"Love is the truest hope of faith. Mercy! Mercy! Hallelujah!"

--Kyle 

The Death of Gaming and Why I Miss Split-screen

Years ago, when I was still in high school, I played games. I played many games. Games like Halo and Portal 2 and Army of Two. I chose these games as examples because of a common feature to them all. They had co-op elements that were on the same Xbox. Split-screen. I played these games long and hard, particularly with my brother. There were times that we ceaselessly worked on a game so much that either of us would have given up long ago if it weren't for the intensely social experience of it. One of us might get tired of the game, the other would convince the first to keep playing. We took turns giving up on the same game until we beat it. One game in particular was fantastic in this co-op way. I always seem to come back to this and I talk about this a lot, but that game was Halo 3: ODST. We still play this game off and on. This was a time of exactly what I wanted from gaming. It was a cool world with bright colours that was fully realized and imaginative. It was also intensely co-operative for those that wanted it to be. Sure there was single player, but there was also Firefight. This game-mode was one where you and 3 of your friends could battle wave after wave of enemies that came at you as you stood your ground in a fixed location. It was meant to be played with 4 players (albeit on 2 different boxes), we played it with 2 on the same console. We sucked. Or, at least we did at first. Through determination, (mostly on his end) we got better. It was slow, but eventually more and more aliens fell beneath our ruthlessness. Our weapons blazed longer, our conversations got deeper. We were just happy to be on the same side, talking about life and 'oh watch out for that grenade'. It was a hard game and that was the best. We were heroic. Eventually he got so good with the sniper rifle that he can easily get one kill per bullet, and I got so good with the silenced pistol that I wouldn't miss a single headshot out of over 200 kills. We talked about life, love, happiness, what it means to be human, and what was our plan for the next match? Could we have used that turret or that rocket more effectively? Fast forward a bit. Now he has a girlfriend and I have one too. We all love video games. We both played through the Halo series separately this time, but with our girlfriends. I played Portal 2, and Lego Indiana Jones. Then, the new consoles started rolling out. I thought this must be the opportunity for co-op games like never before! All that new processing power must make it way easier. Instead, what we got was a complete lack of local multiplayer in any form. The only games that have split-screen are Lego Marvel Heroes and Call of Duty. Both games kinda suck. I was waiting for a chance to build new memories and live new experiences with my girlfriend and my brother, but now they're phasing out local multiplayer in favor of 'social' gaming with complete strangers. I don't like strangers. I like the people I know. It's really strange now that we're both finding more things to talk about and more local multiplayer from a system like the 3DS. Those things are fantastic. All my Pokemon are so much cuter than I expected. I am getting many hours of enjoyment and satisfaction and conversation out of working through the backlog on that system. I am surprised at this. Gaming can still do local mutliplayer, so why is it killing it? I don't know, but I miss split-screen so much.

Johnston Canyon, Banff National Park, Alberta

Would you rather fight Batman or Superman?

People might think the 'correct' answer to this question is Batman, since he has none of the powers that Superman has. However, I will go with Superman on this one for two reasons: Superman has more mercy than Batman does. I'm more likely to exit that fight with at least some teeth, but were I to fight Batman, this would probably not be the case. And secondly, it would be more awesome to fight Superman. It might be over in less time than it takes for me to process that information, but at least I can say, "It was an honour, sir." With Superman, he'd stop me, but probably not crush me because I don't represent that big of a threat. Batman would break bones and remove teeth just to send a message.

...It's an ocean.

"When we see guys acting in certain ways, we must not judge them too harshly. We must view them in the same way we view any other creatures of nature, such as snakes. They do things that seem inappropriate in a civilized world, but they are only following behavioral patterns that were embedded eons ago. If we are patient and understanding with them, if we seek to understand what 'makes them tick,' we can succeed in modifying their behavior and bringing them more 'in tune' with modern society. I'm talking about snakes here. Guys are hopeless." I found this quote in my adolescent psychology textbook and I hate it. If it were about females, this would be an outrage, but since it's about guys it's just a funny anecdote about how 'boys will be boys'. Right?

Isn't elitism grand?

Since today is the Superbowl I get to feel superior to people who enjoy watching sports for not enjoying a thing they get to enjoy?

Uh.  Okay.

Go away Anna

Marzipan Smaug atop a treasure of golden sprinkles and rich chocolate souffle.  As fun to eat as he was to make!

What would you say to people who are disappointed that they have been sorted into Hufflepuff? (x)

Mom: Brush your hair.

Me: My hair cannot be tamed.

Mom: K.

I like her hair most.

Hands and faces are hard stuff.

Do you want to build a snowman?

-Frozen