The Eye

The Eye is a WAD I probably wouldn’t have heard of if it wasn’t for this year’s Cacowards. The WAD contains only a single level, when I generally gravitate toward bigger, longer projects. It’s the second creation by mouldy, a relative unknown in the community, and I haven’t really been in the loop at all this year. Instead of slipping under my radar, though, The Eye was brought to my attention just in time to be a charming little Christmas present. Okay, so “charming” and “little” aren’t the best descriptors for this level. “Big,” “grand,” and “epic” are closer to

It’s Christmas and I Can’t Think of a Better Title

It’s Christmas! So, Merry Christmas or Happy Whatever Else You Celebrate. How are you spending today? I’m probably going to be  spending the day pigging out. Aside from family gatherings (which are lovely) and gift-giving (which is fun, if stressful), the best part of Christmas is undoubtedly the food. In my family, Christmas probably beats out Thanksgiving, even, and for basically only one reason: the cheese ball. You’ve got all the tasty staples of Thanksgiving, plus that glorious, spherical wonder that only shows its face at Christmas time. I honestly don’t know the recipe. My entering the kitchen is generally

Time’s End

Here we are at the end, I guess. EDIT: There was a link to a Majora’s Mask-themed countdown here but the website went offline immediately after it hit 0, so I’ve removed the link. Honestly, I sort of forgot tomorrow was the end of the world until a friend linked me to that countdown. It’s mostly been a laugh whenever someone brings up the whole Mayan calendar thing, but for some reason, tying it to Majora’s Mask is the first time the supposed end of the world has actually been unnerving, the first time it’s had some weight to it.

Images of Summer

Where I live, we’ve just had our second good snowfall. It’s getting pretty darn cold, too. It may not technically be winter yet, but it’s good enough for me. I’m a big fan of winter, for the record. It’s my second favorite season, right after autumn. But for everyone who gets down in the dumps around this time of year, with all its grey, cloudy, slushy dreariness, I thought I’d try to brighten things up, even if it’s just for a minute of your day. So here are some way tacky close-ups of flowers that I took two summers ago.

Single-serving Friends

I have this problem. I hope I’m not the only one. Maybe you have it too. You see, the internet has spoiled me. In a digital world, when I meet someone kind or interesting or inspiring, there is always some URL involved — or an e-mail address, a screen name, a gaming handle — some way to find this person again. Staying in connected, if you choose to, is a matter of a few keyboard strokes or mouse clicks. Easy peasy. The real world doesn’t work like that, and that bums me out. I find that I always meet the

All Cake, No Cacos

Well, this is about all we got for Doom’s birthday this year. There might be something of substance later on, but for now, just cake. Everybody likes cake, right? Oh well. I can’t complain. I spent the better part of last week missing deadlines myself, so I can’t blame someone else for doing the same thing. In the meantime, the lack of a Cacowards ceremony doesn’t stop me from celebrating on my own terms. And yeah, just like every year before, Doom still holds up. Being in those classic levels again feels like going home.

On today’s episode of: How to Be Bad At Blogging!

So I’ve been really sick all week. I have a final paper to write, which I’ve put off until the last minute. I also have no posts set to queue up in case I don’t have time to write one. …I might be bad at this blogging business. I don’t really have anything to put up on here today, so let me just urge you to keep your eyes on Doomworld come Monday. It’s Doom’s 19th birthday, which means the 9th annual Cacowards. Should be good fun. Bring chips. And I promise I’ll get better at this blogging thing eventually.

Videogames Officially Art?

Do you know what this means? Finally! All those years they said I wasted playing my silly games! I was just building an appreciation for the fine arts! No, but seriously — the Museum of Modern Art is putting together an exhibit focusing on videogames. Which is neat, I guess. My perspective on games hasn’t changed, but it’s neat to see them getting some recognition by serious artsy-oriented folks. The choice of games is heartening as well. Tetris, Pac-Man, and Portal are pretty obvious, but I’m really glad (and surprised) to see games like Another World and flOw among the

Suspended in Dusk

You can’t talk about Doom WADs without mentioning Suspended in Dusk. In the Doom scene, it’s a modern masterpiece, and if you ask a Doomer what their favorite WADs are, you’re almost guaranteed to find Suspended in Dusk on the list. It’s on mine for sure. To cover some history, Suspended in Dusk was created back in 2005 by Esa “Espi” Repo, self-proclaimed “Finnish Doom freak.” Espi is best known for this and his followup, Back to Basics, but he also worked on some smaller WADs and contributed to a number of community projects and speedmapping sessions. So Espi was

Happy Thanksgiving!

Can you forgive me for a filler post today? It’s Thanksgiving, and as much as I love all of you, I have the chance to spend today with another bunch of people I love, in person. And while I’m at it, to fill up on the best eats I’ll get all year. You can forgive me, right? Well, whether you can or not, I hope you’re spending today with some food you love and some people you love even more. In a totally transparent and pathetic attempt to pretend I’m posting relevant content, I’ll leave you with this news. One