Gaming isn’t just for Nerds

“You can’t say you enjoy that videogame! You’ve never played it!”

WELL EXCUUUUUUUUUSE ME PRINCESS!

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been given a weird look or vehemently told an opinion over the fact that I like certain videogames but haven’t actually played them.

The unique thing about videogames is that they are like playable movies. Games like Legend of Zelda, Bendy and the Ink Machine, and Until Dawn have great storylines what are broken up with action and puzzles. Because of the way thay are created, these games can be enjoyed by even if you just watch an automated playthrough. And because we live in the amazing era of The Future, YouTube is full of Let’s Plays of any videogame you want to watch and those who upload the videos also give an extra layer of experience and fun depending on who you watch.

Don’t get me wrong, if I could play the game, I would. My issue is that I lack the necessary finger movement to play these games properly. And before you try to say, “You just need practice!” I have! I spent hours playing Ocarina of Time only to slowly develop a hatred for the game and my lack of gaming skills. I couldn’t look at the game for the longest amount of time even though it is my all time favorite plot of a videogame. I am not willing to do something just because someone told me I wasn’t having the full experience. I may not be able to comment about how the game feels when you play it but I can comment about everything else. It’s like watching a modern movie in black and white. Sure, you may not be able to comment about the color choices but you still experience all the good parts.

So, am I going to support these videogames by buying merch and posting about them on social media even though I haven’t rescued Zelda, hid from Bendy, or accidentally killed Ashley?

You better believe I am.

Rant Over.

-Mabel

#wethegeek #wethegeekmabel #videogames #opinion #merch #support #gamer #playthrough #letsplay

The Fall of Smosh

The Fall of Smosh

It was announced on November 7, 2018 that Smosh and Smosh Games are shut down. Not shutting down in January as many suspected but immediately. As of the official announcement from the parent company, Defy Media, Smosh is done. The 80 or so people who worked there are now all out of work.

It’s over.

This is one of the larger closings we have seen in the YouTube community. Most of the time when channels shut down it’s a small group or an individual. It’s never been one of the giants like Smosh, Fine Brothers, or Rooster Teeth. Each of those companies employing into the double digits and being widely successful.

Until now.

Smosh was one of the oldest and most successful channels on YouTube. It started in 2002 as a website called Smosh.com, created by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. After the creation of their website they started posting videos and YouTube and by 2005 they were one of the top channels.

In 2011 the duo sold the company to Defy Media. The duo only received stock options in the company, no actual payout. Stock options only work if the company goes public, which Smosh never did. The duo never made any money from the sell out. But under Defy Smosh grew and expanded to several other channels.

On June 14, 2017 Padilla announced he was leaving Smosh. He left for details that had never really been discussed.

Till now.

Padilla has since come out with a tell all video after the closing of Smosh. Padilla said in his video that Defy made radical changes after the sell out. Defy changed staff, shows, and managing style. Defy also reportedly took Padilla’s Facebook page, Twitter, and denied him from joining the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and ignored sexual harassment issues with other employees.

Defy reportedly has debts to several large backers and employees, and even though Smosh was widely successful, had to shut it down. Several early reports were that Defy was shutting down it January. But since then several sources in Defy have said that is not true. The closing is immediate and permanent.

All is not bad though. Ian Hecox said on Twitter that Smosh would find a new home, so there is still hope.

Be sure to see watch the videos from those closest to the shutdown here:

Padilla: https://youtu.be/1_zuDvgfULw

Lasercorn: https://youtu.be/d6TcHAggoy4

Joven: https://youtu.be/mXUvpLQRoBo

Mr. Sunday Movies: https://youtu.be/LBcbknAcJwk

As more news comes out we will update you.

-RytheGeek

#smosh #smoshgames #youtube #defymedia #wethegeekry

Cowboys ride again

The third installment in the ​Red Dead​ series dropped on October 26th and gamers everywhere were freaking out, including me. For those who aren’t familiar with this title, the original ​Red Dead Redemption​ was released in 2010 by Rockstar Games and is the second in the series following ​Red Dead Revolver ​from 2004. This series overall is a Western-themed, open-world, action-adventure with an easy-to-follow story that lets you live your dream of being a cowboy/outlaw in the late 1800s to early 1900s. To be honest, it’s ​Grand Theft Auto​ with horses.

The premise for ​Red Dead Redemption 2​ is similar to the previous titles, in that you play as an outlaw trying to choose between the gang and himself, killing as many (or as few) people as it takes to achieve mental clarity for your character. ​Redemption 2​ plants the protagonist, Arthur Morgan, right in the middle of Dutch Van der Linde’s outlaw gang, which was the same group John Marston left and was tasked with taking down in ​Red Dead Redemption​. Due to the presence of Marston as an active member of Van der Linde’s gang, ​Redemption 2​ is actually a prequel and not a sequel, as the number “2” would imply. Enough about the story, let’s get into the mechanics.

