Outside Xtra – 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” →

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” →