Chronicles of a Gaming Mommy

Day 93: Its the final countdown 

The Wicked Witch of Bakersfield

What is with random crap falling from the sky?

I wish I could equip red-stripped socks in the game Helldivers because then I would resemble the Wizard of Oz witch both physical and in the way we both meet our untimely deaths.  During Helldivers strangers keep joining our campaign and every time they drop from the sky they crush me.  I never saw it coming, all three times I did not see the heavy metal human carrier falling from the sky.  And yes I did change my settings so that only people I know will join my party.

Diablo Treasure Goblin

It has been hard to get solo time on the PS4 because every spare moment is usually spent with the hubs.  But the other day he had a conference call and I got to log some Diablo time.   My 6-year old

Diablo Treasure Goblin 

is an avid spectator of treasure goblins in Diablo.  This kid is like a lucky charm because even though I only played solo for an hour I killed four different treasure goblins.  The hubs was super jealous and our tiny son was so elated each time he spotted a new troll he would start pointing and screaming, “that way, follow the gold, go go, faster mommy.”  Although some might question letting my kid observe Diablo, I say this kid is my lucky charm and it would be stupid to play without him.

Support Good Developers

My kids call my iPad the “Buffy Player” or “PvZ” machine.   Technically they aren’t wrong ,I do partake in both of these activities daily. 

This is going to sound like a really stupid realization to other gamers but I need to give more money to good developers.  My kid was highly motivated to behave by playing seasonal piñata levels multiple days in a row in PvZ.  The latest piñatas were all easter egg themed and my kid could not wait to see what the new daily challenge would be. 

My realization came to me after a conversation with the hubs.  I was talking about how we are hording our gems to buy new plants and he reminded us that we could always buy gems with RL money.  At first this seemed frivolous to me, but on further reflection I realize how stupid that is.  I play PvZ almost every day on my iPad.  I got the PvZ app for free and really spending six bucks to get a few upgraded plants is a small pittance.

My Plan to Torture My Teenagers

Like other holidays we do not just leave gifts for our kids to pounce on but make them do some work.  This Easter the hubs used his new calligraphy pen to write bunny notes and leave them hidden around the house. The scavenger hunt was a huge success but a major source of pride is that my six an eight year old kiddos were able to puzzle out the LotR clue in less than 30 seconds. As I mentioned in my previous post, sharing, creating, and playing games is a family affair.  For my entire life I will always remember the excitement as the kids collaborated and reveled in hunting together.  And even when they are moody and angsty teenager I have every intention of making them search for their gifts through a series of cryptic clues.

The kiddos & their loot on easter 

I know todays blog was all over the place, even more so than usual.  But I have a very busy brain and I needed to get some of my reflections written before I go crazy.  There is only one week remaining of our 100 day experiment and I can't say anything about its outcomes yet other than I have no intention of putting down my controller.  

The hubs distracting me while I blog 

Helldivers

Day 61: Marriage is about surviving the monsters 

If you read this blog you know that First Person Shooters (FPS) are my least favorite video games.  There is plenty to get excited about in the gaming world during PAX East and by some twist of fate I was most excited about a co-op shooter.  I read an IGN review of Helldivers for the PS4 and the description of the plot had me at satirical riff on US imperialism and the write up mentioned playing with a romantic partner.  I included a quick video to give you an idea of what the game is like instead of writing an overview because I am being lazy. 

Stop Shooting your Wife

Co-op games are great for couples because you have to work together and stay out of one another’s way simultaneously.  We have only beaten one planet over the last few days.  I have had zero incidentals whereas the hubs has killed me 5 times.  In his defense, some of the fatalities were due to calling in air strikes and me not fleeing quickly enough.  Yesterday the kiddos watched us play and they actually think it is hilarious that their dad keeps shooting me, which is starting to bother me.  But I keep reminding myself that I play shooter games like a noob, and I haven't killed him yet, which brings me some comfort. 

Touch me gentle, push me hard.

