Games of thought and logic. Especially turn-based or real-time strategy games.

Strategy games are the playground of the mind. My best buddy introduced me to them years ago (a little game called Command and Conquer). I'll admit I was never very good, but I was awesome at creating maps for it. Somehow I can make maps that improve computer AI and incredibly change the game--remember the 1 tree, Bert? Yup, I altered a game to insane difficulty by removing a single tree on my custom map. From then on the computer went absolutely crazy with difficulty. I love making maps.

When I was a kid, we played the board games Stratego and Risk. My dad stopped playing Stratego with me when I started laying traps and never giving openings, and we actually only played Risk a few times (maybe me staying up all night and planning out the first dozen or so moves was a negative? Dunno, but I accurately predicted everyone's moves, and I'm very proud of that). There's also Checkers and Chess, which are hugely more complex and great fun!

I still get a rush with strategy games, which is why I like puzzle games so much (or maybe it's the opposite?). Games like these teach forethought, consideration, and mostly patience. We do need reminders to stop and consider. Not everything should be point and click and rush. Give it some time and think about it. Let the possibilities race around in your mind's eye. Watch the outcomes and weight the options. With practice you'll find these new skills apply throughout your life.

So, yes, kiddies, playing games makes you better at life! Woohoo!

- M

Frustration. I mean tear your hair out frustration.

Think of a time when your patience is completely gone. A specific time when your rage at the utter unfairness is so high you would happily tear your own hair out rather than face the frustration one moment longer. Get's your heart going just at the thought? Is your head pounding? Steam rising from your scalp? Maybe even developing a nervous twitch in your eye? Don't worry, we've all been there.

This is one of those emotions we all connect with, and it's incredibly useful in stories. You can pretty much count on your audience sharing a character's frustrations because we understand. It doesn't really matter if the hero or villain is frustrated, because shortly the audience will be too. Connections like that are precious currency within a story, and the way an author uses them demonstrates the depth to which the author knows where they are going within the story. In my opinion the frustrations of the hero are more important than their successes. After all, do you want to see the hero always win? No, it's boring. You want the hero to fight and keep fighting. That's part of the tension, and tension is where the story grows. One of the special tricks in an author's toolbox is getting the audience to tense up before the character does, and string along the audience as the realization slowly dawns on the characters. It's a marvelous thing to witness it done well, and really elevates a book to superstar status in short order.

Now, the question is, what do you do with those frustrations? In a story it's simple ... get to the end. Life isn't so neat, and for that you have my deepest sympathies. I find a lot of prayer and spilling my soul to my wife helps me (she is far wiser than I am, and I lean on her wisdom all the time). Time is the great softener though, and walking farther down the path does calm things down. I do have a suggestion that sounds very odd in these fast paced times, and that's to find a quiet corner and sit and calm down. Hope that helps.

- M

Reaching for a dream

On balance, having a dream to strive for is better than having nothing. Of course, realistic dreams are even better (though whoever determined going to the moon wasn't realistic never met Neil Armstrong). In the end, it only matters if you believe it's possible. Who's to tell you that you're wrong? Either prove them wrong, or beat the dream into pieces and build on the fragments. Shattered dreams are every bit as worthwhile as successful ones, perhaps more so because failure teaches far more about your abilities than success. Fight for your dream. Fight with every breath you have and every ounce of strength you possess. Nobody is a failure if they keep striving. You only fail once you stop and give up!

The great Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Britain, gives incredible counsel with this, "Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." We all face times of testing--when it seems the whole world is focused on destroying every dream of ours and reducing us to smoking ash. My dad once told me that great tribulation reveals the truth about yourself. How easily do you give up on your dreams? I hope you don't. Life is too short to waste it on pity and slouching around. Get up and chase after whatever you set your sights on.

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I think there's never enough hope and dreaming. I fully believe that when we chase after our dreams, we make the world a better place. We become optimists and don't accept defeat or setbacks. Maybe it's not the only answer to lost hope, but everyone benefits from having people around going after what seems impossible. Dreamers lift up and challenge us, prod us to do better, and get us going when we're down.

So, find your dream and chase it! See what happens next!

- M

Memorizing, quoting, and other demonstrations of superior memory ... bah!

