The Game Craze Phaze

So, your grandmother has a Wii, your aunt and uncle have challenged you to a rock off in “Guitar Hero,” and your friend Katie asked you to come over and play “Rock Band” with her and her roommates. No, this isn’t some alternate bizarro world; it’s the real thing; and it’s a little strange for someone, like me, who has been a gamer all his life. But is this new gaming craze merely a trend? Or will you start seeing Grandma at the EB pawning off her hair curlers and rotisserie ovens for the latest “Halo”?

In 2007, the computer and video game industry took in a record $9.5 billion in U.S. sales, while the music industry has been steadily declining and movie sales have remained level. The “casual” gamer has been identified and targeted. Games offering a new, simpler “pick up and play” approach have spared no one. Soccer moms, grandparents, and girls of all ages are now setting aside extra cash to support their gaming addiction, an addiction that I know all too well. [Read more]

Owning the New Kids On The Block Greatest Hits Doesn’t Make Me Lame

This week I purchased black nail polish. I’m not really a makeup junkie. When I do wear it, its mostly eye shadow and mascara. I had fake nails for about 6 months until it became too costly, too time consuming, and the touch screen on my iPod wouldn’t recognize them. Not only did I buy the black nail polish, but over the top of it I added silver and blue sparkles. I like to think of it as the Starry Night version of fingers. Being an artist by nature (and occasionally by trade) these whims strike me now and then. My hair happens to be fire engine red at the moment and I have been known to buy extraordinarily inappropriate shoes if they are cute enough. What my foray into the world of nail modification made me realize is that I haven’t actually changed that much since I was 18.

Sure, I’m a lot more educated, I’m a little taller, I can vote, drink, and have more credit cards than those teen years. I’ve had many more experience, been through a lot of pain and struggle, but on the whole I don’t really think that a lot has changed. More importantly, I am starting to recognize that no one else is really growing up either. [Read more]