The Apple Effect: Does Consumerism Kill?

I'd like to take a break from my usual lighthearted posts and be serious, if I may. I read an article today that struck me in an alarming way. I've always had a particular view about how consumer-hungry North Americans and other Western Worlders are, but this particular article really drives home the point that excessive consumerism (and materialism) is doing societal damage that most of us don't even realize.

For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter (Shame on you! I am here - http://twitter.com/QKmbrGames - on the Twittersphere), the article I am referring states that workers in Chinese Apple factories (that's Apple, maker of iPods, iPhones and iPads, not garden variety apples) are being forced to sign pledges stating that they will not commit suicide. The article goes on to say that "at least 14 workers at Foxconn factories in China have killed themselves in the last 16 months as a result of horrendous working conditions", while even more have either failed attempts at suicide or have been stopped beforehand in other Apple supplier plants.

Are The "Evil" Corporations Responsible?

So here's my question. Who is ultimately responsible for this unfortunate trend? Although Apple has a code of conduct in place for their supplier plants, are they doing enough to enforce them, or dare I say it, do they look the other way?

Many have claimed that Apple is pure evil. Is it true, or is that label attached to any large corporation?

Now, before I start getting hate mail from Apple fans, let me just say that I own an iPhone myself and love it. Having said that, though, the iPhone I have is a 3G, and I'm perfectly happy with it - which brings me to my next point.

Is the Consumer-Hungry Public Responsible?


We've all seen or heard about it. Thousands of people lining up for hours or even days to get their hands on the latest gadget, only to line up again 6 months or a year later for a slightly improved version of that gadget. A lot of us are fortunate enough to be able to do this time and time again, but do we ever stop and wonder what kind of effect our rampant consumerism as a nation is doing to society? Do we ever think that although we have to stand in line in the freezing cold for 5 hours to get that shiny new tablet, there are people on the other side of the world suffering to the point that they just want to end it all just so we can enjoy our new toy for a few months before it starts collecting dust?

I know it sounds bleak, but it's happening. Are we to blame?

Charlie Sheen would say that this girl is WINNING! But, at what cost?

Are the Factories Responsible?


While some of these factories are claiming that excessive overtime is voluntary and conditions are improving, there are some very disturbing statistics and points in plain view. Anti-suicide nets have been placed around buildings, workers are allegedly not allowed to speak to each other, are forced to stand for 12 hour shifts, are humiliated in front of their colleagues for performing poorly, and during peak production times, are only given one day off in thirteen. All this for a meager wage that can barely support their families.

Anti-suicide netting. It doesn't get any more blunt than this.

If you ask me, it is a viscous cycle that feeds into itself endlessly. Consumers crave new products which increases demand. As demand skyrockets, the company increases supply. As the need for supply increases, factories force their workers to put in long hours in poor conditions. The company and factories make money, the consumers are happy, and that drives them them craving more and more innovation. Rinse and repeat. The only losers in this situation are the factory workers, and until more people realize what's going on, this cycle will continue.

So, when you're standing in line for that iPhone 5 in the not too distant future, at least take a moment and think about what goes into making this gadget for you. And when you do finally turn it on for the first time, do what I do and appreciate the hell out of it. Try not to feed into that vicious cycle of consumerism if you can help it. Not only does it bring out the worst in people, but it is contributing to unimaginable pain and suffering half a world away.

Here's a link to the article for anyone who wants to read it.

Adventures In Minecraft - Part II: I Play So You Don't Have To!

So, hi! It's been a while, hasn't it? Nothing like a long weekend to get back into my blogging ways, I say. My absence is not without reason, and fortunately that reason is being hard at work on Chicken Jockey 2. If you haven't yet seen how development is coming along, drop by the Q-Kmbr Games Facebook page and take a gander at the beautiful artwork that Pete, my artist, has created so far. 

A race at Cluckston Lake (Chicken Jockey 2).

Visit the Q-Kmbr Games fan page by clicking here!

