I get a bit passionate about things sometimes. Anyone who's read any of my posts tagged "Stupid People Doing Stupid Things" probably knows this. And when it comes to gaming, I rant and rave a lot. A LOT. I don't lie about this.
Here's the thing though, I love gaming. For all of its faults, I really love gaming. Understand what I mean when I say that, I don't think gaming is a fun distraction, I'm really and truly passionate about gaming as an art form. I believe it's a great way for artists to express themselves, and place upon emotions unto others.
There's a line in Ratatouille, actually, that applies to this. Linguini (the garbage boy Remy teams up with) starts says to the food critic "You're awfully thin for a guy who likes food." and he replies, "I don't like food, I love food. If I don't love food, I won't swallow it."
A bit corny I suppose for me to liken my love of gaming to, but it's true. I only rant and rave so much, because for all of it's faults (*coughbobbykotickcough*) I think gaming is an amazing meld of art and technology.
It's hard sometimes too, when you see things like TRH or the Activision Vs. IW case, not to mention things like video games being accused of being made by Satan and also Voldemort, or some guy blaming games for all his problems.
Gaming has issues, and sometimes they overwhelm me to the point where I almost forget why I love gaming so much. But then there are moments like I had last night.
I've mentioned how much I love Portal many many times before. If you're reading this, you probably know I consider that short 3-6 hour game to be at least one of (maybe even the) best games ever created. I've got nothing but love for Portal. In fact, if you look at my time played on it in my Steam list, I have 51 hours played. It's a 3-6 hour game. So yeah, I've played it a bit. I've played it with the commentary (a feature more games should include.) I've played the challenge maps, I played through to find all the radios after the patch, all sorts of things.
Last night, a good friend of mine took advantage of the Portal giveaway (It's free until the 24th!) and I listened to him play through it over vent. I listened to someone just having a really great time, playing a really great game. It took me back to the first time I played through it, in one sitting, with a friend and I taking turns playing, and giving suggestions on what to do.
Consider this a micro-review of Portal. What I'm trying to say here is, the reason I love Portal so much, is that it's a bright shining gem of a game, in the dark swampland that is gaming today. Portal is what makes it worth it for me. I trudge through the waste that is Modern Warfare 2, and My Little Pony The Movie The Game, to get to games like Portal. They make it all worth it. That's why Portal is on my list of greatest games of all time, alongside games such as Warcraft 3, KOTOR, and Psychonauts. It makes up for the idiocy in the industry, and surrounding the industry. Because after I finally make my way through the wasteland of the games industry, I find beautiful oasis such as Portal, and I have a lot of fun. And that makes me love gaming.
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