Sorry guys.

Hey guys, sorry, work is a little crazy this week, and I've got vacation Friday-Tuesday as well, so I'm not sure what I'm gonna get out in the way of posts.  BUT, I promise I will be back next week!

Character Breakdown: Donkey Kong

Name: Donkey Kong
Games: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Junior, Donkey Kong 3,  Donkey Kong Country 1/2/3, Donkey Kong Land 1/2/3, Donkey Kong 64, Super Smash Brothers 64/melee/brawl, Donkey Konga, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Donkey Kong King of Swing, Donkey Kong Jungle Climber,  Donkey Kong Country Returns.
Skills/Attributes:

• Raw Strength
• Agility
• Tenacity
• Loyalty
• Happy-Go-Lucky Attitude
• Simple Minded
• Strong Combatant

Summary: Donkey Kong, the second character in our lineup!  Donkey Kong is an old, old face in gaming, as old as Mario's in fact.  Mario wouldn't be around if he didn't have Donkey Kong as his first antagonist, after all, the first game he appeared in, Donkey Kong was the one the game was named for.  Mario was just the little guy you played as named "Jumpman!"

So let's take a little look at DK.  First of all, he's build like a truck.  The dude is jacked, and he exhibits this by being the general "powerhouse" of the Donkey Kong game crew.  He smashes objects out of the ground, throws barrels and kegs around like they're made of styrofoam, and beats the snot out of anyone standing in between him and his friends(or his bananas).  As such, we're gonna probably be looking at a good powerlifting regimen to get big and beefy like the big ape himself.

Though big and strong, DK is also pretty agile.  He swings from vines, balances on rolling kegs, leaps from treetop to treetop, and is a generally capable individual.  While last week we looked at the basic parkour roll as our intro to parkour, this week we're going to take a look at some general agility drills, as well as maybe some basic gymnastics.

Donkey Kong is tenacious and loyal.  No matter how many times his bananas get taken, he doesn't say, "Well screw this!" and switch to eating apples or something.  He goes after them, gets them back, and stomps all over anyone that gets in his face along the way.  He's also extremely loyal to his family members.  DK is a family man through and through, still listening to his grandpa even though he's a crotchety old asshole, and keeping in touch with his grandma even though she's dead.  He's a regular patron of his family's businesses(Funky, Swanky, yadda yadda), and is often saving his nephew Diddy's butt as well.

It should be worth noting, by the way, that Cranky Kong is supposed to be the original Donkey Kong from the old NES/Arcade games.  We're going to be dealing mostly with the new DK and considering them one and the same, which, while not canon, makes my life a bit easier :-P

Lastly, we've got his laid-back, simple, easygoing personality.  Donkey Kong is a pretty chill dude when people aren't breaking and entering his house and kidnapping his relatives.  We're going to take a look at the virtues of a simple life, the judgement of when to leap into action and when to let the world pass you by.

So yeah, that's what's on tap for the next few days, peeps.  I think we're gonna have a good time with the gorilla, eh?

Now, it's on like...oh hell no, that would be too corny.  Go away, come back tomorrow.

Dan "DaRatmastah" Wallace

Donkey Kong and all  property therein are © Copyright Nintendo Entertainment.

Ezio Roundup/Link Grab Bag

Ever wanted to Fight Like Ezio Auditore?  Now you can, with the Video Game Combat Guide: Assassin's Blades!

Alrighty guys, that's it for this week and Ezio!  Here's a quick roundup of the posts, and the links within them, and at the bottom I've got a few cool other links.

The Posts:
Character Breakdown: Ezio Auditore
The Ezio Auditore Workout
The Mind of Ezio Auditore
The Skills of Ezio Auditore
Ezio Auditore on Leadership, Ethics, and Philosophy

The Links:
The Prince 
Chess Tutorials 
More Tutorials/Play Chess Online
Parkour Roll Tutorial with Ryan Doyle
"The Monkey King" Building Freeclimber
Sword School Directory
The Cateran Societ Broadsword School
Exotic Automatic Weapons Forum
XKCD Strip About Greatness
How to Win Friends and Influence People

And now a little bonus.  Jane McGonigal has written a book called "Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World."  I haven't yet read the book myself, but she seems to be writing along the same lines of what we're talking about here in this blog!  You can see her on the Colbert Report here, talking about her book, and she totally gets it.  Listen for the money lines about realizing your capability of becoming like your avatar in a game.  You can buy her book on Amazon.com here, I know I plan on doing so when next paycheck comes =)

Alrighty folks, that's it for today, see you on Monday!

