Video games are a source of entertainment, not a job, and definitely not serious business. Despite what gaming enthusiasts what you to think, gaming exists for the sole reason of entertainment, and why people take games so seriously is beyond me, unless you enjoy popping a nerve vessel every time something doesn’t go your way. You’d think that it’d be only younger people doing this, sadly that isn’t true. I’ve also noticed when people act like this they tend to do worse within a game, sometimes a few points down, sometimes to the where they’re killing their own team, and I wish I was joking.

Along the topic of serious business comes what is called “Competitive Gaming”. The popular ones are ICUP for StarCraft, CAL for Counter-Strike, and MLG for Halo, and honestly I don’t know who’s the worst group. ICUP folks are pretty decent (at least the ones I’ve met), but the CAL, and the MLG? Jesus Christ. These people have some kind of complex that makes them think that because they’re just involved in the league that they’re the best thing since sliced bread. One thing I noticed is that people who are entry level on these leagues are complete idiots, the people who are higher up have sportsmanship, and sportsmanship goes a long way towards bettering yourself and bettering others.

Sportsmanship ladies and gentlemen is what we don’t see anymore in the FPS genre. Why? I haven’t the faintest clue. Perhaps because FPS players are generally younger kids? The point of video games is fun and if by being super serious, you’re ruining someone else’s fun, then you’re a tool and shouldn’t be playing online.

If there was still doubt in our minds that Free Radical was in a bad way, then this update should really seal the deal: the developer behind Timesplitters is now officially up for sale. Company rights, administration, everything, and we assume it also includes the Timesplitters IP.

Of course, all is not lost, even if the Free Radical name (and everything associated with it) is being put up for sale. Free Radical founder Steve Ellis and a few key members have set up shop as a new studio, named Pumpkin Beach, and we’re hoping that the esteemed Dr. Doak is among those who joined up with him. We only hope that they’ve learned their lesson – Haze was something we all looked forward to, and we hope that they would not repeat the same mistake again.

Nowadays, arcades are clean almost to a fault.  The carpets are pristine and vacuumed, the screens are wiped down several times a day, and there’s a ‘no food or drink sign’ visible at every turn.  For some reason, this frustrates me to no end.

Obviously, food, drink and cigarettes can damage the cabinets; it only makes sense to be cautious.  On top of that, not everyone smokes, so keeping the air clean is only polite, but in banning these things, something seems to have been lost, and I can’t quite place my finger on it.

We still have noise, flashing lights, fat dudes with sweaty pits (even more so since the advent of DDR), but we don’t have snack counters to chill at, the lights don’t reflect off the smoke, and that particular stink I find so comforting is missing.

Another thing that seems to be missing is special events.  All the nearby (ish) arcades seem spiritually dead.  There’s no staff on hand except for one bored-looking girl behind the counter reading a magazine, and certainly no one cares enough to set up a tournament, or a demo; and no one knows one another because there are few, if any, regulars.  Back at Ebeneezer’s, we held weekly tournaments to help keep the place in business, yearly charity speedrun/pledges, and things of that sort.  Dana, the owner, wasn’t the only one setting things up, all the regulars would pitch in, setting up seating, putting out fliers, etc.  If it could be done with a cabinet and a fistful of quarters, it would be done to help keep the place running.

Come to that, I miss every game costing one quarter.  None of this ‘2 coins = 1 credit’ flashing at the bottom of the screen.  I understand the logic behind charging more: since the community doesn’t put all the hard work to keep their hangout in the black, they have to charge more per play; but at the same time, I’ve often looked at House of the Dead 3 and thought, ‘If I didn’t have to spend 75 cents per play, I’d probably put ten bucks into this thing.’

On a lesser note, whatever happened to table cabinets?  You know, the ones you could set your drink and an ashtray on and play a round of Galaga while sitting down and enjoying a drag between stages.  I guess that it all comes full circle here:  without food, drinks and cigarettes in the room, there’s no need for cabinets whose sole purpose is to allow you to enjoy your food, drinks and cigarettes while playing them.

Arcades aren’t dead yet, not by a long shot.  However, they have changed and evolved in ways that I, personally, don’t like.  Obviously, the people who still frequent these places appreciate the way they are now.  Arcades are no longer for me, or the bikers, stoners and middle-class college-types who’ve always got a foul-smelling Camel Light clenched between their teeth.

All-in-all, it’s still a business, and a business has to change with the times.  There’s a whole new generation of kids at these new sterile arcades, and that is the demographic being targeted.  I can accept that modern arcades are not for me, I can;  I just can’t bring myself to like it.