OddballGreg - =3 (Funny Videos and Presenter Comedy)

Do you know how hard it is to take a screenshot of a person while they're talking that doesn't make them look constipated or in pain? VERY. Picture is from the =3 video "Sheep to the Balls".

Do you like videos of animals doing stupid things? (Or people?) Do you like people making jokes about things? Well fantastic, because the popular YouTube show "=3" does both these things... TOGETHER! The show also happens to quite funny too.

Robby Motz, Actor who talks loudly for a living, (at least according to his twitter account), is the new(ish) presenter of =3, the internet show where they find the latest viral videos, put the best parts of them into one neat little package, and then crack jokes about them for good measure.

While originally the creation of Ray William Johnson, the famous actor and comedian who created =3 as well as other interesting and generally succesful projects including the now retired music project "Your Favorite Martian"which was one of the most successful YouTube band start-ups and a relatively unheard of thing in it's time.

A generally well liked individual for his iconic humor and willingness to make fun of occasionally controversial subjects, Ray William Johnson was and still is a highly respected individual who famously grew the =3 show to massive heights. He is often cited as inspiration to many for their own YouTube careers, with individuals such as Boogie2988 fingering his featuring of their videos on =3 as the reason for their own success on YouTube and resulting lifestyles. (Basically, he's just awesome.)

Of course, most things do come to an end, and he eventually ended his career as the =3 presenter when he found that the show was no longer satisfying his needs as an artist, much to the outcry of his fans. Thankfully, he found the young and thoroughly entertaining Robby Motz (Pictured Above) to hand the reigns over to. While perhaps a bit young and inexperienced, (and initially mocked for looking like he had been crying), Robby Motz has taken up the mantle from Ray quite effectively and has brought back the brilliant show to its former glory.

Fun fact, I just spent 4 paragraphs not talking about this articles topic, and you actually read it. (Teehee) Jokes aside, =3 is a rather funny show to watch, what with cameo's from many a character about the internet, (usually) cleverly thought out jokes, recurring humor from previous episodes and just general fun from hilarious videos on the internet that you may not have known about. If you've got some time to burn, I highly recommend checking out the show here on Ray William Johnson's YouTube Channel.

Anyways, that's all she wrote. (Or so the saying goes.) If you enjoyed the article, want to yell at me for talking about the wrong things in detail, or simply which to thank me for providing you with yet another way to waste your life, then do be sure to say so down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter. We here at TCSA love to hear your feedback, as it helps us to make the blog better for you guys. Better yet, why don't you share this post with your friends, if they've got nothing better to do, (or even plenty better to do), they may appreciate the thought. And of course, if you yourself would like to read more articles like this one, then do be sure to like the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter to get the latest posts as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Farewell my Friends.

OddballGreg - CreepyPastas (Scary Stories)

People say clowns scare them? Are you afraid? Technically speaking... Gene Simmons is scarier.

About 6 days ago I wrote an article about horror games, and why they tend to make me yelp like a little puppy for no reason. So it seemed fair to continue the train of thought and discuss some other reasonably fear-inducing media, though of a kind that I actually enjoy. That would be CreepyPasta's, the internet's ghost stories from around the camp fire.

According to the Creepypasta Wikia, a Creepypasta is a "short story posted on the Internet that is designed to unnerve and shock the reader." An internet phenomenon that arose years ago, these short horror stories were quickly popularized for a variety of reasons, ranging from peoples need to scare themselves for laughs, to literary enjoyment, and the eventual movies, memes and games that originated from these stories. There's also a ton of people on YouTube who continue to say that the stories are true. (There's also people who think the contents of a lava lamp make a good moisturizer... so believe what you will.)

One of the CreepyPasta stories that is most notorious for the way it has expanded the the Creepypasta following is Slenderman, a tall, faceless man with tentacles who kidnaps people and, in some versions of the stories, spikes them onto pine trees in the forests. Slenderman has seen hundreds of stories written about him, and a fair few games which were played on YouTube by various personalities including, (Of course), PewDiePie. (Who on an unrelated note, apparently made an old game so popular that the publisher started printing it again according to Kotaku.co.uk) Some of the other notorious CreepyPasta stories range from Jeff The Killer to Smiledog.png. All extremely odd and yet strangely fascinating at the same time. (One must wonder at the mind of people who write stories like these.)

