Am I Too Old for Video Games?

One of my Facebook friends made a post yesterday that he had pre-ordered the game Call of Duty: Black-Ops and it got me thinking that I should get my order in too. And then I was struck with a sense that maybe I was a little too excited about a new video game considering I am 38 years old. Some of my friends are gamers but not too hardcore. One of my friends likes playing the Lego games. I find that a little too juvenile for my tastes but who am I to judge. I like games where I get to shoot shit as well as sports games. I also enjoy Real Time and Turn based Strategy games. All I am really thankful for though is that I don't play WoW.

Last weekend I bought a game called Vanquish and it was crazy, awesome. I couldn't believe how much fun it is and was quite willing to tell all those I might think would listen. And now this weekend the Red Dead Redemption Zombie DLC is out and I find myself in a state of eager anticipation to play it. Almost giddy actually.

So, the question is: Am I Too Old for Video Games?

If I am, what was the cut-off age? Is 30 too old? If I am not, what would be the upside age. The ESA published a report this year that said the average age of a video gamer is 34, with 49% of all gamers aged from 18-49. At what point is it no longer acceptable to be excited by the prospect of a new Star Wars game or new Sims?

Let me know what you think...

VK

Too Much Information

I wonder what is more embarrassing: going in to a drug store and buying only a jar of Vaseline or going in to a drug store and buying a box of "Close Fit" (read: small sized) condoms. I would have to go with the Vaseline being the most uncomfortable to buy. I can't speak to the other scenario but I did go buy a jar of Vaseline last week. I have been suffering with a very dry nasal passages and the only thing that seems to help is the petroleum jelly. I went to the Shoppers Drug Mart downstairs at work with the sole purpose of buying Vaseline. When I got to the counter the clerk looked at me kind of funny. I knew what she was thinking but I kept my head down and walked out after paying without saying a word. I don't embarrass easily but I felt a little sorry for myself. At least if you are buying "small" condoms that mean you are getting a little "sumthin' sumthin'). Vaseline and the single man can really only mean one thing in most people's minds.

However, I tell this story to illustrate a point. I think we live in a society where we share a little too much about ourselves with people we don't know. There is a good chance that someone is going to read this blog that doesn't know me. But from this one post you know three things at a minimum about me. One: I have a dry nose. Two: I don't buy small condoms - make your own inference from that statement. Three: I might feel uncomfortable about what people might think about my "self-gratification" habits. Read more of my blog posts and you can probably figure out more about me. The proliferation of social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc has put our lives on display. And while we think we can live behind an anonymous title (like Vegaskev) most people can be tracked down with very little determined sleuthing.

For instance, I follow some interesting people on Twitter and they (as well as me) put somewhat private details out there for all to see. I've seen people break-up, talk about their sexual exploits and in some cases describe how they just broke a law. And all of this is out in the open for the whole Internet to see. Sites such as Foursquare or the new Facebook app telling people where you are further put one's life out in the open for all to witness.

Is all this information good or bad? I'm torn. I have no real issue with sharing my life with others but I am also reserved when I need to be. I won't criticize my bosses or company. I won't talk about my family or my friends that don't have an on-line presence. If they don't have a Facebook account or Twitter then I won't talk about them. Seems fair. We never know who is reading or or watching our lives unfold on-line. However, does a 16 year old girl or guy know what is acceptable to post? Hell, does a 30 year old know? Do they know what will come back to haunt them in future? Does that picture of them smoking a joint, or pounding Jack & Cokes, on their FB page ruin a job opportunity for them down the line? Does bragging about ones sex life or talking about how you called in sick to play the new Halo hurt? Once you start giving out Too Much Information on in the net, your expectation of privacy disappears. Forever!

Let me know what you think...

VK

Tasty Food that Kills (maybe)

I have never been one to shy away from food that is deemed to be "bad for you" but I must admit that as I get older I find myself thinking about the healthiness of some of the food I eat.

This really came to the forefront of my mind when a new FatBurger franchise opened up by my place of work. I have had FatBurger exactly once in my life and it was delicious so the prospect of having a store just downstairs was very appealing. The day that the storefront opened I made a decision that I was going to go down and get myself some lunch from there. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the line was way to long to eat there and I decided on some EDO.

When I returned to my desk, one of my co-workers had sent out a "nutrition" guide for FatBurger item menus. Normally I would just ignore this email but I decided to check it out. I was appalled at how bad for a person this stuff was.

Example: My plan was to have a burger, onion rings and a shake. These are all things that FatBurger is known for. Total calories: 2280. Total Fat: 114g. Total Sodium: 2330mg.

Now, I am no health expert but even I could identify that this could not be good for you. The Heart and Stroke Foundation suggests an individual should limit themselves to no more than 2300mg of sodium per DAY. This meal would have exceeded the daily limits for all three of the categories listed above.

So, after I saw this I was amazed and then I started looking at the values for other things that I like to eat or drink when I go out. Here are some examples:

My favorite weekend breakfast of McDonalds Sausage w/Egg McMuffins, hashbrowns and apple juice: 840 calories, 46g of fat, and 1700mg of sodium (WTF??)

I love the Wendy's Double Baconator: 980 calories, 63g of fat and 1830mg of sodium. This is just the burger, no fries!!

Hooters Hot Wings (5 only, and who just eats 5?): 866 calories, 63g of fat and 1379mg of sodium. (this doesn't include the Bleu Cheese or Ranch dips.

I could keep on going but this is actually making me feel a little queasy. I suppose the lesson to be learned here is that while this stuff may taste good, it is not good for you. I am not saying that you (or I) shouldn't eat food like this but to do so in moderation. I decided a while ago to limit myself to unhealthy food like this to only 3 days a week. The rest of the time I try to eat salads, fruit, veggie sandwiches and the like. While eating healthy food may not counter-act the damage the unhealthy food is doing, I figure it's a good start.

Thoughts? Let me know.

I'm back?

Well, it has been over 4 years since my last post and I think I am ready to try this blogging thing again. Only this time I am going to just write about whatever pops in to my head. If people start to read this site then I may let people suggest topics they'd like my opinion on.

The world has changed significantly in the past 4 years (to say the least). My life has gone on. I bought a new place in 2007 and still like where I work. 10 years in the same place and I really have no complaints.

The New York Yankees lost on Friday night to the Texas Rangers and now the season is over. It kind of weird but I am feeling a sense of loss. And while I don't play for the Yankees (obviously), I feel like I am out of the game. I was thinking about this yesterday and trying to figure why I feel a void and then it came to me. I figure I watched approximately 130-140 games this season. That's got to be close to 500 hours of viewing time in the past six months taken up by the New York Yankees. That 500 hours equates to over 20 days since the season began. And if I include the time reading the New York newspapers online and my favorite Yankees blog (http://yankees.lhblogs.com/) it has to be another 150 hours during the season. All of a sudden I am up to 650 hours during the last 6 months revolving around the New York Yankees. 650 hours is 27 days! That's nearly a month. Wow!! Basically that works out to 16.7% of my life over the past six months. Factor in sleeping (31.3%) & working (22.3%), that makes the New York Yankees the third most time consuming factor in my life for the past 6 months.

And I wonder why I feel so empty after the play-off loss. Fuck, I need a life!! But now that it is over, what can I do? I starting reading a book yesterday so it's not all bad.

'Til next time.

VK