Player of games

I can vaguely recall the purchase of a pong machine, back before home computers became commonplace. That was my first computer game and, in retrospect, it was pretty crap.

Then came Atari home computers, the games improved, and since then I have regularly indulged in gaming. Indeed all of my PC upgrades over the years have been triggered by the need to play some new game. 1,000 baht for the game, 30,000 baht for the machine to play it on. The latest update to my Mac Pro was driven in part by a need to be up to date.

Along with Windows gaming there has also been the Xbox; not so suited for the time-absorbing strategy fests that I enjoy, but home to such classics as Grand Theft Auto and some rather spiffy driving games. And if that wasn’t enough, the iPhone, iPad and Android are ideal gaming platforms for certain types of games (Angry Birds anyone?).

There are those who get this addiction, and those who don’t. The latter seem to think that “games” means solitaire and some little prick jumping over platforms. I have had people suggest that playing games is a waste of time. These same people spend hours watching television and movies or reading a book. Such passive activities. Why watch a crime thriller on TV when instead you can play L.A. Noire and be the detective solving the cases, with visuals and script equal to a movie? Games draw me in, exercise my brain, and give me hours (sometimes too many hours) of enjoyment.

I am a fan of gaming; or at least I was. Something happened two days ago and, as is so often the case, it was Camberley’s fault.

Camberley is a gamer. He also has a PhD in nuclear physics and a brain the size of Bangkok. If he recommends something then it is probably good. This time I am not so sure.

The game is called Trade Nations and is played on the iPhone or iPad. On the surface it looks very similar to many PC games. Harvest timber and stone, build a village, harvest more stuff, build a bigger village; repeat ad infinitum. On closer inspection, that’s exactly what it is. The twist is in the trading bit. There is an in-game stock market where you can buy and sell the various commodities you produce, and you can add other players as “neighbours” and trade with them. Unlike normal stock markets, the in-game offering has a pre-defined cycle. Which is why I was late to bed last night; I was using all my spare cash to buy wheat, which I then sold at a healthy profit this morning when the price went up. As a reason for being late to bed in Pattaya, that doesn’t offer much in the way of credibility.

The problem with this game is that it takes up too much of my time, time that could be better spent playing better games (or write this blog). I have to regularly check in to move commodities around, to check trades from neighbours and make new trades. I am a person with few friends, none of whom would be seen dead playing Trade Nations (apart from Camberley); so time has to be spent seeking out other mugs to become neigbours. I now have 86 neighbours, none of whom I know personally (apart from Camberley).

And I know I am on a pointless mission just to build a better village. After a month or so I will reach the limit of the game and go and find something else to do to fill in my time before I die. Completing Trade Nations is not going to have the same feeling of achievement as, say, conquering Japan in Shogun 2 (something I have still failed to do after 66 hours of play). But I can’t stop myself.

All this is to explain why there may be fewer posts than usual over the next few days. It’s all Camberley’s fault.

Comments 🔗

2011-08-02 | Calvin says

I’m sure there’s another neighbor you know personally, don’t know who that could be?

2011-08-02 | Spike says

Indeed. The user of many beans.

2011-08-03 | MeMock says

My wife hates you. Yesterday I downloaded this game after reading your blog. She saw me collecting logs at 4 am this morning as I do not have enough workers yet! Anyway, I have a question about the link to Facebook. I have not registered yet because it looks like there is no way that I can stop the game posting information to my facebook wall. Is this true?

2011-08-03 | Spike says

My apologies to your wife. Mine is suffering too.

I registered through Facebook and I didn’t notice anything being posted. Alternatively you can register through the game publisher’s site.

2011-08-03 | MeMock says

Cheers Spike - I am now all signed up via the publishers site. Now to find some friends……

2011-08-04 | TheSon says

I should throw out a quick plug for http://www.humblebundle.com/ if you want a pile of funky DRM-free indie games for the mac (and PC, and Linux) for the price of whatever-you-want

2011-08-04 | Spike says

Thanks, that’s another set of games to add to the list. Right now I am off to play Crysis 2 with the DX11 and texture pack installed….

2011-08-06 | Billy the Brush says

I still like Pong

2011-08-06 | Spike says

I’ll correct your grammar before genuinej does. “I still pong” is more correct.