Monday, January 31, 2005

Slacking Off.

I realized its time to start labelling the music I recommend. From now on, the easier to listen to stuff are called 'A-tracks', and the 'B-tracks' are for hardcore people like me.

A-Tracks
~~~ Nelly - My Place feat. Jaheim ~~~ Played out, but I like.
~~~ Lenny Kravitz - Lady ~~~ Only cuz my guitar is in the video..haha..
~~~ David Tao - Fated ~~~ New album for the fans.

B-Tracks
~~~ Alpinestars - Burning Up ~~~ Not for everybody.
~~~ My Chemical Romance - I'm Okay (I promise) ~~~
~~~ Death Cab for Cutie - Title and Registration ~~~
~~~ Hawthorne Heights - The transition ~~~ Punk/Emo i've been into recently

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Maybe I'm just not the average video gamer...

I don't want to come up here and recommend just another game thats on the top-seller list (unless its well deserved of course..heh). Its what I think makes me different from the typical gamer. I like games like 'Bejeweled'. Its original, quick and addictive. From a marketing perspective, a super low budget game like this could succeed very well. The reason for that is because even some inexperienced programmer (such as me) could write a polished version in a week or so. Thats a miniscule input compared to the games we see and play today. Just compare the price of 'Bejeweled' (if you choose to install it) and any average game on the shelf at the game store. And if you say, who would pay for 'Bejeweled'? HAha. My mom would. I mean it.

Recently, I've spent a lot of time in search of bright game ideas. Mostly just asking others what their dream game would be if they could make anything (hehe...soo much easier you know). For the most part, I hear of the same already existing genres but with a different scheme/setting. I don't normally tell them, but in most of these cases, the scheme/setting mentioned have been developed before already. They just never made it big, and hence, wasn't heard by too many. Why? I think its obvious. I do, however, find it contradicting that the consumers aren't revealing a lot. Could it be because they are happy with what already exists?

Ideally, I'd love to develop something brand new or original. Haha, I have been told that thats such an 'Erik' comment. But yeah, when I say something original, I don't mean games that fall into the misc. category of games (such as Wario Ware, Katamary Daimacy, blah blah). I meant something genre breaking. Or to better put it, the birth of a genre on its own.
I don't quite have 'the idea' yet. But I do have ideas. I've already previously mentioned the potential of multiplayer, portable, wireless gaming. The birth of that realm, thanks to the PSP and DS, is screaming for ideas. Its just like the internet, not many could have envisioned Google, Blogs, Ebay, etc... Other ideas include balancing the pace of games. It can change a game significantly, an example I love is 'Counterstrike'. It remade the pacing in FPSs; through short 5-10min action packed battles, it made the player wait if they died. This in turn, glorified stats, incorporated more teamwork, made the player play safer (much more realisitic...we are shooting each other...), etc... I mean, to think about it it is where the term 'camping' originated.

Time to go. I shall continue next time, eventhough I know its most probably not going to happen.

Sunday, January 23, 2005

Downtempo for the Masses

Downtempo/Groove (many of which I probably may have already named):

~~~ Air - All I Need, Playground Love, La Femme D'argent ~~~
~~~ Bent - Irritating Noises ~~~
~~~ Blackenized - 360 'vibe'rations ~~~
~~~ dj Food - gold in my pocket ~~~
~~~ Royksopp - Poor Leno, eple ~~~
~~~ Telepopmusik - Breathe ~~~
~~~ Tosca - Honey, suzuki ~~~
~~~ Destiny - Spinning, Destiny ~~~
~~~ Mr. Scruff - cheeky ~~~
~~~ Kruder Dorfmeister - Orozco ~~~
~~~ Royksopp - Poor Leno ~~~
~~~ Lemon Jelly - Life of King Rahm, In the bath ~~~

Ok. Here are some non-downtempos:

~~~ Lifehouse - Only One ~~
~~~ Lostprophets - last summer, make a move ~~~ Soo good.
~~~ Chromeo - Needy Girl ~~~
~~~ Phoenix - Run Run Run ~~~

More moments of inspiration

Knowing that I'm all about the band sound, my (anime junkie) little brother introduced this new anime called 'Beck' to me. I can really relate to it: the love for modern rock music, the guitars, the riffs, finding band-mates, etc... It inspires me to find my own sound. Play in my own band. Get into the scene for myself.
I'm super jealous band music is huge in Japan. I recall visiting numerous music shops and listenning to plenty of jap indie band records when I visited Tokyo last Christmas. Oh yea, and of course, was fortunate enough to be brought to a gig too. Something I would not have been able to do if it weren't that China brought me =).
But yeah, the music industry in Japan is something a guy like me would die to live in. To say the least, I can at least enjoy such animations such as 'Beck'.


