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Former World of Warcraft addict talks about the dangers of habitual gaming
When one thinks of a player who's addicted to video games, usually the image of a teen or college student with too much time on his hands comes to mind. Not so with Ryan Van Cleave, who's a college professor with a PhD, marriage and kids -- and who admits to a crippling former addiction to World of Warcraft. Last year, Van Cleave published his experience with video game addiction in the book Unplugged: My Journey into the Dark World of Video Game Addiction, and in a recent interview with Yahoo! News, he expounds on the process that led him from a reasonably balanced life to something akin to a nightmare. While he admits that he was prone to gaming too much prior to WoW, it was logging in for the first time in 2004 that captivated him fully. His domestic life suffered for it, and he eventually lost his job because of it. He has since quit the game -- and MMOs in general -- although his wife is concerned about a relapse. His wife also eyes her kids as possible future addicts: "I also have concerns that my children may have a pre-disposition to gaming addiction in the same way that the children of an alcoholic might." Van Cleave cautions players about the seemingly subtle process of becoming addicted: "Everything that you do as a video game addict, is usually small incremental steps. I was like a Charlie Sheen of WoW. Unapologetic and like a rebel, like, screw you, I'm going to play this game...even though I'm not being the best role model for my kids, I'm not being the best husband, I'm not being good to myself."
Daily Mac App: War Pinball HD
Can't get enough pinball on your Mac? War Pinball HD from Gameprom takes the great pinball engine we saw in Pinball HD and adds some war film tie-ins to the mix. You've got three tables on offer in War Pinball HD, two based on Charlie Sheen flicks, Platoon and Navy Seals, and one on a Chuck Norris special, Missing in Action. Each table is stacked full of images, props and sounds from the movies. You've even got unique elements like Huey's, Subs and a giant Chuck Norris on the table that form part of the missions available to each table. Of course because it's war-themed you've got oodles of gun fire and explosions. Almost every action on the table has some sort of well thought out and integrated sound effect or clip from the respective movie, making the soundscape within War Pinball HD incredibly immersive. It draws you in and really adds to the action. In the settings there's a toggle for some of the more sweary clips, just in case youngsters are playing. Even the menu music and sound effects are great. If you're a fan of American war films, you're going to love it. The game's graphics look great of course, and you can even play it in 3D with some suitable glasses. Gameplay is top notch too, as each table plays really well, with enough side missions and targets to keep you entertained. If you're hankering for some decent pinball action on your Mac, the US$2.99 War Pinball HD brings pinball and war together to give you one of the best pinball games available in the Mac App Store.
Enough Already Arduino mutes TV's overexposed celebrities, frees you to live again (video)
Are you besieged by celebrities? Sure, you could try turning off the TV, but now there's a more complex, DIY solution: Enough Already, an Arduino box that mutes your television at any mention of certain names -- Lady Gaga, for example. The setup's fairly simple if you're comfortable with hardware hacking; it uses the Video Experimenter Shield to read closed captioning data, then sends the mute command via IR whenever offending words appear. Of course, you can tweak the blacklist however you like, so Pippa Middleton updates will still get through. Follow the tutorial after the break and you'll be able to once more channel-surf in peace, knowing you'll never again have to hear the word "Snooki."
The Perfect Ten: MMO forum terms beaten to death
If there's one aspect of MMO culture that I have difficulty saying anything positive about, it would have to be the official forum. No matter how well-moderated and well-intentioned studio forums may be, they're essentially giant signs broadcasting "COME WHINE HERE!" When you witness a 500-page thread that's responding to a badly spelled rant about a nerf we'll all forget about in a month's time, it's hard not to break down and weep at the time and energy lost to such trivial stupidity. And with the forums -- and to a lesser extent, comments on blogs, Twitter, and telegraphs -- comes a shocking array of linguistic conformity. You see, when people are upset or eager to prove a point, they have no time to sit down and calmly think of a way to fully communicate their perspectives. No time! Instead, they reach deep into the well of the same overused words and phrases, give them a hearty kick in the direction of their post, and feel as though they've conjured up a masterful work of literature. So today I'm going to exorcise 10 of the most overused, abused, and tired forum terms seen daily in your local MMO forum. Then I will move on with my life and suggest you do the same.
Sirius XM to debut Tiger Blood Radio: all Charlie Sheen, all day long
Charlie Sheen has a pretty impressive track record: in addition to a twenty-five-plus year movie career, he's brought tacky bowling shirts to the forefront of American consciousness, earned a Golden Globe Icon award, and shot his onetime fiance Kelly Preston. Is this enough to warrant an entire radio channel dedicated to the man who describes himself as having a "10,000-year-old brain and the boogers of a 7-year-old"? Apparently Sirius XM certainly thinks so. That's right: the company has announced that Tiger Blood Radio will air for twenty-four hours beginning tomorrow at 6:00 am ET on Sirius channel 108 and XM channel 139. "[C]reated in response to the national conversation sparked by the recent events surrounding actor Charlie Sheen," the company said in a statement, the station "will take listeners behind the headlines, exploring the media frenzy/media reaction, as well as the medical, psychological, psychiatric and pop culture and celebrity angles." This definitely sounds like award winning journalism, and not a cynical way to make a few bucks off someone who's clearly spinning out of control -- Adonis DNA or not. PR after the break.
'Charlie Sheen Crossing' crosses Charlie Sheen with Animal Crossing
We're not sure what to make of Charlie Sheen Crossing, which combines the quotes ... nay, teachings of the temporarily-unemployed actor with screenshots from the Animal Crossing franchise. Is it a hilariously off-kilter thought experiment? Random mish-mash of words and pictures? Shameless cash-in on human fallibility? We're too jacked up on tiger blood to care. [Thanks, Ron]
The Charlie Sheen meltdown will be twitterized #Winning #Duh
Put down the search bar and step away from the television. Charlie Sheen's Twitter account has just been certified genuine letting you watch the train wreck at 140 frames per second.
