Gaming – Salem Happenings

Last-Minute Gifts for the Gamer in Your Life

Searching for a great last-minute gift for the gamer in your life? Looking for a way to give to charity and get some great games at the same time? Well, if you are looking for a way to help others through gaming, there’s probably no better way than purchasing a Humble Bundle.

A Humble Bundle is a collection of games from either a single publisher or a group of publishers offered by Humble Bundle, Inc. in which a portion of each bundle purchased is donated to charity. Each of these bundles will contain a number of great games, including games from a wide assortment of well-known and independent publishers for a variety of different platforms, and each set of games is only offered for a limited amount of time. As a result, you never quite know what will be in the next bundle, but there’s no question that it will be something worth playing. Best of all, there is no set price on each bundle, so you can actually decide how much you want to pay and whether you want it all to go charity or you want to split it between the developers and the charity of your choice. In fact, most bundles will actually throw in some extra games if you pay more than the average or more than a set amount, so you can get more if you give more. For more information on the Humble Bundle, including which games and/or other software is currently available, please visit the Humble Bundle website.

Photo credit: portalgda via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA

Last-Second Christmas Gift Ideas

It seemed like a good time to take a break from some of the lengthier blog posts since today is Christmas. However, if you’re looking at the gifts under the tree and you just realized that you forgot to get something for one of the gamers on your Christmas list, fear not. It just so happens that the annual Steam Holiday Sale is going on right now, so if you don’t have a gift ready for the gamer you love (or, at least, like), all you have to do is fire up your computer and pick from one of the thousands of games that are currently on sale for up to 90% off on Steam.

And, if you forgot to get a gift for someone who isn’t a gamer, all hope is not lost. In fact, if you’re desperately looking for a last-second idea, you may want to try one of the suggestions from 2013’s or 2014’s post on last-minute shopping ideas:

Last-Minute Christmas Ideas from 2013

Last-Minute Christmas Ideas from 2014

Photo credit: blakespot via Foter.com / CC BY

Game On This Weekend!

My brother’s birthday is actually this weekend, so I decided that this week’s post should be about something that he truly enjoys. In fact, if you’ve ever had the opportunity to meet my brother, you probably wouldn’t have a lot of trouble figuring out what today’s post is about. However, since there’s a pretty good chance that you haven’t actually met him, I should probably just say that today’s post is about gaming. And, if you’re looking for an opportunity to indulge in some video games, board games, and card games this weekend, there are a couple of events in the Boston area that you will definitely want to check out.

First, if you’re a Minecraft fan or you really want to learn the basics of creating video game mods in Java, the Minecraft Modding Workshop at Parts and Crafts in Somerville may be the event for you. This is because the Minecraft Modding Workshop, which is scheduled to take place from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. every Saturday for the next four weeks is designed to teach you how to use Java to program your very own Minecraft mod. This four-week series will teach you to how to write and rewrite Java source code to create mods with new blocks, items, recipes, and more. For more information on the Minecraft Modding Workshop and/or to register for the event, which is $80 for the entire four-week series, please visit the Parts and Crafts website or the Parts and Crafts Registration Page.

Please Note: You do not need to know Java to take part in the Minecraft Modding Workshop, but some knowledge of computer programming and the ability to read and type are required.

Secondly, if you’re looking for the next great game that no one’s ever heard of, you should definitely head over to the MIT Johnson Athletic Center tomorrow. This is because the MIT Johnson Athletic Center is hosting the Fourth Annual Boston Festival of Indie Games from 10:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 12, 2015. This event will give you the opportunity to see and/or try out over 45 new tabletop games and over 55 new video games all from independent developers. The festival will also give you the opportunity to see a live musical performance by the Videri String Quartet (who are known for their video game-oriented musical arrangements), a keynote speech by Susan Gold (creator of the Global Game Jam), and an awards ceremony. For more information on the Boston Festival of Indie Games or Boston FIG for short, please visit the Boston FIG website.

Photo credit: blakespot / Foter / CC BY

Find Your Inner Hero

It may sound clichéd, but it’s true. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. From real life heroes like doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers, and EMTs to fictional heroes like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Xena, and Captain Malcolm Reynolds, there’s never a shortage of people in uniform, capes, or overly tight clothing to look up to. However, if you’re having trouble deciding which hero is appropriate for you, there are several events this weekend that you may want to check out.

First, if you’ve always been into comic book heroes or you’ve just always wanted to dress up like a superhero, you may want to head down to the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston this weekend. This is because the Seaport World Trade Center is hosting Boston Comic Con from 2:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. today (August 8, 2014), 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. tomorrow (August 9, 2014), and 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Sunday (August 10, 2014.) This comic book convention will feature a comic art auction; a cosplay harbor cruise; a comic-inspired improv show; an after party; a costume contest; a film festival; card game tournaments and other gaming; panels on a variety of topics related to comics, television, and film; and guest appearances by a number of well-known artists and celebrities, including Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee), John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness and the Dark Archer), James Marsters (Spike), Darryl “DMC” McDaniels (Run DMC), Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo, Conan, Ronon Dex), Eve Myers (Gwen Cooper), Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye and Dr. Jennifer Keller), and Sam Witwer (Aidan Waite.) For more information on Boston Comic Con and/or to purchase tickets online, please visit the Boston Comic Con website.

Secondly, if you and/or your kids are more into sports heroes than comic book heroes, the Stone Zoo may have something that’s more suited to your tastes. This is because Wally the Green Monster will be at the Stone Zoo from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. tomorrow (August 9, 2014.) As a result, if you or your kids have ever wanted to meet the official mascot of the Boston Red Sox and/or you’ve always wanted to see what the animals would do with a baseball or other baseball-themed items, now’s your chance. For more information on Meeting Wally the Green Monster, please visit Zoo New England’s Program Calendar.

Finally, if you’re a baseball-loving father with a princess-obsessed little girl and you would really like to be her hero for an evening, you may want to take her to a Lowell Spinners game tonight. This is because the Lowell Spinners are hosting their second annual Daddy/Daughter Princess Night at tonight’s game against the State College Spikes. This promotional game will feature princesses, a princess parade, a trick-performing dog, fireworks, and free posters to the first 1,000 fans. For more information on the Daddy/Daughter Princess Night at the Lowell Spinners and/or to order tickets for the game, please visit the Lowell Spinners’ Tickets and Promotions page.

Photo credit: levork / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)