~~~ Amber Pacific - Always You ~~~
~~~ Beck - Wheres it at ~~~
~~~ Taking Back Sunday - A decade under influence ~~~

Saturday, January 22, 2005

Prelude to Eden

Michel Gagné showed up at my school today. Definitely an individual I respect. He's not exactly what I want for my own life & career, but I could definitely learn to apply the same attitude of pushing oneself to make things evolve or happen. Check out his 'Prelude to Eden' animation.

Over the past couple of days, I've been settling down here in Bellevue/Redmond for the most part. Furniture shopping, starting services, looking for a band-mates (Heehee), getting into the groove of school, and other errands.

Speaking of school, I realized I haven't spoken much about it on my blog. I think it may be because I'm really still trying to decipher it myself. My video game school 'DigiPen', aka 'Nintendo U', is not exactly as cool and fun as it sounds. Other than the plaques of articles from every magazine you can name/find on the walls, nobody would be able to distinguish it from any other tech school.
And so this brings me to the part that creeps me out slightly: all the students seem so uptight. Yes, I know I am too, but still. The students, which typically come across as a mixture of weird, hippy, or geek (HAHa. Sounds so me!), seem so disciplined. Meaning they are all focused on getting a job in the industry? Hmm..I can't say for sure.
But anyhow, the halls and classrooms at my school are dull, white, and no fun.



Thursday, January 13, 2005

Starting New

Its been a hell of a week.
Moving into my new apartment, starting school, and coping with jet lag at the same time has definitely been a mission. I'm glad to say things are working out nicely though. If anything, I'm most happy about the area I reside in now. Its nice and quiet at Le Chateau in Bellevue, but also at the same time I'm 5 minutes away from a mall, a cinema, and a variety of cuisines (and I mean a huge variety!! Including Vietnese, Japanese, Thai, Jamba Juice, Coldstone, blah blah blah....hehe).

Speaking of food, here is my late new year resolution: I will eat a maximum of 2 or 3 fast food (high cholestral and fatty foods) meals a week. Yep, it'll be an intelligent 2nd step after my previous goal....which was to get food into the stomach as often and consistently as I can. So I suppose now that I have access to a variety of cuisines as I was mentioning earlier, I have no excuse. Haha.

Its going to be a relaxing semester. Two or three CS classes, one Math (oh dear... --; ), and one computer animation class. Should be ok. Hopefully I'll be able to make something out of the extra time I'll be supplied with. I tend to think life (not only school) is a learning process. Its what you make out of it every minute.

+++ http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/weblogs/story/0,14024,1388466,00.html +++ Haha. Watch what you say in your blog.

Thursday, January 06, 2005

The DVD Monster

I swear I'll catch it one day. And on that day, I will burn it alive in triumph for all the trouble it has given me. I've wasted way too much time looking for those lost dvds of mine. I will not forgive it.
I bet it lives up up at the attic or something. Sniggering while munching on those dvds it has stolen from my family and I. You will pay! And if for anything, especially for taking the Family Guy season 3 stuff!

~~~ Dragon Ash - Under Age's Song ~~~ Their first hit single way back.
~~~ Coheed in Cambria - Blood Red Summer ~~~ Punk.

Sunday, January 02, 2005

Welcome to 2005.

~~~ Lostprophets - Last Train Home ~~~ One of those songs that hit me hard

So many things have changed in the past couple of weeks. It feels like as if my life spun around. And all of a sudden, I'm heading towards a direction completely different than I was originally. My goals seem so much clearer to me now. My doubts are finally behind me. I'm extremely happy about that.

I'm not hoping because I know only good things are to come in the future.