Spiritfarer

There are a lot of games that intrigue me the moment I see them. Usually, they have something different about them from what is currently trending, and other times, they just have a very appealing style, and it draws me like a magnet. For me, both of these things happened when I first heard about Spiritfarer. I was not expecting the sudden release of the indie game, and I bought it immediately, (somewhat) setting aside Animal Crossing to delve into the world. Developed by Thunder Lotus, Spiritfarer explores a topic difficult for most to swallow—that of death.

Currently Playing: Edition 001

I thought it would be cool to occasionally post what I am currently playing, based upon the recently played games on my Switch menu. What do you have in your queue?

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Splatoon 2
• Fire Emblem: Three Houses
• Human Fall Flat
• Spiritfarer
• Pokemon Café Mix
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition Lite
• Raji: An Ancient Epic
• Pokemon Sword
• Tetris 99

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Last time I checked, I was up to something like 1,140+ hours in this game. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is, to say the least, a game I have been looking forward to for a long time, and a series I really enjoy. One island wasn't enough for me, so I even bought a Switch Lite so I could create a second one. Just what is it about this game that is so appealing? Let's find out!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Image via Nintendo

Why talk about this game as my first video game post? Well, partially because it was my first Switch game, but also because it is still relevant. This game has been broken by speedrunners, modded with crazy additions, and replayed by most of my friends. I feel that it would be a disservice to not begin with Breath of the Wild, the launch title for the console.

A Change of Focus

It's been years, but now I'm back. Cue the big band trumpets from Pink Martini's "But Now I'm Back" and imagine me dancing around with gusto. I am back because I have been somewhat inspired to direct my focus to video game posts. I know there are very thorough game reviews and reviewers all over the internet from sources like Polygon and IGN, but if you're here, you want to know what I think of games, and that is what you will find.

I cannot promise that I will be very consistent with posts, but I will be reviewing Nintendo Switch games exclusively. I'll be going through my library and letting you know what I think of past purchases, current games I am playing, and even games I am looking forward to in the future. This is not to convince you to play the game necessarily, just to give a different perspective to the game you might not know. If you do happen to buy a game though, that would be an added bonus!

There may be the occasional non-video game post in the future, so if you liked some of my other posts, they may also make a resurgence. Only time will tell. Regardless, now that I have made my first post after this hiatus, I hope you will be excited to see what I post next!

Future Consumption: Unboxing

flickr/chucknado

This is what I hope to be the first in a series titled Future Consumption. Basically, I am rethinking our current usage of technology, and how we can change the state of current services to utilize newly available tools.

Chances are that if you live in the United States, you have a cable or satellite dish provider that you have chosen to work with for your television, telephone, and internet services. They offer all kinds of bundles, but their prices are fairly high considering that you can technically live without a house phone and watch your favorite shows without cable. Now that networks actually stream their shows online, you can catch up over the course of a few hours without needing to use your living room (well, actually any) television. That is why I believe it is time to "unbox" cable.

Thursday Traffic | 25 October

Imagine for a moment that you are sitting on a stopped Metro train in an underground tunnel. The train is holding momentarily, and you are minding your own business. Suddenly, an African-American man wearing a black-and-white striped polo shirt and jeans walks by. He is mostly clean, bespectacled and has the beginnings of a scruffy beard.

As he stalks up and down the full length of the train, he is yelling, "Can anybody help me, please? Can anybody help me, please? Can anybody help me with anything, please? Please, can anybody help me?"

How would you react? What would you do? The first time this happened to me, I felt sad for this man. I had nothing to give him and I was on a Metro train for about ten minutes with him screaming that over and over again. That was last month sometime. He was back again today.

This time, things were a little different. It was crowded on the train. This is the morning commute on Thursday, after all. When the man started his chant, a little girl was nervous. She looked to be about eight and she wore thin glasses and her hair was neatly braided with clips at the ends. Whenever the man yelled, she would flinch and try to be as far away from him as possible. Everyone hears the man screaming, and everyone sits still.

Then, the man changes up his chant. He approaches a woman and asks, "Can you help me, please?" This was different. It wasn't targeted at just anybody anymore. It was personal. She asks (stuttering, mind you) what he needs, and he says that he is homeless and hungry. His tone is not kind and the woman sounds scared. That little girl I mentioned before? She's nearly standing right on top of me, and she's even more afraid than the woman.

Enter the one person who is willing to confront this man. She is also African-American and she has natural hair and a rather smart mouth. She tells the man (in far softer words) to sit down and shut up before she lays him out on the train. They battle back and forth. He complains about needing food, she tells him that no one on the train is his parent and that he needs to grow up. She is the little girl's mother, and she is no joke. 

Throughout this entire debacle, the other commuters smile. They laugh at the mother's sharp comebacks. I'm actually surprised everyone didn't burst into applause when the train finally reached the next station and the homeless man left. Then, with a sort of reverence, everyone thanked the woman as they got off the train. They wished her a good day. They smiled at her (knowingly).

As one of the silent commuters, I have to say that I understand the reactions of both parties. The homeless man had a certain inflection to his voice that was reminiscent of a child with a learning disability. Given that most of the homeless people in DC came from asylums and such, I wouldn't be surprised if he had some kind of handicap. The mother, on the other hand, was protecting people from what that man could do—particularly her daughter. Yet it makes one wonder just why we react the way we do. Why didn't I stand up to that man? Why didn't the many people around me? What stopped us?

I can't speak for them, but I can speak for me. I think that there is a part of me that knows I had nothing to offer that man. I couldn't look at him and say, "Sir, I have food you can have. I have money. I can help you." I only had my lunch (which is a ham & cheese sandwich, chips, and applesauce). I had no cash, and I couldn't refer him to a shelter. In other words, I couldn't help him. That is a very painful and very humbling thing to realize. Yes, that mother could run him away with her comments, but she couldn't help him either.

Do any of you have any stories about encounters with homeless people? Any suggestions? Let me know with your comments.