Mind Grapes

Hello, my name is Sean, and I enjoy writing almost as much as I enjoy playing video games. Really, it’s the marriage between both passions that’s possessed me to commit some of my time to writing about my weekly exploits with a medium I’ve grown fond of.

A little about me: I’m 25 and much like Adam and Brandon, am born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I’ve just recently graduated and am looking for permanent work. Besides writing and playing video games, I enjoy reading, cooking and jogging. 

Contrary to Brandon, I consider myself a relatively hardcore gamer: I often play most titles on the hardest difficulty, and have a passion for games of any size or genre. That said I often find myself drawn to Japanese RPGs, which embody a perfect mix of escapism, challenge and purpose that I don’t often find in other genres. My platforms of choice are the PS3, 3DS and VITA.

My backlog is sizable: at last count I have Soul Hackers (3DS), Etrian Odyssey IV (3DS), Bravely Default (3DS), Dead Space 3 (PS3), Assassin’s Creed IV (PS3), Lone Survivor (VITA), and Killer Is Dead (PS3), among other less pertinent titles that are waiting for me whenever I get around to them.

I just recently finished To The Moon, which I felt was touching. My current playlist is comprised of Spelunky (VITA) and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (PS3).

My history with FFXIII has been spotty. I enjoyed FFXIII, mostly because of its combat; felt FFXIII-2 was unchallenging, and lacked a clear identity; and am currently enamoured with Lightning Returns’ challenging mess of an existence. Perhaps I am contrarian. Likely I am contrarian. Maybe I enjoy this new entry because so many vocal members of the internet have been so singular in their attempts at destroying any credibility which this trilogy has built for itself? Or maybe I simply wish to play Majora’s Mask and, lacking both the hardware and willpower to procure a copy myself, have instead transferred all wonder and excitement toward this mess of ideas? Video games can become complicated mirrors of self-inflection, and discourse on this topic can often be used to create satirical rants. This is the power of blogs, I guess.

I don’t feel as though I need to touch on To The Moon any more than I already have. But I will, if only to stress how perfectly it managed to stir feelings of sadness in me. I guess video games are powerful outlets of emotional catharsis.

Spelunky feels right in a lot of ways. It’s infuriatingly random, and strangely gripping. Similarly to Demon’s/Dark Souls, it is a game which rewards patience and learning. All of this is presented to the gamer in the form of a procedural and platform-based title, in which the objective is to reach an exit while avoiding all manner of danger. But then that doesn’t really do the game any justice. I guess that video games are sometimes very difficult to explain to people, if only because they are meant to be played.

I guess video games are a lot of things to me: they are quiet moments of reflection and immediate and brief instances of distractions. And on that note, welcome to the existential basement of my inner consciousness, where my intentions will never be clear, and my words jarringly structured. You’re welcome.