Danny "DaRatmastah" Wallace

Ezio Auditore on Leadership, Ethics, and Philosophy

Ever wanted to Fight Like Ezio Auditore?  Now you can, with the Video Game Combat Guide: Assassin's Blades!

I'm listening to Iron by Woodkid as inspiration for this post today.  If you aren't aware yet, that's the music playing in the Revelations E3 trailer.  Check it out, a good listen even without the badassitude of Ezio wrecking dozens of templars in front of you.

So while coming up through Assassin's Creed 2, we see Ezio start out as a headstrong and horny young adult, merely seeking vengeance for his family, and evolving into a full-blown assassin at the end of the game, perhaps even the subject of a prophecy.  Throughout Brotherhood, however, we see him move another step further, from merely a cog in the machine to a full-blown leader, mentor, and eventually head of the Assassin order.

But where does this leadership come from?  How does Ezio become a leader of an order when he starts as barely even a reluctant participant?  I'm actually going to refer to a line from one of my favorite webcomics of all time, XKCD.  Specifically this strip.  "But you don't become great by trying to be great.  You become great by wanting to do something, and then doing it so hard you become great in the process."  Ezio is a man of action.  When Machiavelli says there's no horses available and merely throws his hands up in the air, Ezio decides to just go ahead and liberate the entire district of Borgia influence single-handedly.

Ezio leads by example in everything he does.  He puts his faith in other people so they put their faith in him.  If he wants something done, he jumps in and gets his hands dirty before he asks anyone else to do it with him.  This decisive action can be inspiring, as long as it's tempered with judgement.  Jumping headfirst into action without consideration can just make you look stupid.  Remember our discussion of chess beforehand, although Ezio seems to just wear his heart on his sleeve, he does so because he has both excellent judgement, and a good awareness of all the situations he's involved in.

On the ethics and philosophy front, we see Ezio in stark contrast to Machiavelli.  Ezio believes in the public, and is optimistic about their response.  Machiavelli is cynical, plans every move painstakingly, and assumes that anything that can go wrong, will.  NEITHER view is either valid or invalid, in fact without Machiavelli's advisement, Ezio would probably go wrong a lot more often than he does.  If I had to guess, Machiavelli would beat Ezio at chess, haha.  But they show two sides of the same coin of leadership.  Are you working on reading through the Prince?  You should be!  In there you'll see the dichotomy of leadership options.  Machiavelli was a brilliant adviser, military mind, and leader in himself.  There is a LOT to learn from both putting out an example for people to follow(Ezio), and assuming that at their base level, people only do things for others if you give them a good reason to, and will otherwise serve only themselves(Machiavelli).

Remember the hallmarks of Ezio's leadership styles.  Decisive action, leading from the front through inspiration, and putting faith in others so that they will put their faith in you.  These are powerful tools if used correctly.  Additional reading I would recommend is the seminal classic, "How to Win Friends and Influence People," by Dale Carnegie.  When you finish reading the Prince, move on to that one to clean any bitter cynic taste out of your mouth.  It's possible the most influential "people skills" book I've ever read.

Remember, by the way, that in this blog we are, in a sense, trying to become great by trying to become great(refer to my previous quote from XKCD if you're confused).  This is a good starting point, but not enough.  I'm trying to help give you the tools to reshape yourself as you see fit.  YOU need to find a reason to do it, and a motivation to go for that reason.  Pick a goal or an interest, and then bust your ass trying to be as good at that goal or interest as you can.

And that's pretty much it for our friend Ezio!  I'm gonna do a links/video grab bag tomorrow for some supporting stuff to finish off our time with Ezio Auditore, as well as a few other cool things I've found on the "Becoming a Video Game Character" front.  Not sure where we're going next week, we're due for a character breakdown soon, current frontrunner is Donkey Kong with one vote, you can change that by leaving a vote in the comments below, or on our Facebook page!

Requiescat in pace, assassins.

Danny "DaRatmastah" Wallace

Ezio Auditore, Assassin's Creed, and all other property therein are © Copyright Ubisoft Entertainment

The Skills of Ezio Auditore

Alrighty!  Ezio Auditore is a master assassin.  We've been over this already.  Something else to note is what I referred to in my initial character breakdown; Ezio's feats and skills may be astounding and unbelievable but they are, for the most part, possible to perform in real life.  The major exception to this is the leap of faith maneuver, which, at low heights and jumping into certain substrates, is possible, but the whole hay/flowers providing enough cushioning for such falls is dubious.  Foam pits at gymnasiums would work, though :-P  His martial arts styles and feats are also grounded in realism, and we'll touch on those, too.

