Day Two - Everyone loves Zombies

I was on the train this morning on my daily commute. It's just a one off thing this week as I'm working at a newspaper for work experience. It is a local Newspaper called the Yorkshire Evening Post. The publication is okay but very limited. I've not actually had anything printed yet despite writing plenty of stories and I've not had the chance to cover topics I would like to. I understand that I won't get the ability to review computer games in a paper like this, there would already exist a reporter for that. My work ends tomorrow and I'm hoping to leave a lasting impression. That impression being some graffiti on the office wall saying: "Alec Woz Ere." But while I was on the train this morning I saw a chap I've seen every morning for the past three days. He was wearing the exact same clothes each day. They weren't poor clothes, it was actually a cool outfit and it reminded me of many computer game characters. Like cartoon characters, many computer game characters never change clothes. These outfits essentially become costumes to us. If we wish to take the identity of Fred Flintstone, we get his outfit. This guy on the train had his costume. Maybe I need one. I have a coat and hood combination I wear in the winter and a good friend of mine said if I was ever in a film and needed a costume I would be wearing that coat cos it's my identity. It's a cool coat, but I'd be screwed in the summer cos it is a very warm coat.

Fred Flintstone costume against a group of girls as Final Fantasy Characters.

Last night I drafted up a few ideas for articles and features for the publication. I have a lot going on, maybe too much, maybe not enough. I won't actually know until I get told how many pages I'm allow to produce. Today's in depth look will be into Retrospectives. Many magazines do Retrospectives for games that have a long line of history. The most recent one I read was in the Official PlayStation Magazine. To co inside with the release of the new Metal Gear Solid game, the magazine did a numerous page spread on a Metal Gear Retrospect, starting at the year 1987 (my favourite year) all the way up to the present day. It was a very interesting read and I found out many things I didn't know about Metal Gear, especially the behind-the-scenes items and the games inspirations. QUICK FACT: Did you that Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid Director) was inspired by the George A. Romero cult film Dawn of the Dead? No? Well he was. Everyone loves Zombies, right? Except of course when they're the enemy.

Kojima is inspired by Zombies, from my picture you can tell that I am to.

I thought about doing my own MGS retrospective but since it's already been done in the aforementioned publication I may have to reconsider. Another serial game I'm really into and know a hell of a lot about is RESIDENT EVIL!!!! (I did that for dramatic effect, just like the game does. RESIDENT EVIL...TWO! Brilliant.) Since the fifth game (yet technically it's the err...I think the 12th, but I'm not too sure) is set for release next year then a retrospective would be suitable, but I also suspect someone else will be thinking of doing one. The only other game I can really think about doing is Sonic the Hedgehog, mainly because of the rumours about his imminent demise. I think Resident Evil is the better choice though, cos it has such a grand history and a complicated back story. All the history of the evil Umberlla Inc. fasinates me: "playing god they were, foolish bastards." I've written on my draft of ideas from last night, under RETROSPECTIVES, "only one per issue". Maybe my original intent was to do one retrospective each month or whatever. There is plenty of gaming franchises, and some could be spread across two issues. Perhaps that's something to consider.

Will Sonic perish?

Still no updates on the Machinima interview and no word as of yet from VG Live, let's be patient. I have contacted Destructoid and computerandvideogames.com about interviews and advice. Chris Marsh said he'd do the interview, I may yet turn that it to something bloody spectacular. Since starting this job (work experience) I've not had the chance to sit and play on a video game. I'm getting a little bored of the ones I've got for my Xbox360 and my PS2 won't run Resident Evil 4, which I still haven't finished. Perhaps I should look into buying a new game. Alone in the Dark looks tempting:

Alone in the Dark, is it worth it? This is an image of New York. It's not like we've never seen it like this before.

I'll leave with a quote from Resident Evil 2's Leon S. Kennedy: "Hey, it's up to us to take out Umbrella."

Leon S. Kennedy

Day 1 - This is my addiction

I've never prided myself on being an excellent writer. My grades in English at school and college were average but they got me into University. I don't see myself becoming a great novelist or well known for writing talents because I haven't got any. I can't turn a phrase or cleverly use poetic rhythm to juxtapose a violent situation where a woman glowers at her husband then is struck down by his own violent hand (Where the hell did that come from!?!). Saying that though, I've never been really good at anything. I mean, I'm good at things and I can do things, but there's nothing I'm exceptional at. For instance I play bass guitar, I'm okay and I can keep a beat and improvise, but it's nothing special. It's the same with sports, I've never really been a big fan of the sporting community and I'm not too keen on watching them but playing sports can be fun. I'll enjoy playing a match of football and I even did karate, but again nothing exceptional. But that all changes with computer games. With computer games I have something, I don't know what it is, I couldn't win competitions and be iron man of gaming or gaming champion of the world but I can beat the games. If I face a challenge in something, say a difficult bass solo, I'll try and I'll try and if I keep messing up I'll unplug my guitar and ask myself and my fingers why we even bother. But with a video game, I will keep trying. I will play and play and I may fail and fail. My emotions will rise, I'll scream, shout and hit things but I won't stop playing it until the challenge is over come. My fingers could be aching in pain from button mashing, eyes seeping thick tears mixed with sweat and blood but I will not stop. Then when the challenge is complete and the experience points are mine or the boss is defeated I feel like I've achieved something great and nothing can stop me. Like I'm some impenetrable force awaiting my next great challenge in one of the amazing virtual worlds that I indulge myself in. I'll inundate in the adrenaline that comes from that challenge and that is what feeds my passion. This is my addiction.

