I don't play a lot of video games, but the ones I do. I devote myself to. Demon's and Dark Souls, Dragon Age: Origins, Shadow of the Colossus... When I play a game, it becomes an important part of my history.
One such game is Star Warfare: Alien Invasion.
This a game I had on my iPod touch, until the game broke, and now I booted it up onto my new iPad Mini. I play it for fun every once in a while on the go, nowadays. But there was a time when this game was a daily activity. Why?
This game is basically a "Pay to Win" game. You pay money, you get better guns, upgrades, and armour. Way better. However, all of this stuff is technically available for free. Because every five days you play online, you get five crystals, which get all the awesome equipment. Equipment that costs from hundreds to thousands. So, for a year, I played this game every single day so that I could build up enough crystals to buy a backpack that meant I no longer needed to pay for ammo. (I had been using a sword for basically everything, don't like wasting even the in-game money)
And because I was so invested in this game, and always playing online, and yet not paying any money, I quickly became something of a badass.
There are basically four types of player in this game.
[list=1]
Newbies: weak equipment, no skill. They just like to play to shoot things.
Rich'n'lazy: overpowered equipment, little to no skill. These guys can kill you in two hits—with a gun.
Typicals: powerful equipment, a good amount of skill.
Me: Weak equipment, all skill.
I have to run around with my three wimpy weapons, trying to kill players that can kill me in a couple hits as I dart around them dodging and running across the map. The few upgrades I could afford from in-game currency I put into speed, because skill is the only thing that allows me to beat the Rich'n'lazy. I wield a pistol with a high fire rate and decent damage; they have laser guns that shoot through walls and take you out in a couple hits. I wield a heavy duty weapon that I can use to mow down the idiots that charge me from afar; they have laser [i]sniper[/i[ rifles that kill even quicker, and shoot through the entire map, including the ground. I have my trusty little sword for melee attacks, my only saviour; they have energy blades that create shockwaves of damage with every swing.
Why do I love this game? Because it is pay to win, and yet I win. Not because of money, but because I had to learn how to use the cheapest tools available and save up over years of time. I love it because I take out entire enemy teams single-handedly from time to time, because I actually learn how to fight. I love it because it poses the kind of challenge I adore.
I am a casual gamer who loves to be the underdog badass.
One such game is Star Warfare: Alien Invasion.
This a game I had on my iPod touch, until the game broke, and now I booted it up onto my new iPad Mini. I play it for fun every once in a while on the go, nowadays. But there was a time when this game was a daily activity. Why?
This game is basically a "Pay to Win" game. You pay money, you get better guns, upgrades, and armour. Way better. However, all of this stuff is technically available for free. Because every five days you play online, you get five crystals, which get all the awesome equipment. Equipment that costs from hundreds to thousands. So, for a year, I played this game every single day so that I could build up enough crystals to buy a backpack that meant I no longer needed to pay for ammo. (I had been using a sword for basically everything, don't like wasting even the in-game money)
And because I was so invested in this game, and always playing online, and yet not paying any money, I quickly became something of a badass.
There are basically four types of player in this game.
[list=1]
I have to run around with my three wimpy weapons, trying to kill players that can kill me in a couple hits as I dart around them dodging and running across the map. The few upgrades I could afford from in-game currency I put into speed, because skill is the only thing that allows me to beat the Rich'n'lazy. I wield a pistol with a high fire rate and decent damage; they have laser guns that shoot through walls and take you out in a couple hits. I wield a heavy duty weapon that I can use to mow down the idiots that charge me from afar; they have laser [i]sniper[/i[ rifles that kill even quicker, and shoot through the entire map, including the ground. I have my trusty little sword for melee attacks, my only saviour; they have energy blades that create shockwaves of damage with every swing.
Why do I love this game? Because it is pay to win, and yet I win. Not because of money, but because I had to learn how to use the cheapest tools available and save up over years of time. I love it because I take out entire enemy teams single-handedly from time to time, because I actually learn how to fight. I love it because it poses the kind of challenge I adore.
I am a casual gamer who loves to be the underdog badass.