Changing the Game
I’ve been thinking about game mods lately. For those not in the know, mods are user developed “add-ons” for video games that change the appearance or the features of a game. They’ve grown increasing popular in the last decade, and for some game like Minecraft, they’re pretty much standard for most players.
The thing I love about mods is they represent a brilliant opportunity in the evolution of gaming. They’re an example of the feedback loop in action. The old development cycle was this:
Developer has an idea -> build game -> tests -> release game -> moves on to next project.
But with the advent of online forums and social media, fans are much more vocal about what they want in a game, and while I’m the first to warn content creators about trying to please ALL of the people all of the time, the fans are not only speaking, they’re now creating.
If we think of mods as the individual’s way of responding to the work(the game), mods are essentially a way to add something that was not there, or missing. To that end, while not every mod needs to be embraced and cherished, really popular mods must represent something the players want or need.
Dissenting Opinions
The Correctness has shared a LOT of opinions about pretty much everything we’ve ever discussed. In the pop culture internet world, it’s easy to both find something to have an opinion on, and also to share it. It’s also very, very easy to be lulled in to thinking that the more vocal someone is, the better their opinion is. In a world with Twitter, a thought can be retweeted and parroted instantly around the world, long before it’s thought through or reflected on. Sites with message boards can quickly form a “line” on subjects and excoriate any one who strays from it.
Rewatching LOST
So, in the last few months, I’ve spent more time online at The AV Club’s TV Club, and less time on Fark. There’s a whole other article as to why, but in a nutshell, Fark seems to be getting ‘meaner’, and way more sexist that it was, and TV Club comments are just funnier, and more clever. One of their features is rewatching older shows, and reviewing a couple of episodes a week. One of those show is LOST.
Unless you’ve lived under a rock since 2004, you likely have a least a passing familiarity with the show and it’s ‘trapped on a desert island’ premise. More likely, you’re familiar with the outcry at it’s completion, with the internet exploding in anguish over unsatisfactory answers etc.
Facelift
It’s been a very long time since anyone posted to The Correctness. No shame, no blame. We’re busy folks, very busy. Tbinns is tackling toddler-raising and full time writing, RobbieRobTown is in intensive care after yet another Wendigo attack, and I’ve been creating Lego projects non-stop. But I still love The Correctness. So I’m updating the site yet again, and hoping to have more content. Not sure what form it...
Super Heroine Smackdown Semi Final 2: Storm vs Kitty Pryde
This week: An All X-Men battle as Kitty Pryde takes on Storm
Let’s get it on like a freshly loaded bong.