Man oh man, it has been a busy week last week, but now with college finals finished and a good amount of stuff packed and moved away, I finally get a break to come back to the good old reviews. Imagine my surprise then when I come back to see that I have been nominated for what is called the Liebster award. That’s right, it turns out that the picture above is indeed NOT a new beer bottle cap, but an award sent from blogger to blogger in an effort to raise awareness for our fellow bloggers.
First thing’s first, I must offer a profound thank you to the King of the Man Cave himself, Douglas from The King’s Cave , who has very kindly nominated me for this awesome award. Thank you so much, I really appreciate the thought.
Now, as the condition for “accepting” this award, the King of the Cave has asked me to answer 11 questions. A strange number, I know, but I will happily comply. I am also supposed to give 11 more fun facts about myself. Finally, I will give out my own nomination.
1. What 3 games do you think had the biggest impact on the industry?
Wow, so we’re going to start with a question that is probably worth its own blog post. Don’t worry; I’ll try to be succinct about it. The first one I think is kind of a gimme, and that is Super Mario Bros. Many people (with good reason) herald this game as being the game that saved the industry from the Video Game Crash of 1983. Without the famous mustachioed Italian plumbers, video gaming as a whole might have gone down as another toy fad, like Stretch Armstrong and the Yo-Yo Ball. It was also the inspiration for Sega’s mascot game, Sonic the Hedgehog, spurring on the beginning of the Console Wars we know and love today.
The second is a game I’ve touched on in the not too distant past. The original Mortal Kombat essentially became the number one reason the ESRB rating system back in 1994. This rating system still largely affects how games are marketed, what kind of content developers are allowed to include, and how consumers choose their games.
The third game is by far the hardest to pinpoint, but the introduction to Massively Multiplayer Online Games is impossible to ignore. That is why I’d have to give Ultima Online (UO) the third spot in my list of most influential games. UO was not technically the first MMO nor the largest, but I think it, along with Everquest and eventually World of Warcraft, is one of the biggest reasons online gaming has gotten as big as it has.
2. Jack Bauer or James Bond?
Admittedly I haven’t watched much of 24 or 007, so that might have to change sometime in the future. As such, I’d have to go with the one and only (or maybe more like eight and only?) Mr. Bond. I promise, it’s not just because of the Nintendo 64 game either. I mean it mostly is, but not only that.
3. Favorite classic game that you can always return to.
I don’t think I’ve ever played any one game more than I have played Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Sega Genesis. I can play that game any day of the week and still not get sick of it. In fact, I’m going to have to find myself a copy as soon as I’m done with this.
4. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I am nearing the end of my contract with the U.S. Military and trying to finish up college at the same time. I’d say each of those things will have been the first time that I have fully completed something truly difficult. I suppose it’s still a bit premature to be proud of them as accomplishments yet, I am still proud that I have come so far in both regards. Completing them at the same time will be pretty awesome.
5. Single player, Co-op, or Multiplayer
Definitely multiplayer. Obviously, I enjoy all three types of games, but playing a game with several people all at once is the coolest thing ever. I especially love playing multiplayer games co-operatively, though.
6. If you could only choose to eat one food for 6 months, what would it be?
Probably curry and rice. If I have to be more specific, then some sort of spicy chicken curry. I don’t know if I could live for six months without rice and something spicy.
7. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Well, if I really have to grow up, I’d want to be a video game journalist or maybe even a novelist.
8. Which mundane, everyday profession do you think would make a good basis for the next great simulation game?
Convenience Store Simulator 2017. Like GTA V, but you’re the poor shmuck behind the counter.
9. You can interview any one person, living or dead. Who do you choose?
I Choose You! Masahiro Sakurai! Honestly, I think Sakurai is probably the most interesting person in the industry. It’d be amazing to see what’s inside that guy’s head.
10. Which place in the world do you wish to travel to more than any other?
I’ve wanted to get a chance to visit Japan for more years than I can count on two feet. I want to travel and have travelled to other places as well, but Japan is definitely priority number
11. What is it that people are most surprised to learn about you?
I move around a lot. People are usually surprised by how many places I’ve lived in. I’m also pretty short, which catches people who haven’t met me in person before off guard.
1. I have attended 11 different schools (oddly coincidental considering this project). And no, I’ve never been kicked out.
2. I really got into video games for the first time when I was about 3-4 and played a lot on the NES and Sega Genesis.
3. Aside from video games, I really enjoy anime and manga. I got really into it when I first saw Yu Yu Hakusho and Inuyasha on Adult Swim. I spend about as much time on Crunchyroll as I do on Steam.
4. Largely as a result of Inuyasha’s ending theme songs, I fell in love with the way the Japanese language sounds. I’ve tried several times to learn the language, but have never really stuck with it long enough to get more than a few words or phrases.
5. One of my favorite games of all time was Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo Gamecube. I’ve beaten it 6 times, spending roughly 100 hours on each playthrough.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time took me over a year to beat, because the Forest Temple scared me so much that I quit playing for about 7 months.
7. I spent a lot of time on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3 as a kid, but never beat either of them until I came back later at 17.
8. I am probably one of the few heathens out in the world who really likes Diet Dr. Pepper.
9. As much as I love to go for a drive, I often prefer to walk across town when doing errands if I can.
10. I was bright blond and left-handed up until the 1st grade. Now I have really dark hair, and I’m right-handed.
11. I secretly wish that I would get sucked into an MMO like in Sword Art Online or Log Horizon. I’m even a little paranoid that I might miss it.
Phew! Questions: Check!
Fun facts: Check!
Now for the really fun part — this is the part where I get to make my own Liebster nominations. Today, I have two nominations. First is to Martha Shaw at Cinema Explorer [http://web.archive.org/web/20150531194744/https://cinemaxplorer.wordpress.com/]. She was one of the first bloggers I ever subscribed to. She makes very nice movie reviews, and has even started doing reviews for anime, which I’m really excited about. My second nomination is to CreativeRhino over at WhatRhinoSaid [http://web.archive.org/web/20150531194744/http://whatrhinosaid.com/]. He has some really good insight pieces on the video game industry.
For those two, I offer my 11 questions:
Good luck Martha and Creative Rhino!
And thank you once again for the nomination, KingoftheCave!
