Category: Gaming

Observations,mistrust chronicles and exploits

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Personal Computing Gaming – The breeding ground

It’s been 10 years since I switched from PC Gaming to Console and for the most part it’s been good.

Primarily, it was a lifestyle change, I simply did not have the time and money to maintenance a high-end PC rig to play the games. What I like most about PC gaming is the engineering aspect where you can optimise your set-up to your hearts delight.

Thanks to my PC gaming career from the late 80’s to mid-2000 I now have a thriving career in Security. This was my training ground for reverse engineering and adopting technology at the earliest development stage.

Console gaming is more of a consumer experience, you can barely tweak anything on the hardware and are forced to update the Operating system and game software. Proper engineering is strictly forbidden.

The shift of PC in the Home Office or Man Cave to Console in the Living room is significant.

The setting changes your mindset, focus and attitude as well as other peoples impression.

Console bought gaming to the masses but I bet hardcore gamers are still on PC.

The dead Art of tracing cables.

Nowadays is all about Layer 8, the Human factor.

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Zombies roaming the UK…really?

A rather unfortunate headline. Usually, when I hear the term zombie I jump to thinking how best to kill them.

From the Evil Dead to The Walking Dead I’ve watched hordes bring butchered for decades and killed countless in Zombie games.

Real life Walking Dead

The drug called Spice is real and deadlier than Cocaine. The users aren’t Zombies but typically homeless people trying to escape homelessness.

If we view them as people we would fight the issue. If we see them as Zombies we will try to figure out how to hide them, get rid of them or ultimately kill them.

I’ve never been homeless but fly way too close to hopelessness.

Hanging on by my weakened spirit at the moment.

No medication for me today.

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When things get really bad….run away

It’s important to realise when you’ve lost the game. I’m falling through parts of my life that are simply not working or where I have absolutely no control. One thing for sure it that I’m no good at managing my own personal crisis.

Managing others, no problem.

When there’s that much poison in your blood, the only thing left to do — is shoot yourself. 

(SAW 2004)

For me, running away sometimes means diving into my favourite second life.  Some people drink, some people smoke, I play games.

Most females I know pretty much see video games as something for children or men with nothing better to do.

In reality, it’s a place I run to escape my realities, it stops me from going “postal’  and wiping out everything and everyone near me.

Life escape routes – gaming or watching

Type PS4 time Life traits
Occasional gaming Less than 1 hour a day Away from home base
Casual gaming up to 3 hours a day At the end of the work day
Serious gaming More than 3 hours a day During times of high anxiety or crisis
Pro gaming More than 6 hours a day During times of intense isolation

The brutal honesty of gaming is essentially a middle finger to your physical life as well as serving as a single solution to feeling bad about yourself.

Some of the emotional drivers

Escapism – a place to safely vent or get rid of destructive emotions
Fantasy – a place to feel successful or good about yourself
Love – a place to feel appreciated and needed

According to a recent survey, only 11% of IT Security Professionals are women, goodness knows what the statistics are like for female gamers. download full report

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Gore and Guts

Horizon Zero Dawn is an absolutely beautiful game and so far I’m enjoying it hands down. But something is missing.

Beautiful game but I miss gore and guts

It’s an ERSB rating Teen that means no blood and guts.

Now I’m on the hunt for something to fill the gap.

A survival horror may be too much right now….I need something where I’m the aggressor. Actually, just something high octane will be good enough.

Here’s what to look for before letting your kid play a game.

Teen rating:

Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Themes, Violence.

Big People rating:

Content suitable only for adults ages 18 and up.

May include prolonged scenes of intense violence, graphic sexual content and gambling with real currency with a focus on depictions of blood and the realistic mutilation of body parts.

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Give me a freaking break….

Today was a full on Blitz taking up all my emotional space.  I’m feeling overwhelmed and empty with the urge to give up or run away.

Supporting others is draining but I’m fairly good at it.  Zero medication today.

It’s a Monday so maybe they were just saving it up for me.

On a different topic, ever notice how some people put all their data on a single SmartPhone that is not fully backed up?

It’s like the Filofax era……lose the device and you are screwed.

Or even more likely, the device fails or is breached.

Why keep 5000 emails on your device?

People just haven’t got the time or the interest in taking care of basic personal system administration tasks like email clean up or password management.