Website Wednesday - Newgrounds (Flash Portal)

Hello and welcome to Website Wednesday; the day of the week where I tell you about some strange website that kept me sane when I felt bored, and then crack jokes about the strange things there.

Image take from http://www.newgrounds.com/. I sat here for 10 minutes trying to think of something funny to say here...  I got nothing...

You've had them. I've had them. Those days where simply nothing seems to be holding your interest, and it's likely that you are going to bash your face on your desk out of sheer frustration if that doesn't change quickly. Newgrounds is to the bored what alcohol is to the sad. Not actually good for you, but better than nothing.

Back in high school, (and probably before it), I had significant issues with boredom... Namely, things were boring as hell often, which led to a great deal of frustration in my days while I prayed for something to do. Thank goodness for the internet as they say, as I found Newgrounds, an online flash portal, (That's internet speak for a website that links you to other things.), filled with all manner of strange games and videos that make you question the sanity of the world. (Not that I cared, some of them are really fun! Teehee)

Founded in the year of my birth (1995) by Tom Fulp, Newgrounds is something of a social media hub which hosts user uploaded flash games and videos, music and art that other registered users can comment on and rate for the rest of the community. While hardly the best of all those things, it certainly is nice as a convergent place to find them. Some of the games are good and have kept me busy in my times of dire need; the videos are strange enough to even make me question humanity; the music is occasionally good and typically usable with the authors permission, which some have found handy for a variety of reasons and the art, like DeviantART, has some gems in it midst the slightly less shiny submissions.

All in all, Newgrounds is good for staving off boredom on the days that it strikes hard, even if your time spent on the site isn't precisely the most productive way you're likely to ever spend it. In any case, I have linked a few submissions from the site that I personally found fairly entertaining at one point or another. Be sure to check them out, and let me know what you think of them or any other good submissions you find in the comments or over Facebook or Twitter. Also, don't forget to share this article with any bored friends of yours, they might appreciate the opportunity to pass some hours unproductively. If you would like to read more articles like this one, be sure to like my Facebook page and/or follow me on Twitter to get the latest posts, as they're uploaded. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for taking the time to read this article; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again tomorrow.

Later peepz. (That's how they talk on the internet right?)

• Reimagine :The Game:
• Glorious Morning
• Paragon X9: Chaoz Fantasy
• The Last Stand
• The Last Stand 2
• Breaking Bad Tribute
• Annika
• Starcraft Terran Medic
• Starcraft Terran Ghost
• Dad's Home

Madness Monday - Playing Games For A Living

Hello and welcome to Madness Monday; the day where I talk about the madness that is online commentary, and wonder how that ever caught on.

This image of Markiplier pulling a rather fantastic face while waving is from here.

I've spoken about the strange YouTube Commentators that have taken the world by storm a few times on this blog in the past. However, it's never occurred to me just how many people in the world make their livings by playing games. Isn't it maddening to think that maybe you've got the wrong job?

If you're a frequent purveyor of this blog, you probably know about my frequent watching of YouTube video's and it's many commentators. I have not, however, actually ever considered just how many people base their lives on playing games, and how ridiculous it is that it works. (I mean, come on, getting paid to play games? I'm in the wrong business. Teehee)

Consider for a moment, the people I have mentioned in the past to start with. They get up in the morning each day, get dressed for work, just to simply sit down in their study behind a microphone and camera and record their reactions and opinions to games. Sure perhaps I'm glancing over the difficulty of performing before a camera, or the fact that they do have to somewhat edit their videos, but the point remains, playing games is not exactly the hardest job in the world. (And they get paid pretty well to do it too. :O )

The maddening thing is, they aren't the only people who do it. I've mentioned a few times in the past that Esports are quickly becoming considered to be the same as playing physical sports. (Not that I can remember where I said that. *Facedesk*) And so there are people being paid like national athletes and sports stars to sit behind a computer and be the best of the best at a game. If this article from Gamespot is anything to extrapolate from, being good at League of Legends but not World Championship material is enough to see you earning $1 000 000 a year, which is obviously a fair bit more than most of us make in a decade. (And here I thought being a salesman sounded like a good idea. Maybe I should start playing LoL again.)

And then there are the people we don't know as much about, but know they exist. The game testers. Perhaps less paid than the other two I've mentioned, they sit, play games and then let the developers know how the game plays or about bugs so that the game can be polished. In all honesty, their is perhaps the hardest of all the jobs I've mentioned in this post, but they get paid the least of the three technically. (This sounds like a trend strangely. Work more for less or work less for more. Because you know.

In any case, I gotta say, I think I'm gonna start playing games more (again). Seems lucrative these days. If you think that sounds like a good idea, make sure to let me know in the comments below, or over Facebook and Twitter if you like. Also, don't forget to share this with any friends who think it's a waste of time to play games. (Teehee) If you thought this was funny or interesting, and would like to see more articles like it, make sure to follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the right. 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 tomorrow.

Later folks.