My Household's Gaming Atmosphere

As you may or may not know, playing video games is one of my primary hobbies. I feel I cannot sanely live without interacting with something highly intuitive and gratifying in order to to alleviate any of my pent-up stress throughout my school day. And for better or for worse, video games have always been recipes for disasters at my house. Skepticism, fury and rage are three things my father expresses to convey his vehement disapproval of the general act of playing those so called 'life-ruining' video games. Whenever I would be caught in the midst of playing a video game, my father would make a pessimistic, dismayed look, where he would turn around in disgust of this addictive activity. Apparently, his generation never grew with video games, and he never began to accept them as a viable form of media that can be enjoyed responsibly. Had he ever caught me watching any given television program, there would be absolutely no argument. I think his great dislike for all things video games stems from his memory of me playing Call of Duty 4 on Xbox 360 last year well past the world's bedtimes. I would do this on school nights, weekends, and holidays.

Given the fact that I now attend a college prep high school, I suppose his position on the matter is somewhat more justified, but hear this. On a daily basis, I go to track practice in Chicago (which is far from my suburban house), which means I have to take the train to get home, and will reliably get home by about 6:15 PM. And because of my free periods, I will rarely do my homework after track practice, considering my amount of energy as well. But on this day, I do my arduous homework for nearly two hours, taking a half hour break to play Battlefield 2 to clear my mind. (Especially since I no longer have a functioning Xbox 360 to play Call of Duty 4, but that's another story of my father's fury) So my father comes in the room yells at me as fiery as ever, clearly biased by his opinion regarding video games. Then I am offended by his blatant disrespect of the media and stand up for myself, yelling at him at an equally deafening tone. Then, I run out of the office, only to be chased by my father at a moderate pace. Afraid by the thought of being beaten, I never stop to allow myself to be caught by him throughout my house. You see, my father can either be in a very jovial, cheerful mood, or a rather tribal, barbaric state; and anyone who witnesses him in such an enraged state is sure to get out of his way. He then tells me that if I go to my room, I will be safe from him. Sounds ironic, right? Well I believe him, and ultimately, everything is fine. Video games have been the catalyst for many contentions in my household lately. And while I continue to enjoy them, if my enjoyment during the weekend, (which is supposedly when video games are intended in my household) ever carries over to the workweek, something traumatic is bound to happen in one fashion or another.

By: Michael Lenoch

Battlefield 1943 Impressions

Considering that I'm what one might call a Battlefield afficiando among small circles, particularly 1up.com's message boards, Battlefield 1943 is a game that I don't exactly know what to expect from. Battlefield: Bad Company, a console-exclusive first-person shooter [released August of last year], was a game that seemed entirely based around destructable environments. By my perspective, it was a horrendous game that had so few redeemable qualities other than the unique destructibility offerings.

For better or for worse, Battlefield 1943 is also based on the Frostbite engine; the same one that Battlefield: Bad Company was based on. Let's just hope there's more variation than miles and miles of sparse land and uniform destruction throughout what seemed to be all the buildings and structures.

Given that Battlfield 1943 will also be on PC, I can only hope to see more powerful weapons than those of Battlfield: Bad Company's; Also, the ability to lie down would be rather nice.



Wishful thinking for this new Battlfield...

Just a thought: The way I like to top off a weekend

By the end of a sleepy weekend, I feel I need to do a few last things that I meant to that would ultimately make my weekend feel complete. Otherwise, I would feel I lived through an unsatisfying weekend; regret the wasted time, reflect, and get up in the middle of the night to do so. I find posting on 1up.com's message boards most satisfying... blah blah blah.

I have a certain unofficial OCD-type obsession that I must make use out of my weekend, or I feel uncomfortable for some reason.

I honestly don't know why I'm telling you this -- if there is anyone anyway.

That's probably why my writing here is so convoluted. I'm writing to myself.

If anyone's here, show yourself in the form of a comment. If not, this will continue to be my mainstay for a public diary regardless.

The Profoundness of a Mirror-Inspiration

By: Michael Lenoch

Last year, I attended a public high school for my freshman year, and was met by a tremendous sense of a mirror, or opposite inspiration due to my relatively fervent effort and high hopes to one day reach the private Catholic high school I originally should have set my sights on prior to beginning high school.

But now that I currently attend the Catholic high school I worked so hard to get into, I have found it more difficult to work just as hard as I did at the public high school, as there are fewer stupid individuals to live as the opposite of.

And by that account, I believe it was so easy to work hard at the public high school because of the utter stupidity, laziness, and gluttony I witnessed of illegal substances teens are notorious for such as weed and alcohol. I think the poor attendance and lack of effort I witnessed at the public school provided a constant, opposite inspiration of a terrible work ethic and lifestyle that I was committed never to never live by.

He who which is now missed

JUST A THOUGHT:

Shawn Elliot- To a certain degree seems to me, at least, similar to a soldier. By his latest appearance on 1up Yours, he has expressed himself incredibly eloquently, yet has retained to render himself funny. That said; a solider can joke with the guys, drink a bit and have some fun, while dedicate all his senses as total warfare slowly consumes the attention of him and his comrades. And by that; he is innately very competent at his craft, and carries a considerable amount of charisma along with it.


-Michael Lenoch