The game is coming along very nicely, and I'll definitely be updating that page with more content soon! While you're there, give that "like" button some love so you can stay up to date on how things are going! Those like buttons get sad when they don't get clicked. You don't want to make it sad...do you? Here's that link again, just in case: Q-Kmbr Games Fan Page

Lets get on with it, shall we? Today I present to you, "Adventures in Minecraft - Part II", the next iteration in the series where I document my play sessions through the brilliantly designed and compelling game of Minecraft.

In case you missed it, here's a link to Part I: Adventures In Minecraft - Part I

Day 2: New (Not Really) Beginnings - And By "Days" I mean "Entries"

What's with the weird titles? Meh...onward and forward.

I've played a lot of Minecraft since my last blog post, but because I quickly got into the multiplayer side of the game, I've been doing a lot of learning and experimenting and have forsaken the part where I'm supposed to be writing. Fear not, loyal reader, for I have returned with content that will once again be a feast for your eyes. Behold!

I think I'm at the point now where I have learned enough about the inner workings of this game to document the construction of a pretty epic project. The beauty of multiplayer Minecraft is that when you find a good server to play on, participating in community projects can be both rewarding and fun. With the experience I've gained through such projects, and due to the fact that our server has decided to start fresh with a brand new world, I've decided to build a town nestled within the mountains with the help of one of the guys that also plays on the server.

Using one many user-created texture packs, you can make Minecraft look dramatically different. This is the untouched mountainous area I found while exploring our server's map.

After exploring the area a bit, I got to work and started chopping down some trees. To keep the monsters that spawn at night in the area to a minimum, the first order of business was to build an entrance and light the place up so it is safe to work at night. Here are the results:

The archway, complete with a gate that, through a mod, can open and close. The Minecraft community is filled with talented people who create mods that take the game to a whole new level.

An aerial view of the inner area of the town, complete with a bridge over a pond formed from a man-made waterfall, not shown in this shot.

Some time later, after completing the lit walkway. Although it's dark, the waterfall can be seen in this shot.

When the walkway and bridge were done, it was time start constructing some actual buildings. Since space was limited in between these mountains, the idea was to build along the slopes of the mountain base. The first building that came to mind was a Town Hall. After a couple of hours of work, here's what we came up with:

When building with blocks, texture is everything. By adding protruding windows that use a different material than the building itself, you can really make it pop!

The source of these water fountains are two reflecting pools below the first floor windows.

The entrance of the Town Hall. The double doors to the right lead to a stairwell that goes up to the second floor, which contains a glass balcony looking down to the first floor.

The view of the first floor from the second floor.

The Town Hall (and town gate, to the right) as seen from the bridge.

So there you have it. This is just the beginning for this little mountain town. The next step is to finish the inside of the Town Hall and then move onto other buildings. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

Adventures In Minecraft - Part I: I Play So You Don't Have To!

Despite many stern warnings from others to avoid Minecraft because of the addictive death grip it imposes on all who enter it, I decided to listen to the one suggestion telling me that I should play it. (Thanks Mike!) What can I say, I'm a sucker for reverse peer pressure.

So, I present my "Adventures In Minecraft" series, where I am doing you all a huge service by playing the game and documenting my experience so that you, my loyal and devoted readers, can heed the warnings that I did not. Why waste time experiencing it for yourself when you can waste time reading my whimsical take on it! I promise lots of pretty pictures, too. If I'm losing you already, please bear with me. It's mostly pictures and captions. If you enjoy my other posts, I don't think you'll be disappointed here. Hey! Get your mouse cursor off that back button. There we go. So, lets begin, shall we?

For those of you who don't know what Minecraft is, here's the skinny. Minecraft is an open-world sandbox style game where you wander around a landscape that is composed of cube-like graphics (think Lego).

A Minecraft sunset. Not taken by me, but still nice.

The object of the game (and I use the term "object" loosely) is to explore, mine, craft, build, and survive. You'll see what I mean as we go. Long story short, the game cycles between day and night, and the whole cycle lasts almost 20 minutes. During the day, you are generally safe to explore the world's fields, mountains, lakes, and caverns, collecting materials and building items and shelter, but when night falls, that's when things get hairy and monsters start showing up to ruin your fun. Good times, good times. Hey! What did I tell you about the back button??

