Video Games – 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

Gaming for Charity

All Hallows Eve, a day with a long history of treats and an even longer history of tricks, has come to a close once again. However, if you are one of the “fine, upstanding” individuals that took part in more of the mischief than the merriment this past Halloween, you may be looking for a way to improve your overall karma. Fortunately, if you’re looking for a way to improve your cosmic standing, there is no better way than supporting a charity, and it just so happens that there are a couple of interesting charity events in the Boston area this weekend. In fact, these charity events are specifically designed for gamers, so if you’re a gamer looking for a way to help out, look no further.

First, for all of the video game fans out there who are just dying to take part in a Local Area Network (LAN) party, the Cambridge Innovation Center has you covered. This is because the Cambridge Innovation Center, in partnership with the American Video Game League (AVGL), is hosting the Children’s Miracle Network Extra Life Fundraiser from 8:00 A.M. tomorrow (November 7, 2015) to 8:00 A.M. Sunday (November 8, 2015). This event will give you and your fellow video game fanatics the opportunity to play a full 24 hours of video games without the feelings of guilt that usually occur when you play that long because each player is required to find sponsors to donate money to charity. All of the proceeds from the event will be donated to Boston Children’s Hospital, and it really doesn’t matter how long you play or how much money you raise ($100 per person is the suggested amount) because in the end, it’s all about the charity. For more information on the Children’s Miracle Network Extra Life Fundraiser, please visit the American Video Game League’s Events page.

Secondly, if you’re more into board games than video games and you don’t mind losing some of your blood to something other than a vampire, you may want to check out the Boston Blood Drive and Board Games Event. Knight Moves, in partnership with Eureka Games, is hosting a board game event right down the street from the bloodmobile’s blood drive at Coolidge Corner. The hope is that there may be some gamers out there who are willing to donate some of their blood before they dive into some games at the Knight Moves Board Game Café. This event will not only allow you to help the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital collect the vital fluids they desperately need but will also allow you to get free cookies, play games at Knight Moves for a discounted price, and potentially win some prizes. For more information on the Boston Blood Drive and Board Games Event at Knight Moves and/or to register for the event, please visit the Knight Moves’ Registration Page on the SignUpGenius website.

Photo credit: ** RCB ** / 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

Things to Do When It’s Too Cold to Go Out

Is she trying to catch the snow in her mouth or she is screaming about the cold? You decide... — Is she trying to catch the snow in her mouth or is she so cold she is screaming? You decide…

Last week, I talked about some of the ways that you could embrace the winter or try to stave it off a little longer, but it appears that Jack Frost may have had other ideas. In fact, when I got up yesterday morning, it was a degree below zero with a wind chill of 15 below, and there were parts of New England where the actual temperature was nearly 25 below with a wind chill of who knows what. As a result, it’s clear that the winter is here with a vengeance, and ignoring it until it goes away is probably no longer an option. However, if you are stuck in your house this weekend because of the cold weather and you’re looking for something that you can do without opening your door (and turning your home into an icebox), look no further.

1. Board Games

When it comes to board games, people typically fall into one of two groups. The first group are the people that immediately think about how much fun it could be to try a new game or play an old favorite, and if you belong to this group, you should keep reading. The second group are the people that see the word “board” and immediately think it was misspelled (this group believes the correct spelling is actually “bored”) and if you fall into this group, I highly recommend that you skip this suggestion and move onto suggestions two and three. However, if you are one of the fine, upstanding people that belongs to the first group, board games can be a great way to keep you, your significant other, your friends daring enough to brave the cold, and/or your children entertained for hours on end.

In fact, you can always pull out an old classic like Battleship, Chess, Checkers, Clue, Monopoly, Risk, Scrabble, Sorry, Twister, or any variation thereof; or you can try a new game like King of Tokyo or King of New York if you’ve always wanted to be a rampaging monster, Pandemic if you’ve always wanted to be part of a team tasked with stopping a deadly outbreak, Power Grid if you’ve always thought you could handle a region’s infrastructure better than the power companies, or any of a countless number of other games. Best of all, if you don’t have one of these games, you can always find them at a local department store, comic book shop, hobby shop or, if you’re really determined not to leave your house and you’re a member of Amazon Prime, you can always pay the $3.99 for one-day shipping and have your new game tomorrow.

2. Video Games (Online or Otherwise)

If you would rather play a video game than a board game (or you prefer your board games when they are on a TV screen), you may want to check out some of the sites that will allow you to play or purchase video games. If you’re looking for free video games, you can always try out sites like ArmorGames.com, Kongregate.com, and/or Newgrounds.com. Armor Games and Kongregate both offer thousands of free games, many of which are user-submitted. These games include action, adventure, puzzle, RPG, shooter, strategy, and sports games. Newgrounds also offers thousands of free user-submitted flash games in addition to user-submitted art, music, and flash movies.

