WILLIAMMORGAN.NET

I have a problem with feeling proud of my video game accomplishments. I mean, unless you’re making money playing on the South Korean Starcraft circuit, how much credit can you take for getting to the end of Assassin’s Creed II or Grand Theft Auto IV? There is, of course, skill involved, but there are also [...]

Just a few random snow days thoughts. And not just regular snow days but the rare “night before” snow days—Thursday’s called at 9:00 p.m., Friday’s at 3:00 p.m. I should start a new blog entry category called “Now why did I agree to be a teacher…?” That way when I’m about to lose it on [...]

Is it possible for technology to go too far, and for video games to become too realistic? I’m not asking this in the Grand Theft Auto sort of way, wondering whether realistic mob violence is a good influence on the preteen. I’m questioning it in connection to Fifa 10 and their GameFace technology.
GameFace is not some [...]

One benefit of having kids is the opportunity to revisit games from the past. Many of these were amazingly mindless—especially when the kids were really little—but sometimes you can be surprised. So it was when Sam chose to purchase Mouse Trap with a birthday gift card.
Now I don’t remember actually playing this game as a [...]

So it’s one of those weeks when life just won’t let up. Not in a tragic way—I get that living in Sudan is a true “life just won’t let up” life—but in a way that wears me slick. National Honor Society graduation, Mother’s Day, work on the house, party for my intern’s last day, grocery [...]

I’m currently reading a book by Tim Guest called Second Lives: A Journey Through Virtual World. It deals with MMORPGs (large online gaming communities) with an emphasis on more open-ended “games” like The Sims: Online and Second Life. I’m fascinated by these games because they are the largest and most insightful psychology experiment ever crafted. [...]

All the blame for my lame, sporadic posting falls on Nico Bellic, the programmers at Rockstar Games, and the violent addiction that is Grand Theft Auto IV. Since I got my Xbox 360 last fall, I’ve managed to keep my playing time under control. Games like racing and sports are perfect for the well-managed player [...]

Christmas in October = My new Xbox 360 = Skate = Not much work getting done around my home. I have had a reluctant relationship with video games for many years. I played the hell out of them as a kid–Atari Yars’ Revenge, Intellivision NFL Football, etc.–but I’ve seen the life they can suck out [...]