To Note: While I have logged a couple of days in the multiplayer portion of the game, this is the first time I'm trying out single player. I'm playing on "Hard" in the single player mode, mainly because I like torturing myself, and it'll make for more interesting literature. Aaaaaand go!

Day 1: The First Day (Wow, what an awesome title...)

I could have gone with "Survival 101" or "Enter the Minecraft". Or not. When you first start a new game, Minecraft randomly generates a huge, unique world just for you. Here's where I found myself:

Yup. Just me and my block for a hand.

The above shot was taken literally seconds after I started. This series is going to be very candid. I'm literally typing as I play. There is no "right way" to play Minecraft, it seems, but the first order of business is usually to gather some wood. But I'm hungry. First Honeycomb, then wood.

I wish I could chop down trees with my bare hands in real life. Well...maybe not.

When you start out, you have nothing. Literally. After obtaining wood, you can use your crafting interface to create a variety of things. Right now, I need to make some wooden planks, which I can then use to make a crafting table. The crafting table allows you to make more intricate items, but it needs to be placed on the ground to be used.

Your basic crafting interface. Wood makes planks, and planks make numerous other things, including a crafting table that has nine spaces instead of four.

So, now that I've got my nifty crafting table, I'm going to create a basic shelter before night envelopes my blocky world and unleashes a swarm of blocky ravenous creatures who want to rip me to blocky pieces. I've got lots of wood. Lets make a a little wooden house. Construction in this game is simple. Just highlight the piece you want to use, point to a block in the world, and hit the right mouse button. If you can do Lego, you can do this.

There's something creepy about a blocky pig staring at you while you're building your survival shack.

As soon as I placed my last block down on my little hidey-hole, the sun went down, the moon came up, and out came the legions of creepers. I didn't have time to make a door, so I just built myself a few little windows so I could look outside.

Don't be fooled - blocky zombies are just as dangerous as fleshy zombies.

This particular zombie was jumping outside my shack all night long. Well, until this happened...

I was delighted to learn that, when exposed to direct sunlight, Minecraft zombies burst into flames. Glorious, blocky flames.

When the sun was high in the sky, I broke my way out of my doorless shack and continued to gather more wood. I also found a cobblestone deposit right next to my residence. To mine harder blocks, you need to make tools, so I made myself a wooden pickaxe, which can mine stone but breaks easily from repeated use.

The cobblestone can be used to make better tools, as well as a furnace, which can be used to make even more great stuff. For example, placing sand in the furnace along with something burnable (like wood planks or coal) will create glass, which I used to make permanent windows after a spider found its way into my house through my previously glassless window. I was able to kill it and learn a valuable lesson in the process. While zombies can't enter a rectangular hole, spiders easily can.

My cobblestone furnace in action - making some glass after a spider attack left me with half my health. (Crafting table on the left)

How to make a wooden pickaxe. Two sticks and three wooden planks. Simple, yet brilliant.

So folks, that concludes my first day (and perilous first night) in Minecraft. Next time, I will explore my surroundings, build a better house, and maybe even enter some spooky caves! But first I'll need to make some torches. Its dark in them caves.

I'll leave you with a triumphant shot of me, wooden sword in hand on the second day, standing proudly over my crappy shack, complete with double doors and a ditch to catch unsuspecting monsters. So long!

Bring it. But not too hard. I don't have a very good sword yet.

The Evolution of Impulse Gaming - What Changed and What Stayed the Same

Flashback: It was the early 90's. The Internet as it is today was still a very young idea. Cars would drive by with windows down, blasting Ace of Base for everyone to hear. Kids would spend most of their summers outdoors. The air was dewy sweet. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Back then, before I knew I would be developing video games for a living, I would spend a lot of my time playing them. I didn't just play them at home, however. Sometimes my friends and I would spend 30 minutes riding our bikes to the mall or the convenience store to drop precious shiny quarters into arcade cabinets for a few glorious minutes of bliss. The sensation was overwhelming. The sound of the coin being accepted, the loud noises that would emanate from the machine, and the subsequent adrenaline rush I felt while beating Shredder's foot soldier minions to an animated pulp.