Of course, being the artsy person that I am, I found the stories themselves to be far more interesting and fun than PewDiePie's screams... but that's just personal preference. So if you are looking for some fun scares or are simply a fan of well written stories, then be sure to visit either www.creepypasta.com or the Creepypasta Wikia; both of which are compendiums of these strange horror stories.

However, being the YouTube warrior that I am, (That basically means I'm frequently bored and watch a lot of inane videos.), I have found a rather good channel by the name of IReadCreepyPasta's in which a man takes some of these stories and narrates them in his very well suited voice, complete with additional sound effects and a bit of visual stimulus for a very entertaining and genuinely frightful combination. He's even managed to scare me this way. (Which, apart from games, is rather hard to pull off.) Perhaps of all the CreepyPasta stories I know, The Russian Sleep Experiment, complete with his narration, is by far one of the best in my opinion.

Ghastly isn't it?

There are others he has narrated which have proven to be equally entertaining to listen to, such as Mister WideMouth and Tulpa, both of which, like The Russian Sleep Experiment, appealed to my enjoyment of topics regarding the human mind. So naturally I found them very entertaining.

In any case, I should mention that these stories can be VERY scary for some people, with the CreepyPasta website even requesting your age before allowing you entry because of that. So consider yourself warned. In any case, if you found this article to be of interest, or have some of your own CreepyPasta stories that you think are worth mentioning, do be sure to let us know down in the comments below or via Facebook/Twitter. And of course, if you are friends with any horror aficionados, then perhaps sharing this article with them. They'll probably thank you for it. Of course, if you would like to read more interesting articles like this one, then do be sure to like our official TCSA Facebook page and or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left so that you can get the latest posts, as they're posted. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Good luck sleeping my friends.

Madness Monday - "Internet Skills" (And Challenges)

Hello and welcome to Madness Monday; the day of the week where I talk about internet skills and the crazy things people do with them.

Picture was taken from this Rusty Cage video. You might also find you can't stop watching that if you're not careful.

Ever feel like you have too many fingers (or not enough scars)? Maybe you wonder if cinnamon on it's own tastes as good as cinnamon buns? Or maybe you just think that eating stupid things is funny. Whatever it is, it's madness, (and not the sparta kind), so we're gonna talk about it.

If you've spent time on YouTube, it's likely you've fallen trap to the endlessness of clicking suggested video's for a good few hours. If you have, you've probably come across one of the millions of video's about which I'm going to talk about. "Internet Talents" as RayWilliamJohnson called them in this video when he was still the presenter of =3, are skills that people have which, while somewhat impressive, don't have much application anywhere other than the internet.

And boy, are there a lot of them. Rusty Cage largely popularized the "Knife Game", also known as Five Finger Fillet, with this song, and people ever since then have been itching to amputate their limbs accidentally in the name of fun. Then there's the dear fellow The LA Beast, who's been inspiring the masses to eat the most ridiculous things ever for years. Boiled coke sounds horrid.

What on earth inspires these people to do these stupid things in front of a camera and put them on the internet? Other people of course, because no great story started with: "I was home alone when...".

Perhaps even better, are the amazing(ly stupid) challenges that people attempt to conquer for the entertainment of the masses. Our dear friend the LA Beast is ever here for us when he attempts to take on the "Condom Challenge", snorting a "fire and ice" condom and pulling it out from his throat. Delicious... If you wish to see this hero in all his glory perform this amazing act, click here. (I suspect that link will remain mostly untouched for some reason...)

Then there's the cinnamon challenge where people try to eat a spoonful of cinnamon. Mmmmmm, I can just taste the wonderful, powdery goodness now. What kind of person doesn't have a straight spoon of cinnamon every day? (Everyone...) And that's not even the worst. People do all kinds of stupid things, ranging from jumping into frozen lakes to eating Ghost Chili Peppers. (Often rated as one of the hottest chili's in the world.)

