The Sunshine Blogger Award

I’ve never done one of these before, so I’ve been looking forward to writing this. I was actually nominated twice for this, once by AK from Everything is Bad for you, and then again by Red Metal from Extra Life. I don’t know if I will be able to do both in a reasonable length of time, so I’m going to answer a number of questions for both, since some of the questions I don’t have answers for. This way, I can answer some great questions from both that will allow me to write about stuff I don’t usually do on my blog.

Both AK and Red Metal write some great and insightful game reviews and other amazing content, so definitely check them out.

Here are the rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.
• Answer the questions they asked of you.
• Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo in you post and/or on your blog.

Now for Red Metal’s questions:

1) Have you ever been involved in an emergency situation (e.g. a burning building/an earthquake)?

Luckily I have never been in any emergency situation. Unless you count the ridiculous amount of test fire drills or when a kid set the alarms off on purpose when I was at school, then no. Hopefully I never end up in one.

2) What is the worst film you’ve ever seen in theatres?

This is a no brainer for me. The Last Airbender was without doubt the worst film I’ve seen in the cinema, and honestly, the worst film I’ve seen ever. Avatar the Last Airbender the show, is my favourite animated television series of all time, so this live action adaptation was atrocious and I wish I could unseeded it. Trying to fit an entire seasons worth of content into just over an hour and a half was never going to work, but that was just the start of the problem. From bad casting choices to terrible manipulation of the source material, meant that this was arguably the worst film adaptation adaptation of all time.

3) What is the best film you’ve ever seen in theatres?

I have seen so many amazing films at the cinema, making this a tough decision for me to choose. However, if there is one I had to pick, it has to be the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two. Considering that Harry Potter are among some of my favourite books and films of all time, watching the final movie at the cinema was such a significant moment for me. In many ways, watching the credits roll for the first time on this incredible final film was pretty emotional. Harry Potter played such a big role in my childhood, making this an end of an era for me. It’s a film film and book series I always come back to, it never gets old.

4) What is the strangest method by which you discovered a work you enjoy?

I don’t think there was ever a strange method for finding a work I enjoy. The only thing I could think of is how quickly I became obsessed with Bob Ross and his painting tutorials. My brother randomly showed me an episode of him, I’d never heard of him before. After that first snippet, I instantly went on Netflix and binged countless episodes before falling asleep with the tv still on. It was safe to say I was hooked, I even have a Bob Ross pop vinyl.

5) What do you feel is the greatest compilation of collected works in your collection (of games/films/music/books/etc.)?

As mentioned earlier I am a huge Harry Potter fan, so the books I’ve gathered over the years is definitely a great collection of mine. I not only have an entire set of the main books, but a number of other side works, such as the The Tales of Beedle the Bard, A History of Magic, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and I’m slowly collecting the hardback illustrated versions as they are released. I also have all of the film soundtracks on CD as well.

6) Have you ever re-experienced a work you enjoyed a long time ago only to determine it has not aged well?

The one that jumps to mind is Drakengard 2. While I still like the game, it’s clear that certain aspects haven’t aged well. I think I first played it when I was around 10, so I obviously never really looked at it deeply and just enjoyed what it had to offer. However, I played it again recently and forgot how awkward and often terrible the voice acting was, as well as the repetitive gameplay. I did enjoy playing it again, but it wasn’t as good as I remember.

7) What is your favorite opening theme to a television show?

Hands down Game of Thrones. Ramin Djawadi’s iconic theme song is just so brilliant and epic, that I never ended up skipping the intro, it never got old. It also helps that the gorgeous clip that plays alongside the theme is so creative and unique. I love the almost clockwork/pop-up book design of it, the key locations emerging from the ground is mesmerising to witness. I think the opening has won an Emmy as well. It clearly deserved it.

8) Do you prefer hardcover or paperback books?

I do love a good hardcover over paperback. From an aesthetic point of view, hardbacks just look so much more appealing and look great on a shelf. They are also less susceptible to wear and tear over the years. I still buy paperbacks, usually if there are no hardback versions available or just for the cheaper price point.

