Outside Xbox – Tall Hobbit Adventures

Video gaming is a hobby that is very well suited to our current state of lockdown for many reasons; most notable is the medium’s ability to provide experiences that transport us from our immediate environment into new worlds, and connect with people all around the world. Whilst presenting the BAFTA Games Awards Dara O’Briain said that gamers had a lot to teach us about ways in which we can stay connected with one another during this time. Whilst the world of online gaming can be a very mixed experience, I have a few suggestions of gaming communities and content producers you could benefit from connecting with, whether you’re a gamer or not!

(Image from EGX)

Continue reading “Lockdown Lowdown – Gaming communities that bring positivity into your home – 11th April 2020” →

Lockdown Lowdown, Uncategorized

Lockdown Lowdown – Just a Few Things You Can Do Whilst Self Isolating – 26th March 2020

26 Mar 2020 Nick Munro Turner

Hello everyone!

In these strange days of Lockdown (has it really just been 3 days so far?!), I wanted to start offering regular updates on things you can look out for to keep you entertained and connected with your fellow quaranteenees:

Rezzed Digital

(Image from Rock, Paper, Shotgun)

A month ago, my original plan for this week was to attend a 3 day gaming event, EGX Rezzed, in London. I attended last year for a day and was very excited about getting more time there this year. Obviously, that’s not happening anymore, but the event has been provisionally moved to the 2nd-4th July, and in the meantime, they’ve gotten together a virtual event called Rezzed Digital. The event features the likes of Outside Xbox, Dicebreaker and Rock, Paper, Shotgun doing talks, let’s plays and other shows viewable on YouTube, and available there thereafter if you miss the live show. They are in their first day, with more events coming up Friday and Saturday as well with a full rundown of events on the EGX website!

Borderlands 3: Guns, Love and Tentacles

(Promo image from Twinfinite article)

Borderlands 3, the open world, shoot-and-loot game from Gearbox, came out last year, and is releasing its second batch of extra downloadable content, after releasing “Moxxi’s Heist of The Handsome Jackpot” in December. It’s rare enough to find good games that you can play cooperatively with people in the same room as you, but Borderlands 3 has been an absolute delight for me and my partner with its slick gameplay, vibrant characters and twisted sense of humour. “Guns, Love and Tentacles” will have us attending the wedding of lovable rogues, Hammerlock and Wainwright, helping the event run smoothly despite the outbreak of Lovecraftian Horrors that descend upon proceedings. Or maybe they’re part of proceedings?… Either way, we’re very much looking forward to it, after the Handsome Heist DLC which proved a very full and rewarding experience.

Hometasking – Taskmaster at home!

(Promo image from UKTV)

And finally, something a bit less video-gamey! Hometasking is a trend started by Alex Horne, the brains behind Dave’s very popular, Taskmaster. If you go on to Taskmaster’s YouTube channel, you will see posted regularly some bizarre tasks that you can get involved with and submit your attempts online for judgement. Anyone who has ever watched the Taskmaster TV show, will know that these tasks are often bizarre and inspire diverse and entertaining responses. So far, the quality of responses has been excellent and if you were just interested in watching other people’s effort rather than create your own, you can do so by simply searching ‘hometasking’ in YouTube.

That’s all from me for now. I will try and post more regular updates on things you can enjoy for as long as this situation continues. I hope you all look after each other and keep your spirits up however you need to!

Gameslife, Uncategorized

Gameslife #4 Death Stranding and Isolation

22 Mar 202022 Mar 2020 Nick Munro Turner

In these strange times, I’m going to once again write about a strange game that has become surprisingly relevant lately!

Back in May, I wrote a little post in anticipation of Hideo Kojima’s upcoming ‘Death Stranding’ game, exploring the theme of facilitating connections between one another. Kojima had boldly claimed that his new game would help people “understand the true importance of forging connections with others”. Now that it’s been on general release for a few months and I’ve completed the game’s main storyline, I wanted to share my thoughts on my mission to “reconnect this fractured world”, especially given the current global situation that is affecting our ability to connect with each other.

Continue reading “Gameslife #4 Death Stranding and Isolation” →

Introvert's Guide

EGX Rezzed – An Introvert’s Guide

12 Apr 201912 Apr 2019 Nick Munro Turner

After attending Comic Con in Birmingham a few weeks ago, it wasn’t long before my sights were set on EGX Rezzed in London, a convention dedicated to a celebration of the Video Games Industry. EGX hosts numerous games events in the UK and overseas, with Rezzed having a particular focus on up and coming ‘Indie’ developers as well as established ones. The high number of exhibitors and events give Rezzed more of an intimate feel to it, with talks being conducted in smaller, more inclusive settings and developers eager to talk to you about the games they’re showcasing.

This being my first of hopefully many EGX events, I feel I’ve learnt a few things I’d like to share with you to help you get the most out of your time there and events similar to it!

Rezzed 7

Continue reading “EGX Rezzed – An Introvert’s Guide” →

Introvert's Guide

My Comic Con Odyssey: An Introvert’s Tale

9 Apr 2019 Nick Munro Turner

March 23th, Birmingham, National Exhibition Centre. My third Comic Con experience, having attended two in previous years in Manchester.

For the uninitiated, Comic Con, is a global convention dedicated to celebrating works of fiction; particularly comics, films, tv shows and video games. These events host panels, meet & greets and question & answer sessions featuring actors, writers and producers upon many others in the creative industry.

However, perhaps the most iconic feature of Comic Con is the fact that members of the public are encouraged to attend these dressed up as iconic characters from their favourite franchises.

As a shameless nerd, it’s been my ambition to attend one of these for ages! A big part of the appeal was to be able to pay homage to some of my favourite characters in fiction, that have had a real impact on my life, by dressing up as them.

In 2017, I managed to cobble together a Solid Snake costume. For those of you not familiar with Snake, he is a lead character (arguably, THE lead character) in Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid video game series. My partner, Megan, was also taken in by the Comic Con hype and joined me by cosplaying as fellow Metal Gear icon, Meryl Silverburgh.

Continue reading “My Comic Con Odyssey: An Introvert’s Tale” →