Tues Toos in Book Six: Trying to Hold On 2019

Power outage through the city fried most of my office’s file access so we’re playing today blind. That’s fine by me. Since I prepare a week in advance, I already know everything I need.

Last night, I watched John Oliver’s newest video. This one about Filibusters. The thing that jumped out to me was how quickly Iowa was highlighted on the “21 states with the least population” map. With just barely over 3 million people, that isn’t surprising. Considering that, lets play the Population City Game!
The city of San Jose, CA is roughly 1/3 the population of the entire state of Iowa.
As are the cities of Dallas, TX and San Diego, CA.
The city of San Antonio, TX is roughly one half the entire population of the entire state of Iowa.
As are Philadelphia, PA and Phoenix, AZ.
The city of Houston, TX is a few hundred thousand people short of the entire state of Iowa; just like Chicago, IL.
Not surprisingly, the two largest cities in the United States are more populous than the entire state of Iowa. Los Angeles boasts about 1 million more people than my entire state. And New York City is literally three times as populated as my entire state.

Amusingly, I checked populations of cities in the states that are smaller than Iowa? And some of those states have much bigger cities… in essence, even though they have less population, it is all (at least) centrally located. No wonder Iowa is feeling more and more like a Mississippi, Alabama, or Arkansas.

I often consider pulling up stakes and going to a more populated area. I mean… technically, it would be easier to get hooked up with a Social Circle or Romantic Opportunities or Any Person to Person Time At All in a State where the pigs didn’t outnumber people almost 8 to 1. But obviously, I can’t. It isn’t just that my family is in Iowa; it is that my job is uniquely tied to my location. My law license is Iowa. My government, political job is Iowa. My prosecutor references are Iowa. So as much as it would be cool to suddenly live in San Diego, or Seattle, or Fort Worth, or Boston… I’m here. And here I am. Where corn counts more than people. Where Meth gets more funding than mental health. And where people overly romanticize the idea of not being within many acres of their nearest neighbor while genuinely working hard to fight against Water Protections that could prevent hog waste run off from getting in our drinking water.

The following sentiment is a bit too socialist/communist for my tastes but I believe the core assertion is correct. There is work to be done in our country. But our country has become so… poisoned… by the pursuit of EXORBITANT WEALTH that unless it makes a quick 1 Quarter Massive Profit… it isn’t “worth going after.” One of the reasons Trump makes sense as President but points to how fucked the system is. Trump rolled back EPA protections to such a degree that the Industries that would profit from that themselves said, “This is way too much, dude!” But it isn’t about protecting the earth, doing what is right, doing anything of more deeper meaning or value. PROFIT. PROFIT over LOGIC. PROFIT over WORK. The Ferengi themselves would say, “This nation has put a dam in the stream of commerce and they’ll regret it when those downstream can’t afford to buy anything.”

Mortal Kombat Forums had a wise and intelligent statement today that caused a bit of controversy. You see, Mortal Kombat has become another game in the long list of games where you can “earn additional items”. This used to be treated MUCH differently in Video Game History.

Once upon a time, if I wanted to unlock specific content for my game, I would have to play the game and (perhaps) do certain pre-programmed feats in order to unlock something. Borderlands 1, 1.5, and 2 all still have this feature. If I want to, say, unlock the Handsome Jack Mask in Borderlands 2… I have to beat Handsome Jack and collect his mask in loot after his defeat. Then I select that mask in my inventory, and it is now something I can wear. Or lets look at the “Secret Missions” portions of Donkey Kong Country 2. If you collected all of the secret coins throughout the game, you could unlock additional levels and a second End Game Boss Fight. All of this was pre-programmed into the game and could, if you had NOTHING else to do in your life, be accessed on Launch Day.

Now, things are quite different. Typically, additional levels (like the second End Game Boss Fight) are required additional purchases called DLC. You don’t earn them through game mastery; you buy them through a Digital Marketplace. Some games still have “earn this cosmetic item/gear item in game” but that mechanic has significantly changed. Whereas once upon a time, anyone who owned the game could earn those items by playing the game when they had a chance… everything is now Internet Access and On a Timer. You see, Mortal Kombat (for example) allows you to earn specific cosmetics and gear by competing (kompeting, couldn’t resist) in weekly tournaments and constantly changing Towers of Time. From one perspective, that is good… almost amazing… in that it allows the game to almost constantly be re-playable. The mechanics of the game don’t change “Fight people, win.” but by changing the potential reward, it will keep people coming back. However, presently, it is the only way to achieve those cosmetics or items of gear. Star Wars Battlefront and Overwatch are much the same way. They are both prime offenders in the Loot Box System (paying real money to open a loot box with random items) but they defend themselves by saying “Our most coveted items can always be purchased using in game currency earned by playing the game. Except the problem is you have to play the game during certain “event seasons” or you have to play the game for “insane amount of hours with no guarantee that the item will still be available”.

Or as the Mortal Kombat Forum Noter Said:
“If you have a job, you can afford the game and the system and the internet; but you don’t have time to earn the gear and cosmetics you want. If you don’t have a job and have access to the game and the system and the internet, you get all the gear and cosmetics.”