So!  First and foremost is Ezio's parkour skills.  His climbing, leaping, jumping, and general acrobatics are awesome to watch and perform, and chances are, you know that these things are already possible.  But how do you go about it?  First off, I'd recommend getting in relatively good shape before you attempt too much.  Once you can perform level two of The Ezio Auditore Workout I'd recommend you start giving some parkour a shot.

While I am an amateur traceur myself, I would not consider myself anything near the caliber of Mr. Ryan Doyle.  Above is his roll tutorial, which is what I would recommend you start with when you're beginning to learn parkour.  I love everything about this video, but especially, "we teach you how to fall before we teach you how to fly."  You're going to encounter more danger from falling in your life than just about any other threat. I wouldn't recommend doing ANY other parkour until this roll is second nature to you.  Just a word on his progressions, though, before you try diving over an object(progression 3), I would recommend practicing the dive roll without any object on soft grass or mats(if you have access to gym mats).  Also, start with a lower object to dive over after that.

And that's it for parkour!  I know, I know, Ezio does WAY cooler stuff than that, but I really want you to learn the roll first and foremost.  If you're interested in getting yourself hurt by jumping in faster than you should, feel free to look up more tutorials on youtube, but don't say I didn't warn you.  But while you're at it, look up Ryan Doyle's show reels and you'll know what I meant when I say that Ezio's feats are possible in real life =D  I promise you, I will revisit parkour MANY times in the future, especially since it's the latest cool thing to add to games right now.  We'll look at more advanced stuff, just LEARN THE ROLL NOW so you're ready for it!

Climbing is another thing Ezio does well, and the best advice I can offer you on this one is to climb as much as you can, whenever you can.  Climb trees, walls, climbing walls, rocks, whatever.  Know your limits, don't go higher than ten feet without safety equipment(or a reckless disregard for your own safety), and if you have a climbing gym near you, DEFINITELY go check them out and take a lesson or two, you'll learn some neat stuff.  Maybe someday you'll even be like this guy.

Big skill number three we're going to look at is martial arts!  For all intents and purposes, Ezio is a fencer.  Not a modern foil fencer like in the Olympics, though, we're talking traditional Florentine Fencing with some hand-to-hand and knife work mixed in.  If you can, your best bet would be to find a medieval or "classical" fencing school, Italian if you can, but any European style school should work.  I personally take Scottish Broadsword lessons from the Cateran Society Broadsword Academy long-distance apprenticeship program, and I like them just fine.

With his assassin blades, we're a bit stuck.  First of all, they don't exist as a traditional weapon in history.  You can get some props, like this one from Amazon, but these are contemporary props, not  functional weapons.  Though there are some similar weapons like the Katara/Suwaiya, but  nothing that is explicitly a double-action wrist-mounted switchblade.  Exotic Automatic is a forum devoted to crafting exotic wrist-mounted blades, but before you go there, know these things: 1) You need to read all the rules before you post, and the registration process is convoluted.  Seriously, read the rules.  2) If you go in there, and ask for designs for an "Assassin's Creed blade for my wrist because I R 1337 azazzin plz!" I swear to god I will find you, and I will discipline you.  They are a serious weapon and prop design forum, go there only if you're interested in actually contributing to and learning from discussions, rather than just getting something easy for free.

As far as fighting with the assassin blades...Honestly, I would recommend you master any other style that has weapons of some sort(like the classical fencing schools we discussed), and then use what you've learned to start working on ideas yourself.  Note:  seriously, master a real style first.  By master, I mean spend years on it.  It takes a LOT of experience to know what is and is not viable in combat.  For instance; I would never personally design a style to use against other weapons that involves blocking with the inside of the forearms like Ezio does.  Even if there is a bracer there there are way too man squishy, vulnerable tendons and arteries there for me to use it as a blocking target.  But hey, what do I know, I'm not a master assassin either :-P

So that's it for today folks.  Feel free to leave comments saying you love/hate the post, or to suggest another character to profile!  We're almost done with Ezio, Donkey Kong is currently our frontrunner for the next target.  Oh yeah!  We've also got a Facebook page now!  Go, like it, repost it to your friends, spread the good word!