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I am constantly impressed to see an actor on the spur of the moment do the opening monologue of a Shakespearean play. Or, someone quote a famous poem, perhaps even a short story. All from memory! Incredible. Can I do that? Uh, ... no. I have tried, I promise, though probably not hard enough. I remember phrases, clauses, and elements. I'm more a generalist, seeking to put together life's jigsaw puzzles. Did I mention I love puzzles? --- Squirrel! --- Sorry, got distracted.

That said, I'm still trying. My bucket list includes the final dialogue from Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and a few poems (such as "The Raven"), and maybe some song lyrics (which for some reason I cannot retain, yup, even songs I've listened to a billion times). Oddly, I can quote Star Wars without pause. Eh, the human mind is a strange thing, which is possibly why we don't fully understand it yet.

Anyway, memorizing is an amazing feat. I've watched people demonstrate truly incredible, photographic, recall. Things like instantly memorizing a complete chessboard with something on each square, or a long list of names, and especially impressive was taking the orders of a long table of customers without using a notepad (oh, and some customers changed their orders after everyone had finished). There's all sorts of tools to use, and methods that work, but the main component seems to be attentiveness. For some strange reason paying attention matters. Yeah, odd isn't it? Apparently it doesn't happen by osmosis--I tried that too, by sleeping on my textbooks, but it didn't work.

- M

Bubble and Billow, Woohoo and Yippee. Some words are just fun to say.

Bubbles, tiny bubbles!

Every language has fun little words. In English, there's "bubble." Just saying it brings a smile to your face, and memories of younger days to your mind. But, it's more than that. The word itself is fun. Not like "coal" or "garden." Fine words they are, but there is something special about "bubble." How about "billow" or shouts of acclimation such as "woohoo" or "yippee!" There's lots of others, but these four always bring a chuckle and a grin.

Language is an oddly comforting ability. On one hand it's a method of necessary communication, blunt and to the point, and on the other it's poetry and song. People can play language as if it were a fine instrument, plucking heartstrings as they tickle our ears. It's interesting how specific language, such as Eskimos having many words for "snow." Depending on the culture and environment, the language is fine tuned to fit the culture. After all, how important would words for waterfalls be in a place with nearly zero rain?

I think it's a real tragedy that most people have a fairly limited vocabulary. There are such wonderful words, with precise meanings and nuances. Using words effectively is like playing a symphony, picking and choosing the meanings you want with the barest essentials. One fun game to play is to pick an unusual word and inject it into casual conversation. Nothing like saying, "Well, for verisimilitude's sake, I'd do the opposite." Tee hee. Funny stuff.

- M

Build-it-Yourself ... put slot B in object T with tool J ... huh?

One of the most frustrating projects I've ever coped with was building our first baby crib. It was the most confounding and ridiculous build I've done in my entire life. I swear the people who designed the thing were Klingons, or possibly pranksters from another dimension. And, yes, I do read the instructions available. One thing I've realized is how important it is to read all through the directions first, because they invariably goof up the order of assembly.


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Yesterday, my wife and I bought a new television stand. It's sitting on the other side of the room, staring at me. I swear it's laughing maliciously, just waiting for me. I'm not completely sure it's not possessed. Maybe if I have someone come over and do an exorcism it'll assemble without disaster? Either way, I'm biding my time. I think if I sneak up on it when it's napping things will work out better. Okay. I admit it. I'm just not gonna do it until later.

I do have a suggestion though, and that's to put a difficulty rating on these things. Model airplanes have it, or at least they used to. If I knew it was a tough kit, then I wouldn't feel so lousy when I'm not getting the crazy thing together. And what's the deal with having parts left over? Extras, for later replacement? Or, do the designers expect that we destroy some bits and need a second one? Personally, I think the second choice is the likely one. Maybe they realize that anger management becomes an issue during these challenges? Wish me luck!

- M

Angry Birds - Star Wars edition ... get it ... get it now! ... get it now, you must!

I can't believe I missed a post because I spent last night playing Angry Birds - Star Wars edition. I'm embarrassed. On the plus side, what a fantastic game that is! If you've ever played a knock-down-the-blocks game as a kid, then this is the grown up version on steroids. It has fun puzzles, an engaging play style, and wonderful characters. The Star Wars characters we all love are folded into the world of Angry Birds with love and joy.