For a lot of reasons I normally hate shooters.  One reason I actually sometimes like to play shooter games is for the ability to hold a trigger and spray bullets into monsters --it is so cathartic.  However, because the reload time is so long in this game, I try to be more conservative with my bullets.  Instead of my normal guns blazing strategy I have to tap R2 gently to only release one bullet at a time. 

Conversely, the left toggle has to be pushed and held hard to run.  Since my partner favors using a flame-thrower and keeps killing me, I had to learn to run in game.  I feel like pushing on my toggle so hard is going to break my controller but it seems fine.  The juxtaposition between a light right trigger finger and hard left thumb is hard to reconcile in my brain. 

Aspiring to be a Mec

Though I have detoured into the Buffy Board Game and Diablo, I am hoping to keep playing Helldivers until I can play as a mec.  This weekend gaming reminded me, never say never, when it comes to choosing a game title.  I still play PvZ daily but hated Garden Warfare; Normally I will never pick up an FPS but I am loving this one.  Each day we just drop in and try to make it out through the swarms of monsters, in this way, this game simulates our RL marriage.

Hubs on the Bugs 

I love this game, I love that the levels are short, that it's easy enough to play with Nate (the 6 year old), that it's hard enough we can't just breeze through it and that it's hilarious and goofy.  It's a fantastic dual stick shooter I love that they made it have friendly fire, it forces us to communicate with what we are planning. I can't just spray because I inevitably will shoot you in the back, I haven't in the last couple levels though! So now we have to say hey back up I will clear these guys, or hey call the drop ship I'll cover you! Or when you call in a turret we both have to run and hit the ground so we don't get shot up like the bugs.

Helldivers is just like a troubled marriage because sometimes you will see a bug and if you don't take it out immediately then more spring up out of the ground and it all turns to chaos as you start scrambling to survive.  To survive the swarm you have to communicate and work together and you will never succeed if one person is carrying the other and doing all the work.

I love the blog. I love the game. And I love my wife. Elbows.

Quitting my Marriage and Picking Up a Controller

Day 1: The 100-Day Countdown Begins

The mere thought of being a wife is too exhausting to contemplate today…So I give up.  My marriage is broken and I have decided I do not want to fix it.  Instead, I am going to reset and try gaming with my partner to see if I still want to remain best friends.  I will blog to chronicle how it is going and let you know if I still like games or the guy I married.   

Am I still a gamer?

After experiencing the Guantanamo level sleep deprivation of being a new parent, I could not fathom why I voluntarily neglected sleeping to play games.  Additionally, having small children has limited the M rated games I play over the last 7 years and I have almost completely abandoned the tawdry way I played them.  I loved to trash talk.  Last year, I completed my dissertation, a solitary process that only left me 10 minutes a day to beat a Yeti in PvZ. 

My husband shifted game modes to table top miniatures and has spent a lot of time and money dedicated to Warmachine/ Hordes.  The November itch would always give way to a short-lived return to the digital but we did not play together.  Partially, because life got in the way, and the other part because my 5-year old is better at FPS play than me now and the hubs doesn’t have the patience for my terrible and awkward play (he needs to get over it now).   

The last few years I have been a mother, teacher, wife but not an avid gamer.  My relationship to games was more proximity than participation.

100 Days

Unlike my previous 100 days these games will be table-top and digital.  We have a new PS4 and shelves filled with board games I haven’t gotten around to trying.  If anyone out there wants to witness my experiment, you are welcome to join in and bring a game along.  I will play co-op, solo side-by-side, with the kids, without the kids, and anything else I can think of.

I have been playing games with the guy I married on-and-off for 18 years.  The next roughly 3 months will determine if I will continue to do so for 18+ more.

Playing: Tales from the Borderlands (TftB) 

System: PS4

Developer: Telltale

Reflection: TftB is amazing because we have been watching a story unfold without the bombardment of commercial breaks.  Its unsettling to make choices that feel right, or I interpret a certain way, and see the way they influence the game is not always what I intended.  After waking up at 4am to finalize my weeks lesson plans, the lack of dexterity required for this game was doable at 10pm.

When bad things happen some people think the only option is divorce. For better or worse I am going to try Diablo before divorce and I will keep you posted on how it goes.