See you tomorrow, for a look at leadership, ethics, and philosophy!
Dan "DaRatmastah" Wallace

Ezio Auditore, Assassin's Creed, and all other property therein are © Copyright Ubisoft Entertainment

The Mind of Ezio Auditore

Ever wanted to Fight Like Ezio Auditore?  Now you can, with the Video Game Combat Guide: Assassin's Blades!

Well now, we can't focus entirely on the physical all the time or we'd be just another quirky fitness blog, eh?  Don't worry, we'll get back to other physical skills of Ezio soon enough, but today we're going to try to get inside his head.

To understand Ezio, first you have to understand renaissance Italy.  Italy at the time consisted of several city/states(similar to ancient Greece), vying for control of the region. Other big players were nearby countries(France, in particular), and the Vatican, which, unlike our squishy modern-day Vatican, actually fielded armies, waged war, and pillaged like any other country.  They just had more of a claim to be doing it in the name of God.

First, a little recommended reading.  The Prince, by Nicolo Machiavelli, is an excellent read on military, governing, and administrating strategies whose lessons are viable even in the modern era.  You may remember Nicolo Machiavelli from the game.  Hopefully you paid attention in history class so that when he came on screen for the first time you went "OH SHIT!" like I did.  Anyway, Machiavelli and Ezio seem to be at odds with each other strategically in the game but you have to remember that in Ubisoft's fantasy timeline, The Prince was written after the game.  Ezio introduces the concept of "virtù" to Machiavelli, so, while you're reading The Prince, any time he says a man of virtù, just translate it into "Ezio's method" in your head.

Have you started reading The Prince yet?  Seriously, click the link and read a bit.  It's free, it's short, it's good!

Anyhoo.

Ezio is the kind of person who is able to improvise, but at the same time is one step ahead if his opponents by observing, planning, and utilizing contacts well(we'll touch more on leadership and people skills in another post).  If you've played video games for a while, you're probably already pretty good at this.  Especially if you play real time strategy games.  However, I'm going to suggest you introduce yourself to another game, and spend some serious time learning and working on it.

Chess.

Seriously.  And I mean going beyond what pieces move in what way.  Learn strategies, counters, etc.  The position of a single pawn at the start of one game indicates an entire strategy.  Good chess players try to look at all possible moves an opponent can make for at least the next two/three turns, and plan accordingly.  Great chess players can plan five to ten moves ahead.  It's possible to even play it in your head without a board. http://www.chess.com/ has lessons and allows you to play online, with public lobbies or private games(if you have someone to play with already).

Now, you need to start looking at your life as though it were a game of chess.  You have a goal you want to work towards.  Start cataloging all assets in your head on a regular basis.  Just keep a general list in your head of all your resources, this includes people you know, money, methods of transportation, knowledge you have, knowledge other people have.  Now you need to think of those resources as your "pieces."  Now think of your goal, and what is keeping you from it.  Envision the idea of not reaching your goal as your "opponent," and alllll of those obstacles as just pieces on their side of the board.  You need to be several steps ahead of your opponent.  Utilize what pieces you have, block and head-off obstacles without having to deal with them personally if you can, have backups plans involving the pieces you have in case something falls through.  There will ALWAYS be surprise moves, have plans for that.

This is not easy, I wouldn't claim it would be.  But the more moves you can stay ahead of your "opponent," the surer and easier it will be to attain your goals.

That's it for today, hope I gave you something to work with.  Tomorrow I think we'll take a look at Ezio's parkour and martial arts skills, and maybe the day after that we'll touch on the ideas of leadership and people skills. I may throw in a grab-bag day or something at some point too.

Also!  If you're reading this and you'd like to give a suggestion for the next character to profile, please leave a suggestion in the comments section!  Good guy, bad guy, whatever, doesn't matter.  We've already got one vote for Donkey Kong, if you want someone else, let me know =)

Danny "DaRatmastah" Wallace

Ezio Auditore, Assassin's Creed, and all other property therein are © Copyright Ubisoft Entertainment

The Ezio Auditore Workout

Ever wanted to Fight Like Ezio Auditore?  Now you can, with the Video Game Combat Guide: Assassin's Blades!
Alrighty!  Happy Monday, everyone, hope yours didn't involve a two hour traffic jam like mine =P  So today, we take a look at Mr. Auditore's general fitness level, and take a stab at a workout that will help us imitate it.  Ezio, first off, spends most of his life running.  Towards targets, away from guards, across town.  As a result, he has a relatively slim build(you can see in Brotherhood when he goes to the "fight club" beneath the barracks that he has a relatively unassuming build, he's no Hulk).  However, as a body tooled for explosive climbing, combat, and escape, he has a very high power-to-weight ratio.  That is, he's capable of generating incredible amounts of force in relation to his overall bodyweight.

