@JohnnyShoulder Yeah, my mum’s always seen us playing games but never played console games much outside of Lego games because it was always my dad who did the ‘fun stuff’ growing up. She was always into games like the original Tropico, The Sims and a whole load of other tycoon games back during the first boom period. Now we’re at the ages we are and it’s just me, my mum and my younger brother, she’s taken more of an active interest. Red Dead Redemption 2 was probably the game that convinced her that games could really stand up to TV and movies in terms of production value and the quality of the story. This is probably why I really don’t get the people that talk as if Red Dead 2 is incredibly hard and complicated to play because if my mum can play it the first time using a Dualshock 4 then anybody can play it.
@lolwhatno It’s long and it’s slower paced than GTA because you’re on a horse but I never found it boring. I guess it’s probably slow compared to other games but it’s so engrossing that I didn’t mind. A bit like Persona 5 in that regard.
@Jimmer-jammer Taking a 'quiet storm' approach to jazz guitar now, employing soulful and poppy melodies in my solos, trying to make it a bit more heart-warming rather than just running up and down the scales. What approach do you take to piano? What sort of music do you play on it?
Edit: And the approach I take to the electric guitar is very much informed by the Souls games and Cricket, trying to create something of "epic" proportions in sound based on the themes in those games, but in a progressive jazz world.
@TheBrandedSwordsman those are pretty cool approaches, man! I love hearing about different creative processes. I think one of the most important things about playing music is that it has to mean something to you. Whether it’s soulfully pouring guarded emotions into the notes, cheekily playing with the science of music or just plain having fun for the hell of it, it needs to have some kind of purpose...that’s my philosophy anyway.
My process for writing and playing music is usually this: almost everything is written in my head away from any instruments - it’s why I love manual labour. I’ll record brief melodies or rhythms on my phone to transcribe later. From there it’s like a patch work quilt of new and old ideas that over time get sewn together to make something I think sounds cool. As for playing, I always try to visualize something - running water, tress blowing in the breeze, solar flares reaching out to fry an egg- whatever the music makes me think of. It keeps my mind from dwelling on the insecurities that affect both the delivery and my enjoyment of just playing music.
“Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.” C.S. Lewis
my dad: really a hard working man I respect him for that but he unwillingly (like he wasn't trying to do that) made it hard to talk or even want to talk to him. So can't push arguments against him (he sees arguments as insolence).
The only way that I can fight these decisions, is by pointing indirectly how wrong it is.
Like my dad when he went on a rant about how video games make you "violent" or take you "to another world", me and my brother started using these statements as a everyday sentence. For exemple if one hits his head we say "video games made you careless", if he reads a book "they make you go to another dimension" etc.
@lolwhatno Sounds like we have similar fathers, so you have my sympathies for the difficult moments inevitably generated by such a personality. For the record, I love my Dad to bits, no matter how different from him I may be. It's taken both of us quite a few years to recognise that there's no shame in our differences, and there are still instances of disagreement or disappointment which lead to frustration, on both our parts. Here's hoping your subtle subversion tactics work, and that you're back to gaming soon!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@TheBrandedSwordsman hey TBS, finally finished AC: Black Flag... it went WAY over schedule so I’m behind the 8-ball now on my 2021/2022 plan.
Just doing the online requirements for Dead Space 3 and then it’ll either be Remnant from the Ashes, AC: Unity or Red Dead Redemption (1). How about you?
@TheBrandedSwordsman I’m currently playing about a million things. Disco Elysium is my main focus and I’ve almost got the platinum for Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm but other than that, a bit of Hitman III for Game Club and still making progress towards the Tony Hawk platinum. On PC, Risk of Rain 2 and Binding of Isaac have both gotten massive updates recently so playing loads of those. And then there’s A Link to the Past on Switch where I have 3 dungeons left!
I’m also in the midst of the oddity that is Disco Elysium and enjoying myself. I’ll probably jump back to have a challenge mode run on Ratchet and Clank afterwards to get the platinum or give Miles Morales a whirl on the PS5.
@TheBrandedSwordsman also doing well! Also playing Disco Elysium and enjoying myself immensely. Started It Takes Two with my wife and it’s brilliant. How are you doing?
DRAMAtical Murder is now out on Steam in English. A game that I messed with my PC to set Japanese system language to play back when I was about 13. Kinda tempted to play it again but 1, I really do not want any of my Steam friends to see me playing it and 2, I absolutely will cringe playing it.
@Jimmer-jammer Hey man, I am not too bad, still focusing on jazz guitar, I tried soloing to rock the other day and it just didn't work for me at all, such a limited palette compared to jazz, I play by ear so as long as you know which notes to hit it works really well. I will probably still buy rock on vinyl for ideas for my jazz guitar solos, various intonations etc. ,but will stick with jazz as my main musical expression. When I went back to jazz and attempted to solo again after the rock stuff my fingers just flew all over the fretboard and I was definitely pleased with the results, jazz just seems like a natural fit. Rock is your preferred genre as a musician though, no?
"Man is the pie that bakes and eats himself, and the recipe is separation." - Alasdair Gray
@Thrillho Good too thanks, trying to find another game to play, thinking of probably Uncharted (5) The Lost Legacy after the recommendation of my good friend @colonelkilgore ,wrapping up the series for myself with a fitting postscript for the series, at least that's the way I believe it'll be.
"Man is the pie that bakes and eats himself, and the recipe is separation." - Alasdair Gray
@TheBrandedSwordsman well I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, don’t think there can be a more fitting title considering you are fancying something like Uncharted 4. I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on it too as I’ll be playing it at some point.
@TheBrandedSwordsman yeah I would say rock is definitely what I gravitate towards. I also play by ear and can’t read music efficiently anymore (I can still bumble my way through a piece) so really I just play whatever comes to me.
“Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.” C.S. Lewis
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