seen one where the character saw a zombie close friend (or family). Would he shoot in the head or let the zombie kill him?

Aside from an array of possible stories, zombies won’t die out because there are rooms for variations. Zombies are supposed to be dead, only the virus controls the body to disseminate terror. But now, they can have emotional memory: the zombie close friend can stop himself from attacking, hinting the main character to run because he doesn’t want to hurt.

Among the weak points of being a zombie is the sluggishness. You’ll be easy to snipe and run from. But Edward’s flashy. The witch in Left 4 dead Xbox game will chase you.

Zombies are ugly and bloody. But the bulk of the dread comes from their ability to transform you into another and well produced sound effects. See this, they can be funny as well like this zombie in Starburst commercial.

People can play around the idea of undead and be lucrative in selling it. So zombies will remain still.

Should we have more zombie stories or do we need to move on?

Source:
Happy Halloween: Top Ten Best Selling Horror Movie Franchises Of All Time; Bossip

Life’s Best: Video Gaming (and the benefits too!)

Video Gaming is like watching an action-packed, story-driven, ornate-animation blockbuster movie, but with a challenge.

Photo from flashgamestrategy.com

You are the main character, you control him, you do the nonsense and awkward jumping and jogging around. It’s interactive, you choose the way you want the story to fulfill.

Parents say it promotes violence. There’s a reason why certain games are age-restricted. There are video games for kids – Mario and his unending quest to save a princes or Hannah Montana dream show. The hardcore ones are for the emerging adults to adults. And like Hannah Montana, we know it’s a dream world. What we do in the games doesn’t necessarily reflect how we function in society.

People say it’s a waste of time. Nothing is a waste of time if you enjoy every second of wasting it. But I understand where this is coming from; there are professionals who risk their jobs by shutting down his life for video games. It shouldn’t get in the way of responsibilities, be it work, school, and relationships. Like in any areas of life, moderation is key. Too much of anything could bad for you, so it’s all about managing time.

In playing video games, there are numerous instances where a person’s decision making is tested. That’s where one’ll get to know that certain decisions have hefty consequences, so next time you will decide better. And of course, the slower you are, the lamer you are in the game. Video gaming improves your reflexes, making it quicker and faster.

It also works your problem solving skills, creativity, self-confidence and in recent years, fitness. On top of all, it incomparably improves mood. It is among the best stress reliever out there!

Researches as proofs, Nintendo Wii can help improve motor functioning for recovering stoke patients; kids “soar” with their grades; and quite contrary to beliefs, video gaming aren’t so geeky. It improves social skills rather than keep you on your own. There are many more benefits, but this is not a psychological report so I’ll stop there.

And by the way, if it helps the gaming industry, I will continue buying $60 games – it’s well worth my money and time. $0.99 speaks for itself, you get $0.99 value of pleasure – repetitive, quite boring.

Why do you play video games?

More Moments for you:
iPhone Gaming Bore
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Sources:
Grandma had a stroke? Teach her to play Wii; CNET News
Surprising Health Benefits of Video Games; Yahoo! Health

iPhone Gaming Bore

iPhone gaming, or any smartphone gaming, is boring.

Photo from Kenny Louie’s flickr

I have been an owner of iPod Touch since first generation up to the fourth of today, and it is exciting to try for the first time the touch screen gaming on a mobile. It feels like an innovative breakthrough to pinch, zoom and throw some angry birds. But after 5 years of iPhone gaming, its prevalence widespread, it became tiresome and uninteresting. 

What’s the best games it offers? Infinity blade is a series of repetition. EA and gameloft games are sluggish. It’s a laughable move to bring games to the iPhone and earn extra bucks in their famous titles. It’s a disappointment. Even angry birds, where’s my water, or tiny wings, and most of physics and puzzle games that are mostly known and bought, are games of similar denominator – games of trial and error. It is mostly up to chance to get 3-stars in each angry birds stages. iPhone games are simplistic, repetitive, and not worthy of gaming time for avid players.

Nintendo is right in saying that iOS gaming is destroying the gaming industry openly because it lowers the expectations on gaming. It pushes developers to submit to the simplistic demands of iPhone gaming, but these games aren’t really worthwhile. Portable gaming is PSP and NDS. They are the ones with titles worthy of the playing for the sake of playing; unlike iPhone games that you play for the sake of burning time in queue.

I chose immense gameplay and richly made storylines of console gaming. They have the real games, worth of my money and time spent. Call me old fashioned but I always loved buttons on my gaming device.

Gamers, do you agree with what I’m saying?

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Keeping Up with the Technology

The next iPhone, PlayStation, Xbox – we’re always tuned in the upgrade.

Photo from masonicgamer.com

There’s so much hype with these next generation of gadgets that people are prompted to spawn websites that will gather all the buzz like PS4Forums, or the creation of these cool but sappy concepts.

I remember myself being a new gadget patron back in the era of Nokia. It is so clever of Nokia to not include all the cool features in one cellphone so as to keep their new products interesting with the new collaboration of features. And being a victim of the pitch, I almost always want and buy the new releases of Nokia phones.

But then I learned, upon fatuous spending of thousands on cellphones, that I can’t match the progression of technology. Even if I got the latest gadget right now, it won’t last until the release of the successor or the release of a better product from competitors.

If you plan to chase technology, then you have lost. Invention and innovation will not wait for you, whether you are ready to purchase financially or not. These companies will think of profit and competition, so they’ll keep on releasing better gadgets that will surpass the majority to provide leeway for the prodigal to boast their “coolness”.

The thing is, you just enjoy what you have now. What if these companies released a newer product? You still have your iPhone 4 that still will function as a phone and as an “iPhone”; or you still have your PlayStation 3 and an indubitably great selection of games to enjoy.

These companies can only offer a new product, but I honestly think that it is us who knows how to savor our life and all our possessions. Don’t let these new gizmo make you think the way their companies are thinking.

What gadget got you upgrading with the latest?

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