Now for AK’s questions:

1) Have you played a game that was so immersive and compelling that you ended up feeling disconnected from the real world while playing it?  If so, what was it and what do you think drew you into its world?

This is a tough one as I’ve played so many truly immersive games over the years. I would have to say The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt because I love talking about it. It had such an epic and engaging main narrative that contained so many emotional moments, tense fights and hilarious segments. The characters were all fleshed out so much that I became invested in all their own personal narratives. The world was gorgeous and thrilling to explore, Skellige’s music was hauntingly beautiful, and captured the feel of the land perfectly. I’ve never played an open world game before where I pursued and completed practically every side quest available. They were just so well crafted that I still wanted more when I finished. Such a compelling game.

2) Have you ever sold a game, game console or handheld, accessory, or similar object that you later regretted selling?

I would definitely say my PS Vita. It was a powerful little handheld that quite a selection of games, albeit smaller, indie ones. I wish more people bought the handheld, but its understandable due to Sony not really supporting the system much. However, the Nintendo Switch is now the most powerful handheld and has a much better selection of games, so I’m not too downhearted. I do hope that Sony or even Microsoft try to make another handheld in the future.

3) With the dominance of Amazon and digital game markets, do you think brick-and-mortar game stores will be able to hang on for much longer?  If they can’t, will we lose anything meaningful as a result?

It definitely looks like this will eventually happen. Every year digital sales continue to have an ever increasing proportion. It’s more convenient and leaves less clutter than physical copies. I personally prefer physical copies of games, as I feel like I actually own something and have a proper collection. Also, if I know I’m not going to play the game again I am able to sell it. I do buy digital copies of games, but this is usually if there is a large sale on. In terms of online stores, Amazon is my usual go to for physical copies as they are usually cheaper that a store like GAME. Traditional stores will need to lower their prices or do something more to make people turn to them than the likes of Amazon.

4) Your government approaches you with an offer: join its upcoming first manned mission to Mars.  You’ll receive a large salary, and if you have a family, they’ll be very well compensated.  If the mission is successful, you’ll be away from them for at least three or four years.  However, the mission is so dangerous that there’s a high chance (let’s say for the sake of the hypothetical 70%) that you will never return to Earth.  No matter what happens, you’ll be immortalized in history if you join this mission, and if you end up dead or stranded, your family would continue to receive a large pension.  Would you take them up on the offer?  (Assume also that you have skills that would be essential to such a mission, but that other experts would be equally able to perform the same functions, so the mission would still proceed if you decline to join).

I don’t think I could agree to this. While the opportunity for adventure and being involved in something so incredible, the risk is too high for me. I think it would depend on my age, If I was older then I would probably consider it. However, since I’m only 21, I have so much more to live for than risk it like that. I’ll leave it to someone much more courageous than I am 😅

I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading and getting to know a bit more about me along the way.

Here are my 11 questions to answer:

1. Out of all the games you’ve played, you are only allowed to replay 3 of them one more time, which ones will they be and why?
2. How did you get into gaming? Did someone suggest it or show it to you, or did just play a game randomly and get hooked?
3. If you could visit a video game world, which one would you choose?
4. What is the most important aspect in a video game for you (gameplay, story, music etc)?
5. What is a particularly memorable video game soundtrack of yours?
6. Is there any book, film or television show you would want to see adapted into a video game?
7. You decided your gonna storm Area 51, which 4 video game characters would you want at your side?
8. What Indie game really surprised you (it was better or worse than you thought or it had a great impact on you)?
9. If you could only own the video game consoles from one company or platform, (Nintendo, Xbox, Playstation or PC) what would you choose?
10. What’s your favourite multiplayer game and why?
11. What’s your favourite single player game and why?

I nominate:

LeeksEverywhere

Prudent Gaming

Video Games Nebula

Bizarre Brunette

Strange Girl Gaming

Charlesfwh from Around the Bonfire

Anthony

Game Time

Mr Backlog

One Nerd

Brink

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