In this(an all fitness posts) I'm going to provide a series of exercises organized by days, then laid out in a weekly schedule.  I'll provide progressions for very early beginners to advanced levels.  I am  NOT a licensed personal trainer, however I've got a lifetime of martial arts and personal fitness training behind me, so of course, take my suggestions with a grain of salt, and don't hold be liable if you manage to hurt yourself, just have fun and know your limits.  =)  If you're unsure of how to do any exercises, I'll leave an index of youtube video links at the bottom of the post.

Equipment Needed:
Chinup Bar
Chair
Hill

Cardio:
Level 1(beginner):
Walk at a brisk pace for at least thirty minutes.  Pick a pace that will be strenuous for you, without completely killing you, then just do that for half an hour or more.  Vary your inclines/terrain for added challenge.
Level 2(moderate):
This is more of a general progression.  Interval running/walking.  Walk for two minutes, run for one minute.  Repeate this for at least half an hour.  When this gets easy, decrease walking time and increase running time until you're running for the full half hour.
Level 3(advanced):
Run at an even pace for two and a half minutes, sprint as fast as you can for thirty seconds.  Repeat for half an hour or more.
Level 4(assassin):
Level 3 for at least half an hour, finish up by finding a good steep hill, sprinting up it, and walking back down it as many times as you can.

Strength:
3x10=three sets of ten repetitions.  Perform all exercises listed in order for one set, rest two minutes, then go again.
Level 1(beginner): 3x5-10 Chair assisted pullups(palms facing away), 3x5-10 Kneeling pushups, 3x10-20 Bodyweight squats, 3x10-20 Standing Lunges, , 3x10-20 Calf raises, 3x10-25 Crunches, 3x10-25 Leg lifts.
Level 2(moderate): 3x5-10 Hanging pullups(palms away), 3x5-10 Standard pushups, 3x20-30 Bodyweight squats, 3x10-20 Calf raises(one legged), 3x10-20 Jumping lunges, 3x10-25 Bicycle crunches.
Level 3(advanced): 5x10-20 Hanging pullups(palms away), 5x10-20 Burpees(with pushup), 5x50-70 Calf bounces(calf raises but hopping into it), 5x10-30 Jumping lunges, 5x25-50 Leg lift crunches.
Level 4(assassin): 5x10-20 Muscle ups, 5x15-30 Burpees with clap pushup and jump at end, 5x50-70 calf bounces, 5x10-20 tuck jumps, 5x20-40 Jumping lunges, 5x25-50(per side) russian twists holding weight plate, medicine ball, or heavy bookbag.  Shorten rest between sets to one minute, perform sets as fast as you can.

Schedule:
Day 1: Light cardio, followed by strength workout.
Day 2: Cardio.
Day 3: Light cardio, followed by strength workout.
Day 4: Cardio.
Day 5: Light cardio, followed by strength workout.
Day 6: Cardio.
Day 7: Rest.
Light cardio means either do the cardio workout one level down from your normal difficulty level, or do your normal difficulty level with less intensity.

Make sure you eat well and get plenty of sleep between workouts.  I'm gonna go over nutrition at some point, but that would be too much to add into this post so it's left for another day.  Start slow on your workouts, progress to the next difficulty level when you feel ready for it and no longer too challenged by the level you're at.  And LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.  If it says "Ow" for any extended period of time during an exercise, particularly in joint areas, take a break on that exercise, let your body heal, then try again.  Ezio's workout it designed for lots of jumping and tumbling so it can be kind of rough on the joints if you progress too quickly.  Take it slow and safe.  Rome wasn't climbed/freerun/assassinated in a day.

Any questions can be posted to the comments section!

