beamygaming - Tumblr blog

beamygaming · 23 days

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Hades - Game I Played #1

Turns out, the underworld of Greek mythology adapts really well to a video game! Beat this game to the end credits just today ^_^ I love how all the mythological elements piece together so well--none of the characters or items feel out of place. I also love how the roguelike format lends itself to a sort of new Greek tragedy with the main character, Zagreus, subjecting himself to endlessly climbing to the surface only to get himself sent back to the heart of the underworld over and over.

I love how the bosses still feel satisfying to beat even after I've beaten them countless times, especially Hades, himself. Focusing in on not letting my health fall to zero thus using up a Death Defiance and the quick flash to a black screen when the bosses die give such a good emotional release. Hades is such a tough fight, too, and I consistently feel my heart race when going up against him. Often when I play roguelikes, this feeling of tension and satisfaction when beating the game tends to wane, but this game keeps that feeling so well.

I like to affectionately call this game "Daddy issues, the video game" for very apparent reasons in-game. I almost cried at the end seeing Zagreus' family finally being able to make amends. Hits personally kinda hard, tbh.

Overall, phenomenal game. Excited to play Hades II in the future ^_^

#game log #gaming #pc games #indie games #roguelike #hades game

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beamygaming · 24 days

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Enjoying Games Again - a blog!

Hi! My name's Amy, but you can also call me Beamy! I'm just a gal with a passion for the art of video games, and this is a blog dedicated to my thoughts on the ones I play.

I've been creating games since I first learned how to use Game Maker when I was 7 years old, and I've been playing them as far as I can remember. My favorite games have always been Nintendo games and indie games, especially all the games made in Game Maker on the old YoYo Games Sandbox (Rest In Peace). I also grew up watching other people make Let's Play videos on YouTube. Some of my favorite videos to watch were people playing Minecraft, Super Mario World ROM Hacks, and I Wanna Be The Guy fan games. Today, I don't watch as many LPs, but I do subscribe to several channels on game design and analysis. Video games have always been a part of my life, shaping how I think and approach the world, and I love how much joy they give to me and to others.

So with my passion for playing and making games in mind, I've always wanted to share my love of games in some way! Obviously, I make my own games and have several already posted to Game Jolt and Itch.io, but being a game developer, I have more nuanced thoughts on games that other people have made which I want to express. So, growing up watching YouTube, I've always wanted to make my own videos. Maybe I'd post my own Let's Plays, do my own challenge runs, craft meticulously edited video essays, or make a contemporary Angry Gamer review channel where I say the funny **** word. And then there's streaming! I could stream myself playing games on Twitch and upload the VODs on YouTube as a sort of video archive. Or should I just stream on YouTube? Maybe both? Which platform is better? Should I even stream at all? What about a job? How will I sustain myself? How will I make money?

...

Oh yeah. Money. I'm an adult 3 years out of college living independently with a full-time job, which I need in order to survive in this economy. It's been hard juggling my passions with my job, household chores, errands, and maintaining a social life. Frankly, I feel like I haven't even played many video games the last 2 years, let alone make them or make videos on them. The main issue I keep thinking about is time and money. I can't work on projects because my job takes time. But I can't quit my job because I need money. If my projects could make money, then I'd have the time to work on them! But that's the issue. I don't have the time. And the only way for my projects to make money is to have an audience, which I also don't have and would need to build up (it sucks to think of art so cynically like this).

So I thought to myself, can I do something easier with the little time I do have? That's where the streaming idea came in. If I make a BUNCH of content in the form of VODs, there will be more videos for YouTube to recommend to people that will totally be clicked on and I'll start to gain followers, right? *buzzer sound* Wrong. The fact of the matter is I was a mere drop in the sea of countless others thinking the same thing. In order to make money, I'd have to be a content milling machine uploading daily videos all the while maintaining an entertaining persona in every one. It takes up way more time than I have, and quite frankly I don't even like making that style of content.

...

But... what about the money?

...

...What about it?

Money ruins art. I hate how art has been commodified. Art is the very expression of human thoughts and emotion through any medium imaginable. Tying a monetary value to that expression, a value which determines whether we have food or housing, whether we even get to live, causes us to make dumb decisions in how we think about art. The money shouldn't be the point of why I make art. I make art--I share my thoughts, my emotions, my experiences--because I want to connect with other humans. I value art because it makes me feel alive. I shouldn't have to risk my life just because I want to express it.

Unfortunately though... that's the world we live in currently. But I can work around it. I can think about how better to use my time. And I can have a healthier outlook on art.

I have a list of games. A BIG list. One would certainly call it a backlog, though initially I didn't realize the nature of the beast. The games in the list are all ones that I want to play and share with the world. Most are ones I've already played and still love to this day. I originally wanted to stream these games and upload the VODs in my cynical efforts described above. As mentioned previously, though, it's not feasible nor desirable for me to do so. But I still want to share these games. What can I do if not upload videos?

I found this cute video titled "You DON'T Need a Backlog" on YouTube. The video describes how some gamers make a list of games that they just have to play and the bad habits they form around this concept. Some people treat playing games as a chore! Can you believe that? I mean... that's kinda exactly what I was doing. I still like the list since it reminds me of all the games I want to share and may otherwise forget about. But maintaining a channel is so tiring. So instead, the video suggests an alternative. Make a game log! Make a personal list of all the games you've played along with a few comments on each. You don't even have to worry about beating them, just play enough to feel satisfied. As someone who's more interested in sharing her thoughts on games than being a live entertainer, this idea seems just perfect for me!

So, this what I plan on doing. I'm going to try to post whenever I beat a game so I can share a few of my thoughts on them. I'd like to stream some of them, too, since I do enjoy streaming sometimes! But I won't stream all of them, nor will I upload any VODs except for maybe some segments I think would be especially fun. The posts I make will range from a sentence or two to full paragraphs. I've never used Tumblr before, but it seems like a chill space and I'm happy to meet the people here ^_^

This is a blog dedicated to my thoughts on video games. Follow me for posts about the games I play, the art we make, and the thoughts we share. My passion for games may have waned as of recent, but it is my goal to rekindle that flame by sharing it with others. Won't you sit by the fire with me? 🔥

#hello tumblr #introduction

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