Moderation is the Key

We hear it all the time, everything in moderation. Gaming is no different, in fact, I think moderation in gaming is critical. In my travels I have come across many fellow gamers that have differing views on "how much is too much." In my humble opinion no matter how much time I decide to spend gaming (and I will admit to spending alot) it is too much.

I recently heard that Dr. Phil, everyone's favorite help me help you guru, had tackled the deadbeat World of Warcraft dad. I have not seen the episode, so I will not vouch for it's content, but I think it is telling that the good Dr. chose to cover gaming and specifically online MMO gaming. It like other things can lead to trouble if not used in moderation.

I never been afraid to open myself up to constructive criticism so I went to the "drphil.com" website and mentally took the test to see where I was on the obsessed meter. To my relief I still had a loving family, a job and career, and was not throwing those things out the window to game, but I also found myself closer to the "you're too obsessed" meter than I would have liked. So of course that set me up for some introspective reflection, which of course led to this week's post. I think I am a pretty balanced person, but I know there is always room for improvement. Here is my two bits on how to take gaming, particulary MMO type games in moderation:

-Let your loved ones be open to you. If they say you're spending too much time in the game then most likely you are. Remember your real life family needs you, they depend on you and they are worthy of more than token attention. NEVER take them for granted and NEVER let your game time interfere with meaningful time with them.

-First thing is first. I always try and take care of the to do list first. Now I'm not perfect at it, but I find it works. This is especially true on weekends where it is easy to see your Saturday project time get sucked up in the online "black hole" if you let it.

-Set your boundries. Make sure you schedule time away from the game. Sunday is my time and when my wife wants to go out on Friday or Saturday we go. The game will wait for you. Your sweetheart may not!

-Finally if you find it hard to follow these guidelines then I think it is time to get some help. I know a few people that helped themselves. They turned off their accounts for good. If you can't moderate than remove, no shame in that

I'm Alive (cue the scene from Xanadu)

Okay maybe rollerskating angels from a 1980 Olivia Newton-John flik is a bit dramatic, but the point is I'm finally back.

Moving from one part of the country to the other is something all too familiar for me due to my job, but this time my internet outage took much longer than planned. Anyway I'm finally back and glad to be talking games again.

During my 2 weeks without intenet access I decided it was finally time to try out a console game I've been wanting. Rock Band. I know, I know . . . you are saying: "Rock Band is old news, don't you know Rock Band 2 will be out soon?"

Well, I've been wanting this title ever since May when I played it at a friend's house. It is true if I could have held on another month I probably could have got RB1 for cheaper, but on the other hand I was afraid it may not be available at all after RB2 hits the shelves.

Another reason I've held off on RB1 until now is that I heard it was not worth getting for Wii due to the lack of online content. This leads to a topic for another day about why I don't own an Xbox 360 or PS3. Anyway, the bottom line is I like Rock Band. I've enjoyed jamming with my son and even my wife has joined in a few sessions. That was what I was hoping for . . . a game that we could all play together.

I really like the track selection in Rock Band. I'm not much of a heavy metal fan so I've never been too attracted to Guitar Hero, but RB seems to have a decent balance of songs, if not too many main stream hits. But hey, gotta love some Bon Jovi Wanted Dead or Alive. A few of my other favorites are Don't Fear the Reaper and Black Hole Sun. Yes I know my music taste transends several decades, but luckily so does RB's track selection which I think has been part of it's appeal.

Now that we see Guitar Hero following suit with a "band" style game and RB2 a few weeks away I'm excited to see where this genre will go. Personally I hope one or more of the developers goes to a "pay for the tracks you want" format similar to iTunes. Having the same collection of songs in my Rock Band menu as I have in my iPod would truly Rock!

Boxing Day . . . sort of

As I mentioned previously I am moving. Today is the day everything is going in a box and tomorrow on a truck. That includes my computer so this may be my last entry for about a week.

Moving is always a pain so I will be glad to get this one over with. My family have been patiently living in a hotel for a month while I finish up work here at our "old home" so I especially want to get this move over for them.

So while you wait I wanted to layout some of the topics I plan to cover in the near future. In addition to revewing and discussing current games that I am playing, I plan to cover some of these topics:

-Evolution of video gaming (what I like(d) to play growing up)
-Getting out of the computer and out of the house (doing constructive things that aren't gaming)
-Random things of interest both gaming and non-gaming
-Occasional movie reviews or discussions
-Being a dad (parenting discussions from a dad with a pre-teen)

The list can of course grow as ideas come to mind. If you have any suggestions feel free to leave a comment.

Well, back to boxing.

Honey I'm Not Home . . . yet

I begin week two as a pseudo bachelor with my family living 1900 miles away. For those that are curious or remotely interested, we are in the process of moving from AZ to WI. Yeah I know from the "frying pan" and into the "freezer." But it's all good, I think we are going to enjoy it there. My wife has been working hard to get everything set up there while living in a hotel. I've been living it up at our old house while I finish up some things with my old job. But that will all change in a few days when the we pack up the house, load the truck and head North. Honey I will see you soon!

On the gaming front I have been dabbling in a little Warhammer. It is definitely an interesting game. As I mentioned before I really wanted to experience that "first day" of the new game which I did. I guess it wasn't really all that exciting but at least I could pretty much pick any name I wanted for my characters. Later this week I will give a summary of my early impressions.

Picking Up the Hammer

I just drove into my driveway and noticed that one of my trees was leaning too far one way. There was only one thing to do. I had to get out my hammer and drive a spike into the ground so I could tie off the tree.

I do not consider myself much of a handy man, but after 15 years of marriage I have learned a few things about taking care of the home. I managed to pound in that tree stake without crushing my thumb at least.

Now I am wondering about whether or not to pick up another kind of "hammer". As a current fanatic of "that one MMO that everyone plays," I'm intrigued at the prospect of this, but not for the reason you might expect. I really doubt that Warhammer will be better top to bottom from World of Warcraft, but it is new and promises to deliver a pretty decent player base with over a million copies pre-ordered. The thing that really attracts me to this game is that I can get in on the ground level so to speak. I want to be part of a game launch. To experience the content without having a handy dandy web guide to tell me exactly how to play the game.

So I've mulled it over and decided I'm going to give it a try. However, I am not one of those million people who pre ordered it, so I hope I don't have to wait to long.

Be a gamer, but more importantly be a Dad!

I am like many of you. I'm a thirty something dad with a family. I have a full time job that takes me to work from 8 to 5 every weekday. And also like many of you, I am a video game enthusiast.

This isn't something I have always been proud of, but over the past few years I've realized that it is what I enjoy and I've had many more positive experiences as a result of being a gamer than negative.

Some dads like to build things in their garages. Some like restoring cars. Many like to golf, fish and hunt. These are all very rewarding hobbies and I salute those of you that enjoy these things. Indeed part of my reason for creating this blog is to point our that there are many activities available (even for a dad gamer).

Most importantly if you are a dad gamer first and foremost you are a father and most likely a husband as well. That of course is your #1 priority and my hope for this blog is to create a community with fellow gamers that share that value.

So thank you for stopping by and feel free to share your thoughts and ideas.