Exercise index:
Chair assisted pullups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GDrlYxrEQo
Kneeling Pushups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1lE0soriHo
Bodyweight Squats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up_48p-BMug
Standing Lunges: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnUEsp-mQpU
Crunches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK1eTLViYXI
Leg Lifts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP45ZJd3TIM
Pullups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQa7iV9sE_w
Pushups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh00_rniF8E
Jumping Lunges: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zLTDUFjbXA
Bicycle Crunches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqoD0Bdggto
Burpees: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s26u-tbCgzQ
Leg Lift Crunches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk8Z5KACVK8
(note: if you have the medicine ball, great, otherwise just raise your legs while you do your crunches)
Tuck Jumps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrdMYjy8P6M
Russian Twists: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtDH26PvGV4
Muscle Ups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJX1pxL-NMo
Note: I do not endorse and am not affiliated with any of these youtube channels, they just had good exercise demonstrations.

Ezio Auditore, Assassin's Creed, and all other property therein are © Copyright Ubisoft Entertainment

Character Breakdown: Ezio Auditore da Firenze

(Ezio Auditore and all associated artwork and names are copyright and trademarked to Ubisoft Entertainment)

Ever wanted to Fight Like Ezio Auditore?  Now you can, with the Video Game Combat Guide: Assassin's Blades!

Name: Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Game(s): Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations(not yet released)
Skills/Attributes:

• Athleticism
• Martial Arts
• Parkour
• People Skills
• Philosophical Thought
• Determination

Summary: WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! Ezio Auditore is one of the main characters from the Assassin's Creed series, and the main focus of Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood, and the announced-but-not-yet-released Revelations.  He's a pretty badass dude, which not many would contest, and capable of some pretty awesome feats and skills.  What's interesting to note is that while the games are fantastical in some respects, Ezio falls under the character classification of "realistic," in that most of the things he does in-game are possible for a highly trained real-life human being to do.

Ezio's story is one of tragedy, mostly.  He's motivated by the death of various members of his family at the hands of the Templars, the enemies of the Assassin's.  First his brothers and father, and then his uncle.  Despite this, Ezio is not a depressive character.  While motivated mostly by revenge, he shows a level of contemplation about his plight, remarking at one point that he is "past all this," that is, his motivation for revenge.  Throughout 2 and Brotherhood we see him still motivated by vengeance for the deaths of his family members, but choosing many times to work towards the greater good of the Assassin order, and the world in general, rather than his own personal motivations.

In addition to this cool-headed determination, Ezio features outstanding people skills, reffered to as "Virtù" from Machiavelli's seminal work, "The Prince."  That is, he embodies all the principal virtues a human should embody, and he exhibits these and uses them in dealing with people.  He is a strong and capable leader, who people want to listen to and follow.

Finally, we would be in the wrong to not mention his outstanding physical conditioning, parkour skills, and martial prowess.  Even in his advancing years(as seen in the Revelations trailer), Ezio can still kick ass and take names.

So over the course of the next few posts(possibly starting next week or this weekend, depending on how things go), we're going to be examining these different areas of Ezio's physique and psyche, and learning how we can become more like him.

It Starts

Hey there!

If you're reading this, welcome!  You're probably here because you either want to become a video game character, or you think I'm crazy.  Maybe both?

Let's address the "thinks I'm crazy" crowd first.  Yeah, okay, I know I'm not going to be jumping over lava pits or shooting aliens with an arm canon or battling ninjas as I walk down the street.  The point of this blog, and most of my life path, is to become a larger-than-life character.  The kind of person that picks an ideal and works towards it.  Video game characters stick with us because(for the most part), they are interesting, exciting, and intriguing figures.  They capture our imaginations and don't let them go.  They are often determined, idealistic, and people of action.  I see nothing wrong with emulating this.

Now on to group number two, which includes those who want to become video game characters, and those who think I'm crazy but were won over enough by the previous paragraph to consider sticking around to see if anything cool happens.  Chances are you play video games, you have a favorite character, and you're either unsatisfied with who you are as a person, or how your life is going, and you want your life/personhood to be a lot more like the character or characters of your favorite game(s).

I've spent a good portion(okay, most of) my life emulating characters from books, TV shows, movies, plays, but most of all, video games.  Like many video game nerds I was a bit of an introverted and antisocial person in my youth, something I've luckily managed to overcome, but in my formative years, outside of the people in my family the main role models I had were the heroes(and villains), of my favorite games.  Although I wouldn't say I've achieved my goal yet, I would say I'm a lot more like the video-game-character ideal than most day-to-day people, and I want to share what I've learned along with way with you, as well as assist, share, and partake in your own personal journey.

I haven't finalized the format of this blog yet, but count on there being lots of interesting information and stuff here besides my blathering on.  Stick around, and you might learn something interesting.  I hope you do.

This is where we start.