Strangely enough, I would ask what on earth posseses people to do these stupid and fairly self-harmful things, but I mostly already know. Same reason I use for anything that seems funny to do. "For fun". (Or "Teh Lulz" if you know the Oddball Dialect)

Maybe we're crazy, or maybe were all just mad. Either way, self-inflicted injuries and dumb ideas are entertaining for some strange reason, so I don't see this stopping any time soon. Teen's think its a fun way to blow time, Darwinists think it's a fun way to blow stupid genes and the bored just think it's fun to watch. (I'm with the last group on this one.)

In any case, I hope that you're feeling a little more sane this Monday after seeing some of the ridiculous things that people do on the internet. If you think there are some more notable, (read: outrageous), challenges or skills that I forget to mention, make sure to let me know in the comments below. Better yet, make sure to share this with any crazy friends of yours, we could always do with more people doing silly things for laughs. And of course, if you would like to see more articles like this, make sure that you like my Facebook page, or follow me on Twitter, using the associated buttons on the bar to the right so that you can read them, as they're posted. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for taking the time to read this, hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again tomorrow.

Peace out Homies. (That's how people sound on the internet right?)

Website Wednesday - Twitch.tv (Gameplay Streaming)

Hello and welcome to Website Wednesday; the day of the week where I tell you where you can go watch people play games LIVE over the internet, and the try to explain why you would want to do that.

The screenshot used in this image is of, (and therefore property of), www.twitch.tv.

Have you ever wanted to watch someone else play a game for some strange reason? Maybe they're funny, or you want to see what the game is like? No? If you're under the age of 30, I'm tempted to call you a liar. (*Cough* Pewdiepie *Cough*) Twitch is simply the logical step forward, where you get to watch them; Live.

I talk about gaming and things like commentating fairly often on this blog, considering my articles about League of Legends, Hearthstone, YouTubers that I can't stop watching, etc; so it's only to be expected, I suppose, that I would end up talking about Twitch.tv, the premier gameplay streaming service. (Don't quote me on that.)

Twitch.tv is a free online streaming service for which users can sign up and watch a rather large variety of games be played by an equally large variety of online personalities, both famous and not. Mainly, I personally do make a habit of watching Quill18, Northernlion and MathasGames (as they are known online), because they don't simply play games, but bring a fair bit of entertainment to the idea in their commentary, which is essentially the entire idea. Simply watching a game is, at least in my opinion, quite boring; but the witty remarks, intelligent discussion and just plain tactical thought brings a level of entertainment that the game cannot bring itself.

Perhaps something that brings a greater interest to Twitch.TV though, is what sets it further apart from simply watching the YouTube channels that most of these online personalities maintain: The interaction. YouTube may allow you to watch the videos at any time and post comments that may or may not be read by the poster, but Twitch streaming allows viewers to talk to streamers in near-realtime. Perhaps not an attraction to everyone, but I suppose in today's internet based society, talking to you favorite streamer is like being winked at by your favorite singer while you attend their concert or something. (I wouldn't know though, I've never actually been to one. *gasp* Please don't burn me at the stake.)

Perhaps a fringe benefit, is the ability to "subscribe" to these Twitch streamers. "Subscribing" on Twitch doesn't work quite like you would expect on YouTube. In terms of Twitch, to subscribe as you would on YouTube, you would "follow" the channel, to be told whenever those channels begin streaming. However, Twitch gives the user the ability to "subscribe", usually for a fee of about $5, which gives a variety of benefits determined by the streamer. In the case of perhaps one of my favorite YouTuber/Streamers, Quill18 has one of the interesting benefits of being able to play multiplayer games with him if you are a subscriber, as well as other benefits. (To be fair, it does sound like an odd thing to spend money on, but whatever floats your boat I suppose.)

