Reality vs Adventure

Wow, video games can be a prescription now by clinical psychologists and seems to help rather than a second prescription med. I like this broader approach to therapy instead of being at the mercy of legal dope pushers in white robes called pharmacists and doctors. I can see how games that help to build "patience and tolerance" and even "escapism" may help with anxiety and depression. Strangely, everything I've heard people say on this forum how other gamers in other places are highly toxic and have low "frustration tolerance" kind of makes me wonder if those gamers would be the same playing these other games that actually helps with tolerance. Maybe they wouldn't be so crazy if they played a prescription game before going 'no holds barred' on their next game. Another thing is that the general public might not be receptive to playing a video game for therapy due to their fragile reputations and societal misconception of adulthood where anger and low tolerance is authority.

The most interesting storyline with the animus I would say is Valhalla, specifically the storyline tied to it in the map of Asgard. I don't know the whole story yet, but that integration is pretty awesome. It's easy to overlook too if you are doing a speed play through. I want to explain so bad but I won't because of spoilers. Any AC game could work without the whole animus storyline. The game itself would be fantasy/action adventure. The animus makes it sci fi/fantasy/action adventure. So if they want to make the animus more relevant, then they need to be more sci fi oriented. If they could balance those 3 genres and not half ass the animus part, then it could be a legendary storyline. It still kind of is because there are many things going on and not just the main story, but instead of completely doing away with the present day, they should treat it like they would a DLC, or extended map of the modern day. And that way we have a choice to spend as much time we want in the modern world or the past.

That's interesting to hear that the game might not be as funny and edgy because that is exactly what I love about GTA5. The brilliant satire makes me laugh more than any game and just makes it really fun. So if they do away with that kind of humor, then GTA6 becomes drama oriented. It would make sense to be careful in this political climate for GTA6, but funny political satire is what we all can laugh about and see how crazy we all are displayed in a game, in the extreme satire of course. That's why I say GTA 5 is one of the best games out there I've ever played because to me the satire is brilliant. But I say GTA 5 is hard to beat in that sense so they might as well go with a new formula.

Probably will have to be the 80's here too because back then you could walk into any gas station and play arcade games. Plus, I was in Vegas so they had slot machines everywhere too, so everyone was gaming it seemed.

It would be cool to see AC in a modern setting but not sure how that would work. The latest AC Valhalla has multiple maps, so maybe they can add a modern time map of a city. So that when you exit the animus you can play in the modern world, and always go back when you want to play in the historical setting. They have already kind of built on a modern day story, so if they wanted to it's definitely possible to mix in there. Who knows what all they will add in their upcoming Infinity game. That just might be the last AC game because they say they will keep adding maps to it or locations; I'm not so sure what they are up to.

The nutrition label on foods shows what percent of dietary allowance is given per serving. So if the food label shows that product to have sodium per serving to be 100% of the dietary recommendation, then that's obviously no good. So there should be limitations on sodium, fats, and sugar based on what percent of the dietary recommendations per serving. And the food manufacturer will have to abide by that in every product they make. That would work easily for fat and sodium, but It would be harder to do with sugar, since carbs is the largest portion of our dietary requirements. We need at least 130 gm of carbs a day just for normal brain function. So we would have to go by the weight of what the product is made of. The ingredients list has the ingredients that weigh the most in the product at he beginning, and the least weight at the end. So if sugar is the first ingredient, then that product's weight is mostly sugar. So we can set standards to make sure sugar is at least the 5th ingredient, which would have the weight of the product mostly wholesome food. These are the things that need to be implemented in order to fight the obesity epidemic. And the built environment has a lot to do with it too. For example, you can compare the food that sits on shelves in the grocery store of a poor community, which is abundant in junk, and that same grocery chain will supply healthier options in a wealthier neighborhood. Yes, healthy food is more expensive, but at least offer a box of wholegrain cereal for cheap instead of nothing but sugary junk. No excuse.