If, on the other hand, you would prefer to purchase a game rather than just play it in your browser, you can always try Amazon or Steam. These sites have a number of games that you can purchase (usually at a discounted price) and download as soon as you pay.

3. Movies / TV

If you’re a movie buff who would like nothing more than to just sit in your chair and watch your favorite films, you can always just grab a pile of DVDs from your closet or movie rack and go to town. However, if there’s a new movie or TV series that you would really like to see, but you don’t have it on DVD yet, you can always try Amazon.com, Hulu.com, Netflix.com, or the On-Demand services for your television provider. These sites and services often have some (but not all) of the latest movies and television shows, and they will typically allow you to watch them immediately for free, a one-time fee, or as part of a service with a monthly fee.

Photo credit: Luis Hernandez – D2k6.es / Foter / CC BY

Back-to-School Events and After-School Programs

Now that’s it been a couple of weeks since all of kids have gone back to school, you may be looking for something to entertain your kids or, at the very least, keep them out of trouble for a little while once the school day is over. Fortunately, there are a number of one-time events and ongoing programs that are sure to keep your kids busy this weekend and possibly beyond. In fact, there are a couple of programs this weekend that are specifically designed to help students unwind, explore new things, and ring in the new school year. As a result, if you’re looking for something for your children to do this weekend or looking for something to keep your kids busy all year long, there’s certainly no shortage of things to choose from.

First, if you and/or your kids are big fans of gaming, you may want to check out the Boston Festival of Indie Games. The Boston Festival of Indie Games, which is held at MIT’s Johnson Athletic Center in Cambridge, is a nonprofit festival that features a variety of tabletop games and video games from independent developers. This festival will allow you to see over 50 new video games, over 40 new tabletop games, attend a variety of panels on game design, learn about game design in a classroom setting, and a whole lot more. For more information on the Boston Festival of Indie Games and/or to register for the event, which is scheduled to take place from 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. tomorrow (September 13, 2014), please visit the Boston Festival of Indie Games website.

Secondly, if you’re a college student looking for a way to meet new people and/or you’ve always loved a good party, CollegeFest may be exactly what you’re looking for. This is because CollegeFest, which is being held tomorrow (Saturday 13, 2014) from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. at Fenway Park, is one of the largest back-to-school events in New England. This festival/party will give you the opportunity to meet thousands of college students while you listen to music from a variety of great bands and get free stuff from just about every business under the sun. For more information on CollegeFest, which is completely free to attend this year, please visit the CollegeFest website.

Finally, if you’re looking for an ongoing program to keep your kids busy all year long, here are some of the major programs that are available just about everywhere:

1. The Girl Scouts of America is a nonprofit organization that has been teaching girls ages 5 and up a variety of life skills since 1912. The average Girl Scout meeting (and there is typically nothing average about these meetings) will include activities that explore topics such as animals, arts and crafts, business, computers, cooking, community service, dancing, first aid, health, manners, music, nature, science, storytelling, and a whole lot more. Girl Scouts also offers each girl the opportunity to engage in a number of local, state, and national events that include camps, camping trips, hiking trips, ice cream socials, sleepovers at museums, and more events than I could ever hope to list here. For more information on the Girl Scouts of America, to find a troop near you, and/or to find the information that you need to start a troop of your own, please visit the Official Girl Scouts of America website.

2. The Boy Scouts of America is a nonprofit organization that has been teaching boys ages 7 and up a variety of life skills since 1910. The average Boy Scout meeting will include activities that explore topics such as arts and crafts, cars, camping skills, community service, communications, engineering, first aid, metalworking, music, nature, physical skills, science, woodworking, and a whole lot more. Boy Scouts also offers each boy the opportunity to engage in a number of local, state, and national events that include camps, camping trips, hiking trips, pinewood derbies, rainwater regattas (think pinewood derby with sailboats), and too many other events to list here. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, to find a troop near you, and/or to find the information that you need to volunteer, please visit the Official Boy Scouts of America website.

3. The YMCA, or Y for even shorter, is a nonprofit organization that has provided youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility programs for people of all ages since 1844. The programs offered by the Y can vary widely from area to area, but most Y’s offer academic enrichment programs, child care, early learning programs, family activities, leadership programs, swimming, sports, and a whole lot more. The Y also has camps with specialty programs and a number of advocacy, community service, and social service programs. For more information on the YMCA and/or to find a Y near you, please visit the YMCA website.

Photo credit: JD Hancock / Foter / CC BY

Twas The Weekend Before Christmas

Twas the weekend before Christmas, when all through the house
Every creature was stirring, even the mouse.
For nothing was wrapped and the tree was still bare,
In fact, half of the presents still aren’t there.

The children, with scissors in hand, are jumping on their beds,
While visions of a gift-less spouse or child dances in your head.
And everyone thinks you’re desperately seeking that elusive baseball cap,
But what you really want is just one more minute to nap.