Rovio Entertainment

Computer games have been a part of my life since their inception. I particularly love rpg games, but I do enjoy a good action game. Mostly, though, I like puzzle games. There's something especially enjoyable to me when I solve a puzzle in a creative way, or break through a devious plan and come out on top. Maybe it's my way of saying, "Aha! I'm smarter than you!" But, of course, that's the point of a game, in that you beat it. Games aren't much fun if you can't win, and I doubt anyone would play for very long if it is hopeless. You can only beat your screen in frustration for so long before you chunk it and go on to something else.

It's been a pleasure to watch the game industry flex and bend with new technologies. I remember when the first mobile phone games came out, and I did roll my eyes at them. Now, it's a multi-billion dollar industry, with no signs of slowing down. People want something simple they can goof around on for a few minutes (or hours as my case was) and then go about their day. It's great, and I hope it continues for a long time to come.

- M

Ode to my brother

I'm proud of my brother. I'm proud of the things he's done. I'm proud of the man he is. I'm proud to be his younger brother. Like any of us, his life experiences are very different from my own, but we share a family, a love of planes, and a deep respect for our wives and children. I love to brag that he is a pilot (not just any kind of pilot, but an instructor for other pilots while in the Air Force). I'd trust him with my life, the lives of my children and my wife. He'll do everything he can to help, and would give you the shirt off his back without a thought.

My brother with my youngest daughter

Yet, distance separates us. It's impossible to be as close as we'd like. I have visions of family picnics and barbeques, laser tag and trampoline parties. Half a country is a long way, even with the wonders of modern communication. Sadly true, distance makes us lazy in our relationships. I do wish my children knew my brother better. He's a great man, and a great brother. His children adore him, and his wife loves him.

There are precious few real compliments in our world. One of them, is: you're like your brother. I imagine most of us with brothers would take that very well. I love my brother, and I'm proud of him. Perhaps we will spend some more time together in the future. I'd like to think so. Whatever happens, I'm glad he's in my life.

- M

Look out! ... Ah, well, nice try anyway.

Incoming!
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When you hear someone yell, "Look out," I have to ask, do you look or start running? I've done both and I still haven't decided which is better. On one hand, looking helps you see whatever is a hazard to you, but on the other hand someone yelled a warning clearly because you are in immediate danger. I think the natural inclination for me is to stop and look. Which brings up an interesting question: if nobody shouted out a caution, would you be any more likely to be injured? That's the funny thing about warnings. Sometimes the warning itself is more dangerous than the circumstances. That makes it a paradox of sorts.

In stories, particularly the more visual sorts (like movies and plays), the audience is the one being warned. And there's no greater warning fun than the well-known jump scare. There's typically a loud bang, something leaps out, and basically an unexpected event scares the daylights out of you. What's funny is how the audience nearly always knows it's about to happen. We know the tricks and yet keep falling for the same, "watch out," that is a fake so we don't see the real one sneaking up behind. Probably overused, but it does work.

You can see this happen at any playground. The boys are playing soccer and eventually the ball will go flying, someone yells a warning, and whammo some poor kid gets it right in the face. There's plenty of video proof in those funny clips on the internet. Perhaps we learn this from our parents, because parents love to trick their kids by telling them to look at something and then catching them by surprise. It's a tease. Then, we get a warning to look out and we still suspect a trick. Maybe we just don't consider it really is a ... hey, look out!

- M

Flying. How could it be any better?

Credit: clipartheaven.com

My favorite way to travel by a long shot is flying. I love it. I especially enjoy the blast toward the horizon during takeoff. Mankind has dreamt of soaring the skies for so long, but it's still one of our favorite dreams. I can't count the number of times I've dreamt of flying, and it never gets old.

Psychologists have a raft of reasons for the desire of flight, and I'm not interested at all. What's important to me is how fantastic the feeling of letting go of the ground and drifting on the wings of eagles comes to be. In a plane you only feel the power of the engines and the shuddering of the cabin in flight, but in dreams you feel everything. Skydiving is likely the only thing even coming close to the fun in dreams. There's also a wingsuit which allows you to glide in a kind-of flying sort of way (it's more like falling gracefully).

