Easing off games a bit, except for giant robots
So, this week I played more Expedition 33, but not that much more because of life and other things. Final exams are ongoing here at Centre, and we have graduation this Sunday. Also I am tired, dog dog tired.
I have been quite happy with how frequently I've been writing in this newsletter recently, and one of the surprising aspects of this run of form has been just how many games I've been playing. Based on the last few nights, when once the kids are in bed and the dishes are done I'm lucky if I can do more than just sit in silence, I'm not so sure how that state of affairs will run over the summer.
What will be happening over the summer is writing, because it's the main time I can do it. So it might be time to talk about that a bit more for a few weeks. I hope you're ready for loosely held together thoughts on how to discuss Animal Crossing in the context of the urban-industrialization boom of 1920s Japan and the rapid urbanization after World War II. I mean, that was kind of the idea behind this newsletter at the start. But I have no regrets.
The short term plan is to get the Animal Crossing chapter into some kind of rough shape, than probably take a rough draft I already have about Cyberpunk 2077 and Japanese urbanism and tidy it up, all to put things together for a book proposal.
So, maybe I should be playing more Animal Crossing. It's a tough life.
One cool thing that has happened since the last newsletter has come with Mechabellum, a game I really like but still don't have a ton to say about just yet. It's essentially an auto-battler with mechs, but positioning on the map and the use of counters is important enough that it really manages to scratch a Starcraft-like itch. I recommend it. The cool thing, though, is not the fun that can be gained from moving aerial units around in between turns; my 11 year old is having a ton of fun in the solo modes.
He likes to create testing scenarios. How many crawlers - cheap, numerous melee range units - would it take to defeat two Vulcans, "giant" size mechs that specialize in setting cheap numerous melee units on fire. The answer is apparently none?
He basically moves through the various counter lists, experimenting with what works and what doesn't. It's an incredibly cool thing to watch your kid get into. I think he probably "gets" game mechanics and ideas on a level I never really have. He is fascinated by how the game works but the whole thing is happening with a pure sense of play.
Also you get to spawn a silly number of enormous mechs and set things on fire. Who wouldn't want to do that?