Domestic Psychology

Doug says:

// May 16th, 2011 // No Comments » // Doug, gaming

via sms: “I can’t talk right now. I’m working on three stars.”

Angry Bird Brotherhood

// November 5th, 2010 // No Comments » // gaming, people

At one point during our DC visit, we ended up riding a bus instead of the child-preferred Metro. The bus was hot, crowded and a bit stinky. Multiple languages whispered in cell phones or to seatmates. A familiar game sound across the aisle made Doug’s head spin and in a millisecond, a dozen people on a bus were discussing Angry Birds. It united people who were more diverse than an old Benetton ad. Every last one of them smiled and talked excitedly about a game that is loved by even the five-year-old member of our family.

The next day, I watched a heated political conversation on Twitter become a love-fest between cons and libs as they tweeted about green pigs and yellow birds. Walking through the DC airport, I weaved in and out of Angry Bird sound effects coming from every direction.

I think that someone should nominate Angry Birds for a Nobel prize. It seems to have a bonding effect on people that doesn’t exist anywhere else. Angry Birds is an instant community builder. At the same time, someone needs to form an Angry Birds political party. They can lobby for things people want, like Angry Birds reacting appropriately to a phone being tilted.

my first LAN

// May 13th, 2008 // No Comments » // gaming

This will be easier when it is past tense and I am reviewing the results of our first LAN. Instead, it is nitty-gritty details time. The most important detail of all – we HAVE a babysitter for the night! Hooray for Grandparents. We have a designated room and the computer equipment, but can’t transport computers and set-up until AFTER Friday morning’s graduation rehearsal but BEFORE everyone gathers at our house for an early dinner. Everyone cross your fingers and do the “no tech issues” dance. At the same time as set-up, we will do some minimalistic decorating. I wonder if we have any clear Christmas lights that are not still attached to our Christmas tree? I think we need some background music that is not part of the game. I could bring my iPod and borrow something to use as speakers or I can bring the portable XM inside and borrow something to make it work inside the building. I’ll have to figure that one out very quickly. The biggest unanswered question is what games to bring and how to have multiple copies. At school, the teens play Unreal and Halo, but the discs belong to a student who doesn’t want to loan them to us for the night. If we buy one game and make copies, will the police arrest us at the LAN or wait until after the party?

Oops, almost forgot one important detail. I am going to use my cell phone to hop online and blog during the night. Between that and Twitter, the evening’s adventure should be well documented.