In the end, gaming is fun, and people have reasons to rather watch someone else play games. Maybe you will find some of streamers I mentioned earlier to be entertaining, in which case, I'm happy to have found you something fun to do. Twitch.tv is certainly an interesting indicator of gaming's popularity as a hobby in today's world. Do you think I forgot to mention something? Or maybe you would like to tell me about another fun Twitch streamer? Make sure to let me know in the comments below; and don't forget to share this with any gamer friends of yours, maybe they'll like it. Finally, if you particularly liked this article, or simply like the way I write, don't forget to like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter using the associated buttons on the right so that you can get all my newest posts, as they are posted. Regardless of what you do though, I thank you for taking the time to read this article, hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will see you tomorrow.

Cheers friends.

Technology Tuesday - Five Fantastically Entertaining Indie Games

Hello and welcome to Technology Tuesday, that day of the week where I tell you about some independent developed games I can't seem to stop playing, and then tell you why.

I would say I don't really have a comment for this picture.. but this is technically a comment.

Some people, such as myself, have found that sometimes, a game doesn't need sparkly, shiny graphics to be fun to play. People like those probably read this blog. I hope. If you do though, then I have got a list of five absolutely fantastic indie games that disregard the need for graphics and supplant it with great gameplay that you will likely love.

The games I'm about to list are some somewhat strange and occasionally fairly crazy games I've found over the years, much in thanks due to my near religious viewing of the YouTube Channels I mentioned here. These games, in almost all cases, look incredibly terrible, with one literally using ACSII as it's graphics believe it not. (To be honest, that's one case where the lack of graphics was a bit too much.) Thankfully, they are also some of the most fun games I have ever played, and for some strange reason, continue to play again and again, which is something I'm not entirely used to.

1. Dwarf Fortress

ASCII graphics never looked this good. Actually, scratch that, thank god for mods.

Dwarf Fortress. Infamously difficult, Infamously fun. Dwarf Fortress is the life's work of one man, Tarn Adams, with assistance from his brother Zach Adams. (Quite literally, the guy decided one day that he was done with day jobs and started working on this full time.) Dwarf Fortress is known for a couple things, largely it's insistence upon a motto that has become increasingly popular over the years. "Losing is fun." Boy is it, Dwarf Fortress is FREAKING difficult, and helped none by it's draconian interface. For a graphical representation of this, refer to the below:

Don't actually know who this belongs to :O If you do, let me know in the comments.

To be concise about it, Dwarf Fortress is unabashedly difficult, and for the most part unplayable without the aid of the Wiki. But keep at it, and you can have a TON of fun with the abomination. Though I might mention that I use the Lazy Newb Pack and Phoebus Graphics set to make it (slightly) easier to play. *Goes to go have fun while losing* It's worth mentioning that you can't actually "win" Dwarf Fortress, you just survive for as long as possible.

For a brilliant story that took place in what they call a "bloodline game" of Dwarf Fortress, I highly recommend you check out the tale of "Boatmurdered". PG18

2. Rimworld

The work of Tynaan Silvester and the Ludeon Studios team, Rimworld is fun little game that was at least in part inspired by... yup, you guessed it, Dwarf Fortress. Unwinable, (barring some of the recent updates), Rimworld places you in charge of a group of people on a planet after crashing from space; and tasks you with building a colony in which your people may survive on the inhospitable planet filled with denizens ranging from backwards tribal warriors to cybernetic, explosive lobbing robots, and old western type travelers in between. The setting is largely themed after an old and, somewhat sadly, short series called Firefly.

The Good: Rimworld is far simpler than Dwarf Fortress, The graphics are distinctly easier to read and the interface can actually be interfaced with.

The Bad: Rimworld is far simpler than Dwarf Fortress, The graphics are distinctly easier to read and the interface can actually be interfaced with.

I'm mostly kidding by the way. Compared to Dwarf Fortress, Rimworld feels like that little brother that just can't quite live up to the big brothers name, despite improving on some things. Except that's a bullshit, subjective way to look at it. Objectively, (As in, not comparing it to Dwarf Fortress like a prat), Rimworld is actually a very fun and interesting little indie game with a great potential to grow and become even better, and it's Firefly-esque charm makes it something that is hard to completely leave alone, especially since it is still seeing constant updating. Do keep in mind though, "Losing is fun."

