Finally, back to the main point of this blog....gaming! I have a whole list of things to discuss in this post, and so I will begin (in no particular order):
1. Gamasutra
By recommendation of a close friend, I signed up for an account on
Gamasutra.com. I love this site and appreciate the multiple video game company and job listings...although I'm unsure of how helpful this will be for me. There is even a section for a blog, but I am currently unable to link it to this blog (and I just don't feel like posting on two different sites). If anyone knows of a remedy for this, please let me know. I'll have to dive into the site further for more information...
2. Boy Scouts Video Game Merit Badge
I was a Girl Scout for 13 years and it was already bad enough that we had merit badges for 'cooking' and 'sewing' (which, to be honest, are important skills to learn)...but this is just downright cruel. Perhaps cruel is not the word I'm looking for. It's more unfair...as to my knowledge, there is no equivalent of this merit badge in the Girl Scout world.
In looking at the
details of the merit badge, the earning requirements seem to fall directly in line with every other merit badge: Learn the pros and cons of video games, create a schedule for school, chores, and video games, teach someone else how to play a video game, etc...so earning the badge will be a piece of cake. I only wish that the Girl Scouts would create their own similar, if not exact, merit badge. This just shows how the public still views video games as an all-male activity/hobby :-/
I found one article discussing the Boy Scout merit badge, which lead me to another site which seems to be the closest thing to a Girl Scout merit badge/interactive site (found
here). I don't know, I know girls like ponies and sprinkles and stuff....but I think it would go a long way to offer a video game merit badge for Girl Scouts. Anyone else agree or disagree?
3. Gaming Degree at George Mason University, Fairfax VA
Figures that a year after I graduate my university decides to offer a
bachelor's degree in video game design. In all honesty, I think this is a great. A close family friend is currently working on his second bachelor's at GMU, this time in the Computer Science department for a B.S. in Video Game Design. So far, my friend is really enjoying the classes and what he's learning :-) I believe GMU is offering a bachelors in Art (music, graphic art, writing) and Science (programming) for the degree, but I wonder how students who would like to get into the business-side of gaming would work with this?
In the end...this just makes me want to go back to school :-/
4. Distant Worlds Concert and Distant Worlds II
I'm finally getting things set up for the
Distant Worlds concert at Wolf Trap on July 30th (Friday) at 8:30pm. I have a few interested takers, and I think it'll be a fun night relaxing on the lawn, eating food and listening to some fantastic music :-) Also, the Distant Worlds II soundtrack is available for download
here. Honestly, I think I prefer DW 1 over DW 2, but certain songs (like the Prelude, Main Theme of FFVII, Zanarkand, and Terra's Theme) really get to me. I highly recommend both soundtracks, and if you get the chance to see the concert live..all the better :-)
That's all for now!