I think we crave the freedom to fly because we equate it with ultimate freedom of movement. Watching birds fly, I totally understand. It's magical, seeing a creature leap into the air and vanish into the sky. There's joy in those wings of a sort we can only guess. The funny thing is, birds have no idea how special they are and how much we jealously desire their abilities. Maybe it's just our nature to be jealous.

Either way, if you ever have the opportunity to fly (in dreams or otherwise), I highly recommend it. Live a little extra and fly the skies!

- M

What happened to all the goofy, silly, and optimistic shows? Give me a flash of hope!

Yes, this really was a fun television show!

My childhood was filled with crazy television shows that dealt with science fiction in a fun-filled way that didn't take itself too seriously. I know Star Trek (both original and Next Generation) tried, but I think the writers knew very well how to be snarky about it. Misfits of Science, Automan, Probe, and a raft of others. They all were optimistic about our future, and looking forward to new technologies. Despite whatever dangers they may have presented, they all encouraged the drive for better. Unbridled optimism about our future, and rosy expectations, ruled the day.

I know it's more realistic to show the defects and dangers, and I do enjoy those shows, but I also miss the joy of discovery. I yearn for the wide-eyed pleasure watching starships blast through space on voyages into the unknown. Look at Lost in Space, the old show with such a ridiculous concept it couldn't possibly work today, and compare it to newer ones like Firefly or Dark Matter. Dark and gritty, mixed with some wit and comedy, but the blood of pessimism flows throughout. They depict worlds where we only survive and cope, rather than succeed and flourish.

One great example of doing it right is The Flash. It's optimistic to a fault, featuring a cheery view of everything, even failure. Watching the show makes me feel great about the human race. Sure, there's dark times, but the story doesn't dwell on it. There's always an undercurrent of hope. I know nostalgia claims old memories and makes them rosy, but hope is great no matter what. Even when it's goofy, silly, and plain out crazy. Hope is a good thing. Bring it back!

- M

Independence Day

 

Once again we celebrate Independence Day here in the United States of America. It's a special day to play with fireworks, hang out with friends, and pig out on barbeque foods. There's television specials of the various firework shows around the country, big band concerts, and all kinds of frivolity. Hopefully nobody gets hurt as we remember the founding of our precious country.

Yes, I'm a patriot and proud of it. My desire is to pass along a deep love for my country. Your home country should be close to your heart and your prayers. It's important to honor that love. No matter where you live, once a year there's a celebration to remember where it all started. Take the moment to dig into history and really understand the how's and why's. Remember the good and the bad. Unless we actively remember, we risk losing our own history.

So, take part in the celebrations and keep in mind the costs paid by those who strove to build the great country you live in. Especially, remember the heroes and sacrifices, the cost in lives and property. Not everything is perfect, but we can work hard to make it better. Never give up and never surrender.

- M

It's a trap!

One of my favorite storytelling techniques is setting traps. For the hero, or even for the audience. Make something too easy, or too simple, or any kind of exaggeration. Give someone a real reason to believe, and then pull the rug out from under them. It's probably safe to say that audiences are used to this tactic, but it's still fun to ride the crisis wave to whatever conclusion the storyteller has in mind. A good trap can change a mediocre story into a sizzling page-turner and have people banging down the door of a movie theater.

This is similar to the twist ending concept, but doesn't have to be at any particular part of the story. It could actually begin this way, or end it. However it's used, a good trap complicates everything and changes the landscape completely. Think about how incredible the opening scenes of the first Indiana Jones movie would be without the sequence of traps within the Peruvian tomb. That's probably my favorite opening for any adventure story. I still can't get enough of it.

When I was a kid, I drew traps for stick figures who were running down a never-ending hallway. Pits and spikes and cannonballs and all sorts of crazy things. All I really cared about was designing neat ideas and playing with them. Growing up hasn't really dimmed that creativity, though I've maintained a playful streak of practical jokes. The practice also helped teach me the value of false leads and misleading trails. Above all, traps prevent things going stale.

- M