People often call me a nerd for liking video games so much. There’s also frequently that whole argument that my playing games is a waste of time and that I should devote myself to other wholesome activities.

I  disagree. I believe that games are part of the human experience. Just ask one of my English professors, who actually had a course on human beings and the influence/necessity of play, which is really what games are. I think they’re great as a form of escapism, which is what I’m really about.

And there are many that have been not only entertainment, but also as influence on the way my brain thinks and solves puzzles. I’ve been introduced to great music, and have been encouraged to imagine many things beyond what I might have been able to do alone. Or even though a book! Who says video games are a waste of time? Hah.

Anyway, I got the idea for this post from a friend who plays a lot of games and who had to write a paper about all the games he’s ever played, including make-believe games and physical games (four square, anyone?). I’ve left those out, because I was more interested in the video games part of it. So below is a fairly comprehensive list of all the video games I can remember playing along with some brief descriptions/commentary, starting from the earliest ones. I hope you enjoy it!
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I think playing Fallout before I go to sleep gives me bad dreams. A few nights ago I woke after seeing my dream self run screaming hysterically out of a room, away from some perpetrator. Two nights ago I had a dream that just left me feeling bitter and resentful when I woke up, and last night I dreamed that my house was the only one–in the middle of a family dinner, no less–that was swept up by a series of tornados that came through the area. I lived in a wooden/corrugated metal shack, which was then destroyed against a brick building. The last part of the dream had my father gasping in the driver’s seat of a car, unable to breathe, while shouted for my cousin to take the wheel (we were in the back seat, petting his dog).

I didn’t think I’d have anything to really blog about, but it appears that I do.

A couple of books for the rest of November. I should finish over Thanksgiving, a much-needed four day break.

1. Diary – Chuck Palahniuk
2. The Borgia Bride – Jeanne Kalogridis
3. The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
4. Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana – Anne Rice
5. Until I Find You – John Irving

I finished The Borgia Bride on Saturday night, and it was an appropriately fluffy story with a decent mix of sex, violence, betrayal, jealousy, blah blah blah. Slightly less fun than a Philippa Gregory book, but interesting and quick.

I’m interested in The Road to Cana because it’s written by Anne Rice, who wrote the (beloved) Vampire Chronicles. I’d never thought that she was particularly religious, but I suppose in my mind I can see how vampirism and religion may go together. She received a lot of crap from people about her sudden switch from vampire novels into books on Jesus’ life, and so I’ll try one. Well, it’s the second in the series. I don’t think I’ll have missed too much (and it was the only one my library had).  Oh, and the other reason I want to read it is because it seems to coincide with the rekindling of my roommate’s faith, which I find highly ironic given his flagrant bigotry and intolerance of others different from himself. Actually he’s Catholic, so maybe that makes perfect sense. Either way, apparently I’m not allowed to proclaim my atheism or make fun of religion anymore in my house because it’s too offensive (I politely asked, then, if my roommates would stop making fun of gay people and my own ethnicity in front of me, at the very least, since I find that offensive, and was met with something akin to sarcastic disregard. Wonderful!).

Anyway, John Irving is always a favorite, and I happened to be wandering through that aisle when I suddenly remembered that I liked an author whose last name begins with i. So there. A good way to end the month, before I start reading Harry Potter again (agonizingly slow, I may add, as only three chapters a week or so, so I don’t get too far ahead of my friend, who is reading along).

In other news, NaNo is coming along fine. I hit the 38,000 word mark last night. Hopefully I can finish this weekend (as I should hit 44,000 words Friday night) and get it over and done with, to move on to other projects.

Actually, this is the first year that my story does not seem to be wrapping up very soon. Most of the stories I’ve written I’ve been able to wind down pretty quickly, or at least hit their halfway marks at around the same time as I hit 25,000. Am I just losing my touch? Do I suck so much that I’ve just drawn it out for thousands of words???

I guess we’ll see when I edit it (if I edit it).

Please, skip this post if you don’t want Fallout 3 spoiled for you if you’re planning on playing it.
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Tags : fallout, games, strategy, walkthrough