3. Project Zomboid

Ever wanted to know what exactly it would be like to survive a Zombie Apocalypse? Project Zomboid is about as accurate and realistic portrayal as you're likely to get. Well made, well presented and still receiving updates, Project Zomboid is perhaps one of the most powerful games on this list. From the get go, it's made clear that "losing is fun". There is no way to win at Project Zomboid; you're only objective is to try and live for as long as possible while combating near everything you would expect to have to deal with in a true Zombie Apocalypse. Looting to survive, dealing with depression, escaping hordes of zombies and building a safe home for yourself for as long as possible. The depth of Project Zomboid is such that it can almost be called a simulation game, and yet, its somehow strangely interesting and fun to play.

It's hard to describe what it is about Project Zomboid that makes it "fun". It can be argued that it's not actually fun; a statement I could agree with if I consider my first playthrough. I didn't finish that playthrough. The enormity of being the sole survivor in a world full of vicious creatures that want to eat you, and trying to figure out how to survive such an occurrence is one that strangely sets in personally, despite it only being a game. I actually found myself becoming depressed at the prospect and closed the game. (How's that for an emotional experience.) For some strange reason, I went back and tried again, and for some reason, surviving and succeeding, even slightly, is an oddly rewarding experience in the dire world that IndieStone has created. Well worth taking a look at in my opinion.

4. Factorio

You know when you're watching a machine make things and you stand there for hours just watching it operate. (No? Hmm. Guess that's mostly just me.) If you do, then you are likely to find this lovely game of interest. Factorio is an interesting little indie game about building a factory. Sound boring? Some would say yes. (I might have as well if I didn't think it was so FREAKING AWESOME.) Here's the thing, you build a factory on an alien planet in order to automate the process of producing resources, researching new technologies and fighting off the native aliens which obviously don't like all the pollution your factory is causing. For people who enjoy thinking and coming up with creative ways to make an efficient design or solve problems, this game is GOLD. I've sunk well over 100+ hours into it, and I still go back to it frequently. If you're not sold on the idea, here is a YouTube 'Let's Play" by OfficialStuffPlus which I can near guarantee will sell you on this game. Unless you're... you know... sane...er... than some of us.

5. Xenonauts

Holy cow, a game that you can actually win... (Teehee) Made by Goldhawk Interactive, Xenonauts is a brilliant game about defending the world from an alien invasion. Sound familiar? Probably because Xenonauts is the "spiritual successor" of the original XCOM which was made in 1994. (The year before my birth *X-Files theme song starts playing*) The original XCOM gathered a cult following back then and spawned tons of sequels as well as various spiritual successors and unofficial remakes. XCOM was then rebooted with XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within, it's expansion pack, following which, Xenonauts came out. Why? Well, the reboot is a fantastic game in it's own right, definitely worth playing in my opinion, however, for many, including stupid people like me, XCOM was not a very difficult game, nor did it entirely take after the original XCOM. As such, those individuals such as myself wanted something that held closer to the original, far more difficult and intense experience that the original delivered, and thus spawned Xenonauts from a succesful Kickstarter/Indiegogo campaign.

This game... is shit hard. Like seriously. Your men die a lot, your ships get shot down a lot, and I have not finished it once yet on normal. Being an XCOM: Enemy Within veteran, it's something like a slap awake as to just how easy games are made these days, but I still find the atmosphere of it absolutely thrilling, and look forward to many more hours of play.

In any case, hopefully you've found something of interest here, or maybe just found the way I write (type?) entertaining. Either way, consider leaving a comment in the section below and maybe even share this with some friends if they're bored. If you really liked it and would like to see more, perhaps consider following me on Twitter or Liking my Facebook page with the associated buttons on the sidebar to your right.

Regardless of what you do, I hope you have/had and AWESOME day, and I will see you tomorrow.

Goeie nag mense.