I’ve been playing every day since the release, and I can safely say that this game is outstanding. The graphics are phenomenal and the environment is beautiful. Not many games can pull off different climates and weather fronts well, but wow, these developers put forth some intense time and effort to perfect the environment. Not only is the setting majestic, it is more than deadly. Your character and horse will take damage if you get caught in extreme weather which makes it even more immersive. It takes the ease of traversing an open world and makes the player have to think about how they proceed in the environment, which increases the challenge. The weapon wheel, inventory menu, and pause menus are easy to navigate and separate every aspect of your character’s needs appropriately. Another mechanic Rockstar does well in all their games is assisted targeting. I will admit that I am terrible at aiming in-game weapons with my console controller, so I rely heavily on assisted targeting when provided to me. ​Redemption 2​ delivers four assisted targeting options for a wide spectrum of gameplay options.

All in all, ​Red Dead Redemption 2​ has lived up to the majority of the hype. It was a long-awaited addition to the ​Red Dead​ franchise that will become a classic, as did the previous two titles. I give this title an 8 out of 10 rating, taking the lack of fast travel into account. Unfortunately, this is as close as we will come to Westworld…for now.

-KatTheLadyNerd

#wethegeek #reddeadredemption2 #reddeadredemption #reddeadrevolver #geek #nerd #game #videogame #gamer #gamergirl #rockstargames #grandtheftauto #western #adventure #action #reddead #openworld #shooter #wildwest #westworld #hbo #kattheladynerd #videogames #gamernerd #gamergeek #casualgamer

Block by Block

So today we break old ground. Not new ground, that would be out of character. No, today we discuss a game that most are quite familiar with: Minecraft.

The result of me saying the name of the independently made voxel-based crafting and survival game will elicit either a quiet smile, or a shaken head. Or, as normal people put it, you either hated that name, or loved it.

Either way, Minecraft is still a game that should be talked about. Many feel like it needs to disappear, the game having been released in “full” in 2011. However, the game grew year after year, and very much is still thriving with an astounding 74 million estimated active players (1). This is especially true since the Microsoft purchase of the game. The purchase itself was even hotly contested, encouraging Microsoft to simply let the team there do what they needed to, and just providing funding (at least as far as we can tell). Since then, there have been many updates to the game, and multiple console releases. Playstation, Xbox, Switch, PC, and Mobile devices now all have a version of the game, and in PC’s case, 2 (3 if you count the raspberry pi edition). With the move to consoles, Mojang, the developers of Minecraft pushed an idea: true cross-platform. Now, one of the first (if not THE first) games to be truly cross-platform with all current consoles and similar devices stands tall (if quietly), at the second-best selling game of all time (1), right behind Tetris.

Alongside the main game, there were many mods, modpack launchers, YouTubers, and spinoff games that pushed it to new popularity, and still do to this day.

Recently announced was a Minecraft dungeon-crawler, which looks to take inspiration from the community, and from games like Diablo, and promises to be interesting at the very least. I await it’s release, and will definitely talk more about it once it comes out.

Until then, as a longtime fan of the game, this is Incensum saying: “Thanks Mojang, for the [redacted] hours of pure entertainment.” And thank you, for reading.

-Incensum

#Incensum #WeTheGeek #Minecraft

(1) according to Wikipedia and PCGamer (2018) https://www.pcgamer.com/minecraft-had-74-million-active-players-in-december-a-new-record-for-the-game/

Suing Telltale

After our report yesterday on Telltale Games a new report has come out saying there is a lawsuit underway. Polygon.com reported on Reddit that a former employee, Vernie Roberts, is suing his former employer in a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit says that Telltale broke California state law by not giving employees advance notice of the closing and firing of some 250 people. To make matters worse rumors are coming out that Telltale did not give any severance and their medical insurance will only last the rest of September.

It seems that Telltale is in deeper trouble then just closing its doors. The staff here at WetheGeek will keep you updated as news arrives.


-RytheGeek

The fall of Telltale…

I don’t know if you guys are keeping up with the news but Telltale Games offically announced that they are closing shop last Friday.
This company is responsible for games such as:
The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, Batman: The Telltale Series, and Tales of the Boarderlands.
With their recent release of the final chapter of The Walking Dead, it came as a shock to me to hear the news. In their most recent interviews, Telltale Games said that they had “No choice” since they had lost a big financial backer, causing them to cut more then half of their staff.
As of currently these are confirmed:
*Walking Dead might finish. Episode 2 will be released and episodes 3 and 4 will be completed.
*Netflix is still going to push on with the Stranger Things game.
*Everyone is upset.
The company seemed to have been doing well with their series but, according to reports, employees were well aware that the company was under financial strain for the past few years and was under fire from their previous Chief Executive but this hit hard and fast.

Twitter has been revealing a lot of information by not only Telltale but the developers and other employees. Many are upset at how fast everything has happened and some are straight out angry.

But all is not lost. Other game studios like Blizzard are offering to employe the former Telltale workers. So even as this storm continues the gaming community rallies around an amazing team.

Only time can tell what happens next since new information is coming out each hour.

-Mabel and RytheGeek

Sources:
Youtube: Philip Defranco show, Monday, September 24th 2018.

http://m.ign.com/articles/2018/09/25/telltales-sudden-closure-was-reportedly-the-result-of-a-failed-round-of-financing