Wine About It!

Dear Capcom,

I was playing Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth today, when I noticed that the passengers in Episode 2 were drinking grape juice out of wine glasses and wine bottles. Now, your game is rated T by the ESRB here in the States. Really now? Your games are chock full of murders, assaults, and kidnappings, yet you localized "wine" as "grape juice"?

Really now. Gamers are smarter than that. We're much more mature about such things than you think. Just because we see "wine" involved in a video game does not mean that we're going to want to go out and drink it (though I could go for some sparkling red grape juice about now...) after playing it. Teens are perfectly capable on making intelligent choices as well as separating fiction from reality. Give them a little credit.

Unless it's all just a jab at 4Kids, in which case, please disregard.

Lulz @ 1:30

Making Your Mark: Part 3 of 3

For those of you who actually listened to the latest Anime 3000 podcast, you likely heard my closing statement about how we otaku need to better represent ourselves through our appearance, speech, and writing. Since I've already elaborated on the first two, let's move on to the final part of my editorial: writing.

Part Three: I'll Take "The Penis Mightier," Alex

(Anyone else notice the grammatical error in that picture?)

There aren't too many people left in this world who have never been on a forum. Heck, my dad is nearly 70 and even he's on them. The one thing that truly appalled him though was the way people write. Quite frankly, there is nothing I find more frustrating than trying to translate some poorly written rant. So here are some tips to make you a better writer. Or for some of you, a better arguer.

1) Practice makes perfect. You should have a grasp of the English language by the sixth grade well enough to know that complete sentences generally require a subject and a predicate. There is no excuse not to be able to handle them. Periods are your friend. Psychologists say that the human brain has difficulty retaining its short term memory of information over a certain length (a good argument for the 7-digit phone number). When you break up your thoughts with appropriate punctuation, it makes it easier for others to comprehend and remember what you write.

2) Edit before (or after) you post. Fortunately, most forums have a handy dandy "edit" button. I use them often. Now if I actually paused to reread my writings before hitting "post" I might not have to use it so much. You may not have this luxury in a live chat, but it only takes a few seconds to read what you just typed before hitting "enter" to send it. Typing mistakes happen. I'm horrible with those in live chat. Still, it's your responsibility to make sure your ideas come across clearly.

3) Don't assume to know something you don't. One of my biggest pet peeves are writers who assume they know how the entertainment industry works, but really don't. Get your facts straight. Link to a source. My martial arts teacher always told us that admitting that you don't know something carries far more integrity than pulling an answer out of your ass.

4) Long lists suck. On many anime forums, I see lots of threads that say "What are your top five ____?" Responders then go on to post twenty-plus answers! They asked you for your top five, not your top twenty usually because they need to narrow down a decision. Nobody wants to read your stupid, long list. It only makes you look like a know-it-all douchebag with no focus. You know how people always tell you to keep your cover letter and resume short when seeking work? Same concept. People don't actually want to take the time to slog through something longwinded. (*eyes the length of this post*)

5) Name calling gets you nowhere...unless you do it right. There is no reason to get nasty when arguing with someone. There are plenty of funny, smart, and sassy ways to insult a poster if you take the time to think. Just saying, "Lulz noob" doesn't make you look any more intelligent or worthy of attention than the original poster.

In conclusion, other readers will take you more seriously if you practice writing with some patience. I find that I barely have to write two sentences in a forum post, but others will respect my opinion because I present myself as an intelligent human being (they don't need to know I'm a vampire). Take the time to use proper punctuation and spelling with solid messages, and you will find that the way others respond to you will change for the better.

Oh man, I really hope there aren't any typos in this post. >.<

Emo? Must Be All That Gaming

Japanese psychiatrist Rika Kayama told Mainichi Daily News that her patients are experiencing more frequest feelings of loneliness because of the Nintendo DS and PSP.

"Today’s youth immerse themselves in worlds of their own right before our eyes, where they can live secluded from the rest of us. Feeding into these one person worlds, personal devices such as mobile phones and handheld game systems like the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS come on to the market one after another."

Bullshit.

Yeah, you heard me. I think this is bullshit. Yes, it is easier to separate oneself from a crowd by playing on a handheld system or playing with apps on your iphone; but that certainly doesn't mean it's the only reason for feeling disassociated from social interactions. I've felt that way since I was a child, and I don't have a phone with cool apps. I didn't even get my DS until last April.

I live in one of the largest cities in the world. At times, I have stood in the middle of a crowded bus, no phone or DS or iPod or book, and felt utterly alone. Why do I feel this way? Probably because I sometimes suffer from depression, but it also has to do with the fact that all my good friends don't live here. I've always been the type to segregate myself from crowds. It leads to social anxieties at parties.

In conclusion, Kayama-san's patients probably already have tendencies to separate themselves; but I do agree that having any kind of handheld device or even a book can facilitate the growth of social anxiety and separation. It really has to be the choice of each individual to make the effort to find healthy ways to socialize face to face.

Some of us are just wired funny.

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