Monday 12/13 Ubisoft will go live on youtube to announce I think two more DLC. That 'God of War' style might be Norse hell or Helheim. https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/12/assassins-creed-valhallas-future-will-be-revealed-live-on-the-13th-december

I also wanted to add something to this topic because I know there are people who don't want government overreach into their health and choices. But in the USA in the WW2 era, there were far too many people that couldn't enlist in the military and were rejected from service due to them being malnourished and health related issues; so that became a national security risk. They then passed the school lunch program in 1946. Today we have an overwhelming obesity epidemic in the westernized world which is also a national security risk of today. So should governments have that responsibility to step in and try to make the population more healthy? Of course they do.

If they ban tobacco, then they must ban alcohol. There is plenty of published research on diseases caused by both. So why choose just one poison? If anything, a ban on alcohol would be more appropriate because tobacco doesn't cause violence, but alcohol does, including accidents. I think banning tobacco is a popular public opinion and even politicians feel reluctant to take bribes from that market, whereas alcohol is still fattening pockets of politicians and that is why we have this ridiculous hypocrisy of attacking tobacco and not alcohol. If the government wants to get involved with our personal health, they have to go all the way and ban all substances that are bad including the high fructose corn syrup and set limits to sodium in the food nutrition label. There is a clear epidemic of diabetes, so why allow so much sugar in our food? Smoking can cause cancer; alcohol can cause cancer; sugar can cause obesity which can lead to health problems. Why pick just one to attack and not everything else that is harmful to our health? Governments know full well what is harmful to the public health, so I believe it is their responsibility to set standards to limit those things on the industrial scale so that outright banning things don't create black markets and unnecessary imprisonment. Why is there a ban on marijuana in most places and not alcohol? These lobbying markets have to be broken up and limit the amount of alcohol/tobacco being sold and purchased. Tax the hell out of it. Make a 6 pack cost three times as much. Governments regulate fluoride in the water, why not sodium and sugar in our food? Tax the hell out of it or set standards. The weird things in the ingredients list, ban it! Ban the trans fats. Force fast food companies to limit the amount of the 3 evils in their foods-sugar, sodium, and fat. So if governments claim to care about our health, then those are the steps to show it. Otherwise, banning tobacco only is just a big whatever move. But I do personally believe governments have the responsibility to step in and reduce all those top poisons mentioned.

Post your favorite songs here you came across. I posted this before but couldn't find where. Here it is

I'm no professional gamer; I'm no reviewer; I was born into gaming in the 70's and 80's...I'm new to gaming after couple decades without gaming. I have many games I love, but I have to say...I have to say it...GTA5 I consider the best game ever made.

I haven't finished any game in the series. I played GTA 3 and 4 but it just wasn't my time to play it. Now that I've played GTA5---how is it not the best game ever made? And I'll ask that question again at some point in the future. But since playing GTA5 and the complete masterpiece that it is, I want to get the trilogy and play from the first game. I actually feel it's worth getting it because I'm not that familiar with the old school games. I mean, should I play the ps2 versions instead of the trilogy? All I know is that I'm gonna play 4 after 5 and then start from 1-the almighty original. Sucks they screwed many things in the trilogy, but what other choice do I have? Ps2 or ps4??? I have to say... GTA5 is a game in this modern technology and brilliance that just can't be beat anytime soon. And GTA5 is a ps3 game correct? FUCK MAN...They didn't even need a generation to stand on.

How exactly does the external storage work for ps4 because I have the exact problems with storage. Does the external storage save the game application onto it? Is there supposed to be an option in the system to save applications to the external drive? Because whenever I put in a game it just automatically downloads on the ps4 hard drive. How do you make it download to the external drive? I use an external storage to save all my save files and pics and videos, but not actual applications. And how exactly are you supposed to get updates for the game that way? Do external drives have a slower processing speed if playing a game from it? May be a lot of questions, but help is appreciated. Other than that, you can replace the hard drive itself with higher gb. It's easy to do. Here is a site that compares some good hard drives https://www.ps4storage.com/best-ps4-internal-hdd-upgrades/ The higher gb you go, it gets expensive.

To me, thrilling is something that is exciting. I really like the unique maps in AC Valhalla especially Asgard.

