tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post6793732974745358742..comments2024-03-29T02:30:08.238-07:00Comments on Versus CluClu Land: On MasochismIroquois Pliskinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14324582950813408440noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-73878778333506051572009-02-27T02:46:00.000-08:002009-02-27T02:46:00.000-08:00When I read this post's title, I thought it was go...When I read this post's title, I thought it was going to be about Street Fighter IV -- which has the most infuriating final boss I've come across in years.<BR/><BR/>Why do I keep going back to it? It's possible that the satisfaction of overcoming this tremendous challenge wipes away all the frustration that came before, perhaps instilling the pleasant delusion that I'm getting better at the game.<BR/><BR/>(Spoiler: I'm not.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-41466979166107871372009-02-26T19:25:00.000-08:002009-02-26T19:25:00.000-08:00@zmachine: Ha! well, I didn't get into it here bu...@zmachine: Ha! well, I didn't get into it here but I think what they mean is that golf is a great social game. You hang out with some friends, enjoy the day, have some beers. The pleasure's really in the fringe benefits rather than the activity itself. (playing halo with friends is a vastly more pleasant experience than playing on line)<BR/><BR/>@nels: it is crazy, because just learning these online shooters involves getting your ass handed to you big-time. This is no particularity of shooters tho. any game you play competitively online like starcraft and whatever have the same dynamic. hell, it even extends to playing local Lumines live against the ladyfriend.Iroquois Pliskinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14324582950813408440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-82902713170265909632009-02-26T16:49:00.000-08:002009-02-26T16:49:00.000-08:00>> The ball is so small that very minor faul...>> The ball is so small that very minor faults in your swing the thing can cause things to go horribly wrong.<BR/><BR/>This effect is like a lens that magnifies the meaning of your actions. Small changes in the initial conditions explode exponentially into enormously different outcomes. A Golf club is a simple machine that magnifies physical force. The game of Golf is a simple machine that magnifies cause and effect itself.<BR/><BR/>>> here is a game that neatly captures the masochism of <BR/><BR/>life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-87341890096906902142009-02-26T13:19:00.000-08:002009-02-26T13:19:00.000-08:00Well, golf was also invented by the same people wh...Well, golf was also invented by the same people who created curling and haggis. The former involving throwing tremendously heavy rocks across thin ice in the dead of winter, the latter being a dish that consists almost entirely of offal. Granted, I love both of these things (golf, not so much), but I don't understand why a rational person would enjoy them.<BR/><BR/>In seriousness, I cannot stand straight-up online shooters a la Halo or Counter-Strike. I'm not at all interested in then, which means I'm totally crap (or vice versa). Not sure why there's an appeal for you (and lots of others). I understand the feeling of mastery after finally beating something really difficult (Ninja Gaiden), but when it's almost absolutely futile? No idea. This maybe be a bit of an explanation, but yikes, it's kind of scary if that's accurate, eh?Nels Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06484436433023780229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7344068351653946740.post-27791071580365857822009-02-26T08:04:00.000-08:002009-02-26T08:04:00.000-08:00I was at a conference the other day and there was ...I was at a conference the other day and there was an Xbox360 with Halo 3 and four controllers provided for the participants use during downtimes. The compere (is that what you call the bloke who speaks between the main presenters?) quipped that "xbox is the new golf", though I'm guessing not in the way you suggest in the post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com