This was a defining moment of my youth.

I remember one glorious afternoon at the movie theater, when my friend and I took our positions at the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game armed with enough quarters to do some serious damage. We picked our characters and started playing and were quickly joined by a couple of other guys who we had never met before. The four of us must have blown a good chunk of change, but we made a great team and no amount of our weekly allowance was going to get in the way of us finishing the game. Before we knew it, there was a small crowd of people watching us, and the feeling was indescribable. We did end up beating the game that day, and after some well placed high fives, we all went our separate ways, our wallets never lighter, our heads never higher.

Fast forward almost 20 years. North American arcades are nearly a memory, and a lot of people are getting their impulsive gaming fix for free online or by dropping a buck or two on their mobile devices. Gone are the days when kids would actually get some exercise by traveling great distances to their local arcade. Just a few clicks here and a few swipes there and you've literally got games at your fingertips. 

Angry Birds. So much fun for so little $$$.

Angry Birds is the poster child of the new age of gaming. For less than the price of a coffee, you can enjoy countless hours of entertainment anywhere you go on your mobile device. Games like Angry Birds, which has been downloaded millions of times, show how impulse gaming has taken a stranglehold on the entertainment industry. 

Similarly, for a few extra dollars, you can get your hands on downloadable titles for your home gaming console that often times rival the $70 games you can buy off the shelf, all without leaving the warm, loving embrace of the ass groove on your couch.

Making that ass groove is hard work. Reward yourself with some well deserved impulse gaming!

The changes between then and now are quite evident, but you know what they say. The more things change, the more they stay the game. While a lot of people are spending less and playing more, there is a relatively new phenomenon sweeping the gaming world...micro-transactions. Playing a racing game and want to get a jump on your competition? Dropping a dollar to get an upgrade for your car can help. Want to give your virtual farm or city a much needed face lift? Buy some Facebook credits and get yourself that perfect decorative piece. 

"All your dollars are belong to us!" (An old gaming inside joke, for those who are not aware)
Reference included: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us

While it may not seem like a big deal for most people to spend a dollar here or there, the business of micro-transactions is big business indeed. So the next time your kids beg and plead for that $1.99 iPhone game that all their friends have, think back to your glory days in the arcade before tossing them a quick no. And hey, at least it will keep them quiet for a few hours. ;-)

3 Reasons Why Facial Hair Improves Productivity

Happy Movember, everyone! It has been 8 full days, and I am proud to say that I am sporting some quality grizzle on a good portion of my face. I can safely say that I've passed the stage where it is uncomfortable and itchy and moved into the stage where it pleases me...and is itchy. The fact that this is for charity makes it all the more worthwhile.

Believe it or not, having said facial hair has somehow made me feel more productive. How, you ask? Oh...you didn't. Well, I'll tell you anyway. Here is a short list detailing how facial hair can improve productivity:

(1) Working Overtime


Whether you are working overtime or not, having unkempt facial hair can give you the appearance that you are working hard, and will make others convey this to you. The more frazzled you look, the better. During the first week of Movember, I was able to completely ignore my regular shaving regiment as my beard grew, in preparation for an inevitable sculpting session that lead to a goatee. Be prepared to watch your social skills take a considerable dip, however. Although this may not be a desirable attribute, it only strengthens the formula. The less sociable you are, the more time you have to devote to work. Eureka!

Disclaimer: This does not apply to well kept and sculpted facial hair, which can in fact improve your social skills and make you less productive. Luckily, point number 2 remedies this situation.

Wilfred Brimley (as Postmaster General Henry Atkins, on "Seinfeld") says, "...it's the job of a general to by God get things done." Good advice from a man who knows facial hair.