How exactly would that work? You buy an NFT from Ubisoft store? Why buy it from another player if you can get it from the store? Would it be discounted? Is the player taxed for selling items? Will this turn into something where NFT's are a limited item and scalpers buy all the codes and sell it to other players? I'm lost and confused when it comes to the sense in this.

I just saw that tonight while playing my GTA 5. I bet that would be fun but I haven't used the online mode yet. How is it? I know I need a PSPlus account to play which sucks. This is how things are going to be though; pay to play.

I'm hooked on Greedfall. I even dreamt about it

Every generation is going to relive the classics like Super Mario Bros and others from Nintendo, so those will last forever as long as games last. As long as companies don't eat themselves up and split up and have a big fiasco on owner's rights to who gets what profit from any future game made from that series, then any series can last forever. There's no telling what inner conflict will split companies. That always is the problem that prevents publication of things.

I like all of them, whether it being 100% accurate, alternate history, or having an accurate historical setting and throw in some fantasy. I'm leaning more towards the games that have a historical setting, but with added fantasy. Or is it fantasy? If we think about all the things mankind has believed in, and we show that lore in games, then it's a real portrayal of history. All the game is doing is putting an image there of the lore they believed in and immersing you in that setting to help you believe what they believed. It doesn't make the lore real, but it makes the cultural history real regardless of events. And the Assassin's Creed games does a good job of that.

I had no idea they made cards since the 1800's! I had to look that up. There should be a post about Nintendo's history. https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-nintendo-130-years-video-games-super-mario-zelda-2019-9#after-years-of-selling-its-games-made-for-devices-designed-by-other-companies-nintendo-released-its-own-game-console-the-nintendo-entertainment-system-worldwide-in-1985-13

I can see how AI can be used for remasters, because it can fine tune things what the AI interprets in its built in memory. It's kind of like how the brain fills in gaps of images that aren't even there, but the brain recognizes it as being there as part of its stored memory. So the brain creates that image for us to interpret. What would be cool is if the AI can use a real world data base of architecture/blueprints/scenery etc. and integrate that into games. Then they can go in and tweak what they want to change it up for creativity. You would be able to build whole environments in however much time it takes for the AI to make it. If tech is fast enough, they can build a city in a day. That is where maybe actual architects come into the gaming world. Because games are getting more and more realistic. I do see problems with AI creating faces because it might actually make a face that looks like someone and that real world person can sue, if the person with that face was some evil villain or something lol.

Are there actual museums for gaming? It seems gaming would be a section in a museum dedicated to computer technology or something. Other than that you would have to wait for the next gaming award show to come to town. All those old arcades have to be sitting somewhere though. Probably in somebody's hoarding garage in no man's land. It would be cool to see a display and comparisons of all the consoles over its history.

I gave Greedfall another shot this weekend and progressed to the island. I have really enjoyed it. It has pleasantly surprised me. I was so close minded the first time I played it. It came off cheesy at the beginning. But once I got to exploring and doing quests and finding out what's going on in the story, I'm now hooked on the game. I can't stop playing it now. The atmosphere is incredible. The first major fight was awesome. I do take issue with the movement of the character though. The camera is extremely sensitive and moves too fast, like each turn you almost spin. But I'm getting the hang of it. The stories and setting, tone, captures my imagination and puts me in that fantasy where I just can't wait to explore the island and all the tales. It's becoming an underrated gem so far. So a lesson to be learned is to always give a game a chance.

There is bound to be a connection between music, math, and gaming. People that are good at music tend to be good at math (not the other way around), or the Mozart effect; but of course there is always debate. I was looking up that correlation and found that it's because of spatial temporal reasoning or 'the ability to think ahead several steps' and 'transformation of images in space and time.' Here is an article about neurobiology of music and math. https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/serendipupdate/correlation-between-music-and-math-neurobiology-perspective So I was looking into spatial temporal reasoning and gaming, and I haven't found scientific articles, but many sites do indicate that gaming also increases spatial temporal reasoning. So if that's the case, then gaming helps people become better at music. Might be something worth looking up some more.