Today I've done a little more preparation for the gaming magazine. I'm still yet to come up with a name, however I've e-mailed the PR for Video Games Live. Video Games Live is a music concert where an orchestra plays music from popular video games over the generations. Video Game music is very under rated, I sometimes prefer to listen it than some of my favourite bands because it's so emotional. It can make you feel sad, angered, hyper, elated etc. It's brilliant. When I heard about VG Live I was so thrilled to know that VG music had been acknowledge to such an extent. To have a worldwide tour for this kind of event is amazing. There's only one in the UK this year and I will be attending. I e-mailed the PR today asking if there would be any chance to interview a musician, composer, director or any involved in the concert. Still yet to receive any reply. Jack Wall will be there this year. He's done music for Bioware games such as Jade Empire and next-gen marvel Mass Effect. Hopefully I'll hear from them soon and have something to write about it.

Two great composers: Harry Gregson-Williams (Metal Gear Solid Composer) and Jack Wall (Jade Empire, Mass Effect Composer).

In other news, Stuttering Craig from ScrewAttack e-mailed me back. The message was short but sweet. He said an interview wouldn't be a problem and just to e-mail him questions whenever. I just not sure how to address that feature yet. No word from Machinima.com yet, but I'll wait a couple of days until I try again. My best friend and fellow gamer Nib (who will hopefully be one of my most important go-to-people because he's entering the gaming profession of animation) and his brother Ben suggested a great idea last night.

Best Friend: This is Nib, fellow gamer and very important ally.

It turns out that a good friend of ours (mainly theirs, I just played games with him a few times) is in the gaming championships and doing very well for himself, so I am going to draft up an interview and have a good chat with him about his experiences. He's quite the charismatic guy, so hopefully he'll provide some entertaining comments.

Gaming Champion: Chris Marsh receiving a cheque prize in a gaming event.

Things are slowly starting, but of course there is no certainty how things will turn out. I just hope for a enjoyable experience in that I will prosper. In the context of what I mentioned earlier I leave with the words of Mick Jagger: "It's all right letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back."

Sayonara

Mick Jagger

My Quest Begins...

My name is Alec-Ross, UK Journalist student from Wakefield, Yorkshire (pictured below). I am 20 years old and entering my final year at the University of Sunderland. Since as far as I can remember I've been enraptured if not a little obsessed by computer games. Even now as I sit at the computer and type away, I am listening to the soundtrack from the latest Metal Gear Solid game. My main reason for starting this blog is partly so I can amplify my thoughts and have written notes of what I need to sort out. You see, for my final project at university, I have chosen to develop a magazine. A magazine based around the gaming industry. I believe that I will enjoy this venture so much that my final year at University won't seem like work at all.

This is me, this what I look like. Those eyes, they've seen so much pixels from one generation to the next.

In order to create a magazine, one must take into account target audiences, kind of readership, geographic area, culture, censorship etc. This will all come to me once I've done a little research into each topic. It's not all going to be fun and video games, but I am very hopeful that I can render a quality magazine. My only doubt about doing this magazine is that most gamers, myself included, get most of their information from the wonderful world wide web and that's where the market is. So in addition to a gaming magazine, I am also going to be bringing my articles online. However, it won't be to this blog. That blog will come in the future. This blog is designed to record my progress, the magazines progress and stories, interviews, features, reviews and everything else I come up with. It is a progress blog.

Today is the beginning of this progress. I have already e-mailed two potential contacts that would provide me with some good stories. I've e-mailed Stuttering Craig from screwattack.com in a hope to interview him, and a few others of the ScrewAttack staff, about their community. Machinima.com is another entity I have considered interviewing about a possible Machinima feature to join my already existing Red Vs. Blue interview with none other than Burnie Burns. I've also even got a piece of paper at the side of me (horrible it is, I hate my own handwriting, makes me look like a child) with a spider diagram for different name ideas. So far they are all terrible.

Red vs Blue Wallpaper from Rooster Teeth's Website, my brain storm and the ScrewAttack Logo

So let the quest begin. The Ultimate Gaming Magazine has begun the birth process and it's only a matter of time and hard work. In the words of Oscar Wilde: "Man is made for something better than disturbing dirt."

Sayonara

Oscar Wilde