(2) Improved Problem Solving Skills


Ever come across a problem that leaves you hopelessly searching for answers? As a game developer, this is very familiar territory for me. Staring at the screen blankly does nothing to help the situation. With my newly acquired facial hair, I find myself somehow able to solve problems at a quickened pace, leaving me to ponder exactly why this was the case.

Then, it hit me. Rather than staring blankly at the screen, I found myself stroking the manly brush emanating from my chin and around my mouth while I searched my brain for a solution. I can't explain it, but this repetitive action allowed me to reach an answer much quicker than usual, improving my productivity by at least 23%. I can't verify that last statistic, but it just sounds right.

Just make sure you don't go overboard, otherwise it may make you a bit...crazy. Right Mel?

(3) Less Time Shaving Means More Time Not Shaving...


...which leads to more time available to work! This ties directly to the first point. Not shaving for an entire week gave me valuable time to devote to work, and after the beard had grown in, removing the unwanted portions still left me with a good amount of surface area that I could ignore while shaving, which cut my shaving time in half.

And there you have it, friends. Facial hair and productivity go hand in hand. Remember, your face is the canvas to your success. Use it wisely, and only use it for evil as a last resort.

...unless you're dealing with a "dog-blasted, ornery, no-account, long-eared varmint."

On a more serious note, please help support men`s heath and prostate cancer research by donating to my Movember fundraising campaign. You can see pictures of my month long facial hair progress and donate to this great cause here:

Thanks for your support, and special thanks to those who have already donated! My face thanks you.

Here's that link again, in case you forgot to click it the first time: http://ca.movember.com/mospace/1072806/

Death of a Laptop: 4 Warning Signs I Chose to Ignore

Yes. It's true. After 4 great years, my aptly named "Behemoth" has kicked the technological bucket. For my well-read readers, the title of my blog was indeed inspired by the play "Death of a Salesman", by Arthur Miller - a tragic story about an unsuccessful salesman who ends up killing himself in a car crash so his family can cash in a life insurance policy.

What does that have to do with my laptop? Not much, I guess. I'm not saying my slowly aging laptop intentionally failed to boot up so that I could run out and buy a shiny new one. Although, that's pretty much exactly what I did. *queue shifty eyes* <_<  >_>

"Don`t cry for me...I'm already dead."

Despite being 4 years old, that machine was still a well performing piece of technology. I'm not saying there weren't warning signs. Quite the contrary, as I will outline below:

(1) Finicky LED Lights and Buttons


One of the first things that started happening over a year ago was the gradual failure of the little lit up buttons at the top of the laptop that let me raise, lower, and mute the volume, open up programs I never used, and more! Sometimes the volume button lights would be out, but still work when I pressed them. Sometimes they would be out and completely unresponsive. It didn't seem to be a big deal - just normal wear and tear, right? Possibly, but there's no way for me to know for sure.

There's nothing interesting about failed LED lights, so instead I present you with this tasty little nugget - another failure in lights - a clever failure, however.

(2) Possessed DVD Drive


Sometimes I thought I'd better call up an old priest and a young priest and start screaming, "the power of Microsoft compels you!", because my DVD drive would sometimes pop open on its own, without anyone pushing the button. I admit, the reason was that the mechanism had become extremely sensitive, and would react when the desk was bumped or the laptop was moved, but sometimes it was just creepy. I recall one instance when Farah (my lovely wife, for those of you who don't know) simply reclined the couch and the DVD drive's gears made a sound and popped open from a whole 15 feet away. It was quite odd.

Fortunately, it never had to come to this.

(3) Random Blue Screens of Death


Oh, the coveted blue screen of death. The dark face of Windows. While not alarming, I did see this happen more than I would have liked, and looking back, it seems it was linked to the main reason why my laptop died - the component that linked the motherboard to the display was slowly failing day by day.

No matter how bad it gets, I will continue to be a slave to Microsoft.

(4) A Previous Failure


All of these warning signs actually led up to the ultimate demise of my laptop a year ago, but the machine was still under extended warranty, so I was able to get it repaired for free. Naively, upon receiving my laptop back from repair, I thought everything was hunky dory Little did I know that the repair would only buy me another few months of time. Hunky dory? Really? Well, too bad. I'm leaving it in.