When, all of the sudden, you get a look like the mad hatter,
And your spouse begins to wonder what’s the matter.
Away to the computer you fly like a flash,
Click away the screensaver and begin your shopping dash.

Then, the quiet click of your mouse,
Is interrupted as all through the house,
Your screams can be heard for everyone to know,
When you realize there’s no way for your presents to get through the snow!

You sit silently contemplating if there’s something you can click,
To make your gifts appear at your home really quick.
Unfortunately, with only days left to order,
There’s nothing you can do except make a run for the border.

However, I’m very happy to say,
That there is still hope on this winter day.
For if it is a last-minute gift you seek,
Here are some ideas to make your holiday less bleak!

1. Candy

There’s really no question that everyone from kids to adults loves candy, and candy, as a result, has become one of the staples of many holidays. Candy canes, chocolate, and peppermint bark are only a few examples of the sweets that are typically associated with Christmas. However, there’s nothing that says that you have to go with candy that is specifically related to Christmas, and you may find that putting together a basket or a box of some of your friend’s or loved one’s favorite candies can be a great way to come up with a last-minute gift.

2. Digital Goods

Almost everyone loves books, movies, music, and/or video games, but trying to make your way through the mall around Christmas time to get these gifts is never a simple task. However, there is an easier way to get these items, as all of these items have one thing in common. They can all be downloaded.

In fact, if you have a friend or family member with a Kindle, a phone or tablet with a reading app, or another similar device, you can actually buy books online and send the books that you buy right to their device using the e-mail that they have associated with that device. If, on the other hand, you have a friend or family member who is really into movies and/or music, all they need is a computer, a laptop, or a streaming device and you can buy any song, CD, or movie that you want and send it directly to them. And, if you have a friend of family member who is really into video games, all they need is a computer or a console for you to buy them a game and download it.

In the end, the only thing that you need to remember is that you will need your credit card and you will need to make sure that you buy something that will actually work with the device that your friend or family member has. It is also important to note that not every game and movie is available for immediate download, and if you are looking for something specific, you may not be able to find it in some cases.

3. Gift Cards

Alright, I know what you’re probably thinking. Anyone can give a gift card, and it really doesn’t require a lot of thought. In fact, you may be thinking that, even if you wanted to get someone a gift card, there is no way that you will be able to make your way through the crowds this weekend to pick one up.

Fortunately, gift cards don’t actually have to be boring, and they can be a lot easier to get than people think. This is because most grocery stores, pharmacies that belong to national chains, and other similar stores not only sell their own gift cards, but sell gift cards for other retailers as well. As a result, you may be able to go to your local grocery store or pharmacy and find a group of gift cards to all of your friend’s or loved one’s favorite places without going to every store under the sun. Best of all, if you choose a group of gift cards to places that you know your friend or loved one goes to all the time, it will prove that you actually put some thought into it and that you didn’t just pick up a gift card at random.

Photo credit: stuartpilbrow / Foter.com / CC BY-SA

Friday Fun: A Not So Scary Weekend

It’s Friday the 13th and many people are already crossing their fingers in the hope that nothing catastrophic will go wrong today. In fact, the more superstitious amongst us may be giving deep consideration to the dilemma of whether they should stay home and hide from the world in front of their TVs or carry a number of lucky charms to defend themselves from the chaos that may ensue on this “jinxed” day. However, if you’re one of the people that’s just looking for something to do after the day is over or you think the whole Friday the 13th thing is something to scare children and people that suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia (the fear of Friday the 13th), there are a couple of events you should definitely check out this weekend.

First, if you love big musical events, Mix 104.1 is hosting MixFest this weekend at the DCR Memorial Hatch Shell in Boston. This music festival will feature four bands, including Gavin Deshaw, the Backstreet Boys, Of Monsters and Men, and the winner of Mix 104.1’s “15 Seconds of Fame” contest. The festival will also feature a special area just for kids so that you can listen to the music without your kids driving you crazy. Best of all, the whole event is absolutely free unless you really just have to have VIP seats in which case you’ll probably have to win them. For more information on this year’s MixFest, which begins Saturday at 4pm (gates open at 1pm), please visit the Mix 104.1 website.

Secondly, if you’re more interested in gaming than big musical events or your kids are demanding something they can play, you may want to check out the Boston Festival of Indie Games. This festival, which is hosted by MIT, features over 25 independent board games and over 65 independent video games that you can play, vote on, and, if you so choose, purchase. In fact, the festival will not only give you the opportunity to play a whole bunch of games for free but will also give you the opportunity to attend a concert for a $25 fee that features music from well-known video game groups, including Bastion’s Darren Korb, Control Group, DJ Cutman, deadbeatblast, and last but certainly not least, the Video Game Orchestra. For more information on the festival, which begins at 10pm on Saturday, please visit the Boston Festival of Indie Games website.