Have you, or anyone you know, ever benefitted from that "opinions mine, not my employer's" quip? Do you have serious reason to believe using that disclaimer is effective? Seriously curious, it seems like a silly thing to attach to a bio.

June 20, 2014

Think of it this way -- you never know how many people might have been tempted to make a deal about who you work for based on something you said, but then stopped because they saw that thing. If I ever got fired for something I tweeted and DIDN'T have that, I'd feel like a dipshit.

So what do you think Capcom could do to make SF5 more accessible?

June 20, 2014

Get rid of link combos (or significantly de-emphasize them) and switch to four buttons instead of six. That'd do a lot, IMO.

does EVO not give you enough for your buck like JamesMK says?

June 20, 2014

I don't know who JamesMK is, but I've never regretted the money I've spent going to Evo. You're in Vegas with a shit-ton of fighting game players, plus there's all kinds of side events, panels, and friends you'll probably only see once a year. If you don't really like being around people that play fighting games, or playing them yourself, then sure, I guess it's not a great value?

Does Marvel really deserve the hate it gets? Or is it just one of those "trendy to hate" type of games?

June 20, 2014

I love Marvel! I don't understand why anyone would hate it except the people who play it.

Liked by: Raj-el

What's your favorite poverty game?

June 20, 2014

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

From this day forward, you're only allowed to play anime. Which game do you choose to master?

June 20, 2014

I've been a Guilty Gear player since XX, so that's a no-brainer. I main Chipp, have tried to pick up a pocket Axl and Eddie in the past.

What do you think about our society's obsession with post-apocalyptic zombie stories?

June 20, 2014

I think it's kind of strange, though I also get it (big Fallout fan...).

A few years ago, I wrote an article called "How To Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down" for PCWorld after Egypt pulled the plug on the nation's Internet. First thing I ever wrote that went viral; woke up the next day with like 600 new Twitter followers, and they were almost all conservative folks with a big interest in survival prepping, etc. As it turns out, lots of these folks were also really into guns and FPSes, as well.

I think that these stories speak to many parts of a contemporary American experience. We're exhausted by capitalism, so we dream about a world where simply survival is the goal. We don't know how to deal with or relate to other people on a nuanced level, so we imagine that our relationships could be organized around the answer to the question "Do I think you would kill me?" We feel impotent and helpless when surrounded by institutions that dictate our fate, so we fantasize about a world where individual/tribe power is everything.

It's like, life is so needlessly miserable in really stupid ways that we end up fantasizing about something that is objectively hell. That's kinda fucked up.

Liked by: Nicole Bacon Anna

Have you ever used Google Glass? Do you think it's cool?

June 20, 2014

I haven't. I think the tech is neat in a vacuum but not really ready to think much about how that kind of thing will change the way we conduct ourselves around others (think about how Twitter changes the way you can interact and think about people, for example, and multiply that change by a really large number). Guess it's the first sign I'm getting old.

OTP? I always thought Galford and Nakoruru made a cute couple.

June 20, 2014

sigh

I spent a lot of time thinking about Tenchi and Ryoko back in the day, uh

Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth is probably the most romantic pair in video games, sexual or otherwise

Liked by: Anna

Do you think David Sirlin gets a bad rap?

June 20, 2014

Yeah, I guess so.

Personally, I like Sirlin a lot. He's an eccentric guy, but that's hardly rare in video games. Back when GGXX came out we used to play endless Chipp/Chipp and Chipp/Potemkin matches, and overall he was a pretty cool guy in addition to being really fucking smart. Playing to Win is, weirdly enough, one of the most important things I've ever read in my life.

I liked HDR a lot when it came out, though I didn't play it at a very high level. Shortly after HDR came out, I told him that I liked it, but I also liked SF4, and he stared at me like I kicked his puppy.

So: I think he does good work, and I think he's a neat guy. He's easy for people to single out, and I'm sure that people closer to him probably have all kinds of Sirlin Stories, but at the end of the day I have hella respect for him and what he does -- even if I don't always personally gravitate towards his work as much as he does.

Liked by: Raj-el

Have you ever cosplayed? you could probably slap together a hasty Ryu thing and be set, huh.

June 19, 2014

I usually dress up as Ryu for Halloween! I have red handwraps, white/off-white sleeveless gis, a belt, and a red headband. Don't have any pics, unfortunately.

Not gonna lie -- have idly pondered doing KOF Kyo, Kakashi or Rock Lee from Naruto, and maybe 3s Urien when I was cutting weight for competition :P Any suggestions?

Who are your heroes? Why?

June 19, 2014

Bruce Lee! He's a sexy badass Asian dude with hand-to-hand combat skills, roots in Oakland, and an undergrad degree in philosophy, and I'm...uh, heh.

Who is your waifu?

June 19, 2014

I was actually thinking about this the other day. Think Vi from League of Legends gets waifu status. She's so cool.

Yes, I was thinking "Man, Vi is mai waifu" the other day. I'm not proud of that.

Well you asked for an OTP. I always ship Chrono and Lucca. Childhood friends, go on a huge adventure with each other, she cries and falls to her knees for him in one of the greatest moments in a video game period. Seriously fuck Marle.