The laptop functioned fine for a while, until only recently when all of the above warning signs started to reoccur leading up to a few days before this post, when I realized my laptop had finally decided to quit on me. I could have gotten it repaired again, but the cost to fix it outweighed the cost of buying a new one, which by the way is happily purring away to my numerous key strokes at this very moment.

So, while I patiently wait for necessary programs to download so I can pick up my professional life once again, I implore you to be aware of the warning signs that your computer may be presenting to you, and take appropriate action. And remember: a backed up file is a happy file.

I apologize for posting this image. Wait...you laughed, didn't you? Didn't you?!

Working From Home and You: 4 Tips to Keep in Mind

With the complete and undeniable death grip the Internet has on our everyday lives, working from home is no longer just bait that scam artists use to entice people to "make $5000 in one week." Yes, those types of scams still exist, but people have hopefully become more weary of the ability to make a fortune by putting together random products that come to your door in a million broken pieces.

As an independent game developer/freelancer, I am part of a growing trend of people who work from home, and while it does sound like a dream, it definitely isn't for everyone. I present to you a short list of reasons why working from home has its advantages and...well...not-so-advantages.

(1) The One Calorie Commute

The distance of your commute to work is directly proportional with how many steps it takes to get to your designated workspace. Yes, this is both a good thing and a bad thing. The advantage is that you don't have to deal with the hypothetical jackass in the car behind you who is drinking a huge cup of coffee with one hand, texting with the other hand, and trying to signal with his elbow while tailgating you so he can cut you off even though the light down the street is red and the lane he is entering ends in 50 feet. *gasp* Yes, that had to be said all in one sentence.

Now that takes skill! Or stupidity...one or the other.

What could possibly be a convincing negative compared to the above hilarious but terrifyingly possible scenario? You probably burned more calories snoring the night before than you did walking to your workspace, especially if you live in a condo and have no stairs like I do. While this "disadvantage" pales in comparison to the vehicular nightmare scenario, it isn't a good thing.

Tip: If you work from home, try to make time for physical activity.


(2) Being Productive

Anyone who has spent time working from home has had someone say this to them: "Oh, you're home during the day, you can *insert random favor/chore/miscellaneous activity here*, right?"

While it's true that working from home allows you to have more time to focus on work, it also opens the door for procrastination and other distractions that one would normally be able to avoid at the office. That isn't to say that working at an office doesn't have its own share of distractions; just that working from home has more of them.

As long as you are aware of potential distractions, working from home can be a ton more productive that working away from home. If it's right for you, you'll know it.

Oh dear God, not again!!

Tip: When working from home, take yourself, your time and your work seriously and others will, too.


(3) Saving Cashola

Probably one of the biggest advantages that working from home brings is the amount of money you save. You don't use gas and you can eat meals at home. Just make sure you don't get your social fix everyday by walking down to McDonald's to chat up the awkward pimply-faced manager about how much of the meat is actually meat, all while scarfing down value menu cheeseburgers.

"I told you sir, I'm not allowed to give out nutritional information!"

Tip: Take advantage of the money saving opportunities that are presented to you in your home office situation.

(4) Interfacing With Someone Other Than the Family Pet

Lets face it. Water cooler conversation isn't quite the same when the water cooler is your kitchen sink and your fellow conversationalist is Fluffy the cat waiting for you to fill up her kibble dish. Once she gets her food, she's not going to stand around and listen to you complain about how your client wanted to bump a graphic up by 2 pixels for the fifth time earlier this morning, only to tell you to bump it down by 10 pixels later in the afternoon.

When even the cat wants space, you know you've got problems.

Tip: Make face time, or get some sunlight to break up your day (something I'm guilty of not doing as often as I should be).


These are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, but if you ever find yourself in this situation or are currently situated as such, chances are you will deal with (or are dealing with) most, if not all of the above points. The most important thing to remember is that you are your own boss and employee, so find a balance between this dual-role and you'll be working from home like a pro in no time!

An inspiration to us all.