Which is fairly accurate as far as the New Generation of Gaming is concerned. I’ve heard some Game Magazines argue that this is merely a sign of the “Older Generation of Game Nerds being pissed that games aren’t being made for them anymore.” But I would disagree with that assertion. Something like Splatoon or Pokemon or Luigi’s Mansion… games like that… those are games “not being made for my generation.” When you are re-releasing Crash Bandicoot, or giving us Gears of War 5, or making a Mortal Kombat 11, or doing Borderlands 3… it is hard to argue that those games aren’t being marketed towards my generation (or older) as well as the younger generations. Crash Bandicoot was first released in 1996. You want to argue that a re-release isn’t partially to rope in us Oldsters who were playing that until GoldenEye came out? Gears of War was first released in 2006. 10 years after Crash Bandicoot… and also 13 years ago. Hell, Mortal Kombat first came out in 1992! I was 8! Mortal Kombat has been around for 27 years. And don’t even get me started on Borderlands 3!! Borderlands first came out in 2010. Newest of the list. But I’m super duper mondo mega really really psyched about Borderlands 3 coming out. So, the “Granpa doesn’t like the new games” argument and the “Games aren’t meant for you Gramps!” arguments don’t hold any water with me.

When you break it down… the arguments that DO make sense to me are the following:

(1) Everything is powered by greed. Some fighting games have even gone so far as forcing you to buy individual fighters! Not just “DLC pack” but primary in-game fighters. You buy the game, the roster has 12 spots. You start with 4 characters. But you don’t earn the other 8. You buy them. For anywhere from $1.99 to $29.99 depending on the fighter. And if a game can produce 8 times the revenue, that’s the way to do it!! Thus we get less and less legitimate opportunity to earn things in games because the game companies are intentionally trying to force us all into a Mobile Game Model where we buy things in games. Problem is: If I download a FREE mobile game, sure… I might purchase an item or two as additional, I didn’t pay anything for the game and they deserve my investment. But if I’ve already paid up to $120 on a game, you better not spend the next entire life of the game trying to make me buy more in the game. Seriously. That’s some broken ass bullshit. If I paid $120 for Mortal Kombat to make sure I could also get all of the DLC… don’t slap me with the “But look at all these costumes and gear and assists and other things that you can get if you play the game for 118 hours a week!!! You should get those. If you don’t have the time… I suppose… we could sell you the items for… oh.... an additional $300.00?” Cuz… seriously. Fuck y’all.

(2) Everything is about exclusion and viewership. Video Games now sell Ad Space. Not just “This commercial will run before the game” like in a mobile game or YouTube video. Video Games now broker lucrative tie-in contracts. Does it look like the only real world company in your new Dystopian Future Game is “Dr. Pepper”? That company paid for that exposure. Do you find it strange that the most effective gun in the game is called “The Freshmaker”? It’s rather likely Mentos paid for that. Even if it isn’t about advertising dollars, video game developers do look at Game Metrics as a way to justify their (existence, budget, next project) to their Board Members. So it doesn’t matter if your game is FUN or FRESH or FAIR… if you can get players to sit down and actually spend 118 hours a week on your game, you get that information. Profile “TommyH8sNaraku” spent 110 hours on the Playstation this week, with 108 hours being dedicated to “Dragon Ball Z Kakarot” that goes into a spreadsheet. Now the Board looks at their slate of games. DBZK had 18% of players at over 100 hours per week, 45% of players between 50 and 100 hours, and 10% of players at under 10 hours. Compared to Jump Force which had 10% of players at over 100 hours per week, 58% of players between 50 and 100 hours, and only 5% of players under 10 hours. That information goes to Board Discussion on which sequel to support.

Either way… I find it annoying. I don’t mind DLC in the style of Borderlands. That’s why I already purchased the version of Borderlands 3 where I can grab those DLC levels when they are released. But if Borderlands 3 goes to a “This event only open for 36 hours: Get the COV Annihilator Rocket Launcher at completion. Or pay $9.99 for COV Annihilator at the Playstation Store”.... that will piss me off.


I suppose as I’m rambling, trying to fill up my day, trying not to let my thoughts overtake me… I should mention last night.

Got home from work. Wife was working on homework. Had been since noon. She needed a hug. I took the dog for a walk solo. Weather came in STRONG, so we cut the walk short. Wife still doing homework. I tried to make a list of things I’d need to make sure to do once a day or once a week if I was on my own. I did laundry, emptied the dishwasher, did some dishes, cleaned the kitchen. Tried to think about what passwords and digital account accesses I may need. I made Wife some “brain food” and grabbed some leftovers for dinner and went downstairs to eat. Came back upstairs at around 8, 8:30. She said she was fried and couldn’t homework anymore. I started the John Oliver episode. She came over to the couch and did her version of “snuggling” (i.e. leaning on me as she watches tv). That was the evening. After I got my CPAP mask on and was going to sleep, she said “I love you.”
Obviously, this is her realizing how serious I was over the weekend and still am. I specifically approached her last night with saying, “I need to be more active in our banking and other things so that if I’m on my own I don’t become like Papa.” My mom’s dad practically couldn’t function when his Wife died because she did all of the financial managing. I wanted to make sure that if I’m a divorcee, I wouldn’t find myself in the same position. Pretty sure Wife knew exactly why I was asking. Which worried her. But the truth is… it doesn’t change anything. Yeah. Let’s see how much of a shift can happen, if any. Maybe there’s a chance that the relationship can be saved. But at this point, leaning on me watching TV and telling me I love you as you go to sleep is like spraying a nuclear bomb with cold water and hoping that fixes it.

If you can’t tell by my rambling… my day is really kind of quiet today. Next week will start the Stress Grinder over all over again but… that’s how this job goes. Like a song with two bars of rest followed by 10 bars of a long phrase with sixteenth notes followed by another two bars of rest. Not to mention the Personal Schedule Coming Up.

Friday the 13th: Borderlands 3 releases
Saturday the 14th: Couple’s Counseling
Monday the 16th: Wife’s genetic testing to determine Breast Cancer Gene Presence
Wednesday the 18th: Eye exam for me
Thursday the 19th: Notifications for District Associate Court Trials
Saturday the 21st: Individual Counseling in Waverly