June 19, 2014

hell yeah, lucca is dope!

also, smart is sexy (and so are glasses)

Does a big ole Double flippin freakin Cheeseburger with French Fries and a freaking Coke sound good to you right about now?

June 19, 2014

that does sound pretty amazing! i got beer and indian food though so i'm good.

How would you describe your sense of style?

June 19, 2014

it's kind of triangulated between nerdy/dressy/streetwear. By which I mean: I don't like suits, but I like casual/light blazers and slacks that feel like sweatpants. i don't like dress shoes, but i do like sneakers that could be kind of dressy. you won't find me in a full suit unless it's a wedding or a funeral. i love t-shirts/tank tops/sweatshirts/hoodies, but i'd rather rep nerdy shit or Oakland than a dumb athletic gear brand.

lately i've been trying to level up my style game just by wearing weirder stuff and figuring out color combinations that i like. i can't say i have particularly good style, but i'm just trying to get used to thinking about what i wear every day instead of just defaulting to t-shirt/jeans/hoodie, and i think that's a start!

needless to say, brokentier is basically death to my wallet.

fun fact: in high school i wore anime shirts like 90% of the time.

Following onto the game design question, have you ever thought about board games? Have those ever attracted you at all, or are you more strictly into video games? (Check out the Tabletop Deathmatch sometime! I'd link but I hear that's poor form -- it's the first result on Google, though.)

June 19, 2014

I have, but the problem is that I don't really enjoy board games or card games that much! For me, physical execution is an integral part of the joy of playing games; teaching my body to do something new is part of the fun, not a barrier to it. (My love of combat sports dovetails nicely here, as you can imagine.)

I have occasionally toyed with doing board/card prototypes of mechanics/designs I'd like to eventually use in a video game, but I never get around to finishing them.

Also, I once ran a role-playing game session where I replaced all the dice rolling/combat mechanics/etc. from Dungeons and Dragons and replaced it with freestyle rapping. None of us knew how to rap at all, but it was kind of hilariously fun once people got over themselves. IIRC the starter campaign was moving through the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers.

Liked by: nothingxs Michael Warming

Have you ever thought about getting into game design?

June 19, 2014

Yep. I've dabbled a bit -- done a few game jams and sketched out a few ideas with design docs and paper prototypes. But not having the discipline or ability to learn how to code really makes it hard for me to get into it seriously.

Actually, when I used to coach youth boxing/teach beginner BJJ, I'd basically use game design skills to create new conditioning/technique drills, and it was a lot of fun!

What's the weirdest conversation you've ever had with your cat?

June 19, 2014

bear-cat: meow
me: meow
bear-cat: meow
me: meow
bear-cat makes a face and walks away
me: shit, what'd i say

Can you code?

June 19, 2014

Nope! I wanted to learn how to program since I was very young -- would always ask my dad to buy me game programming books -- but the fact is that whenever I try to learn how to do anything remotely code-ish, my head hurts and I get bored. I really wish it's the kind of thing I could stick with long enough to get good at it.

Actually, the reason I started writing was because I was frustrated with all my false starts learning how to code, and figured that writing was a way I could be involved in games without knowing how to make them. Close a door and open a window, I guess.

Come up with a movie plot in the next 10 seconds...go!!!!

June 19, 2014

I've always wanted to write an indie video games version of Chasing Amy (instead of indie comics).

How do I play Athena in CvS2? I mostly just mash c.hp, but that works pretty well?

June 19, 2014

step 1: establish crouch fierce range and dominance. i like to stare into my opponent's eyes while mashing it. whenever you hit a crouch fierce, follow it up with another crouch fierce.

step 2: use stand fierce to poke when they start dancing out of c.fp range, as it has slightly more range and it's still pretty good.

step 3: if you're ever pushed out of ideal c.fp range, back all the way out and throw a jab fireball to cover your entry.

step 4: anti-air with s.mp, then throw another fireball. if they block fireball, you can go for cl.fp or c.lk, c.fp to beat up their guard meter.

bonus: you can cross up with j.mk but the range is kinda funky. also her roll is really good. most of your damage will probably come from c.fp, s.fp, and throws.

i love you too! you always tweet nice and not mean things \o/ youre cool

June 19, 2014

so much love up in here! thanks :D

Have you ever written any fiction? Will you share?

June 19, 2014

Every now and then I get it into my head to try and write fiction, but it'll be a long time before I actually finish anything, much less publish it.

I don't consider myself a creative writer. Most of the writers I look up to could spin fiction stories just as well as non-fiction; that's not a skill I've ever developed. I think I'm good at describing what I'm thinking about and what I see around me, but I'm no good at telling a story out of nothing, and I'm hella jealous of the people who can do that.

Put another way: I've been told that reading my writing is an awful lot like hanging out with me and having a conversation. I think that's great, but the writers I look up to can drag you into their brain.

How is it that Ken is the best and yet all the other street fighters make fun of him?

June 19, 2014

ken is the worst and only scrubs play him. ryu 5eva

Patrick Miller

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