For those who don’t know me, my name is William Kirk, and I am the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of GameCloud.
Hm. Maybe that opening is a bit too formal for a blog entry? (Probably… Okay, definitely.)
It’s 03:30 am, Sunday, April 17th, 2016, and I just deleted everything I wrote because it sounded way too much like an information piece and definitely not like a blog. Just to get all that formal stuff off my chest, if you have no idea what GameCloud is, check out the About Us page, and that will fill you in on everything I just wasted time writing/deleting.
So, a blog?—It’s not something I ever expected to start on GC. However, in a project driven by volunteers (myself included), it’s only possible to produce so much content each week as many of us are also working full-time, studying, have relationships, and, in my case, taking care of a newborn. We do pretty well considering, but with a team of more than 20 writers, I felt there was so much more we could offer. And what better way than through a casual blog where any of us can talk directly to you about what we’re playing, our experiences in the industry, or simply interesting or humorous stories that relate to gaming. And yes, I promise I’m trying not to turn this entry into some boring PR spiel!
Okay. Loosey-goosey. Loosey-goosey. Yep, I can do this!
I’m going to do my best not to drone on for too long about how it’s going to work—it’s pretty straightforward. We’ll all just start writing soon, and, hopefully, if you’re reading this, you’ll read some more. Not everyone is quite as rigid and terrible at casual writing as myself, I promise. These posts will also be accessible from the “Blog” heading in the menu, with the label “Memoirs of a Gamer.” Clever? Lame? I’m not entirely sure. Probably the latter… I like wordplay, what can I say?
Anyway, let’s move onto something less boring than me rattling on—I’ve been playing Dark Souls III this week, and I’m having a great time!
I’m a huge Souls fan; though, sadly, I’m not going to be reviewing Dark Souls III—that torch has been pass onto the very worthy Brendan Holben. If you were following my jibber jabber above, you might have picked up that I have a newborn, so reviewing a 60+ hour game is kind of impossible at the moment (priorities, right?). That said, it didn’t stop me getting my hands on a copy, or from trying to think of something else I could write about it instead of a review.
I’m not sure if I’m just really in the zone, if the early stages of the game are easier than past instalments, or what, but I’m several hours in now, and I have not seen the words “YOU DIED” yet. It feels pretty good, too! I’ve killed a bunch of dudes, one boss, and pissed off a really large dragon (lots and lots of arrows). I’m sure it’s going to get harder, based on what I’ve read, but already I have to say I’m enjoying it a lot. Bloodborne was the epitome of the series for me, so I’m glad DS3 has taken some queues to make things a little faster. Although, I am glad to have a shield again!
…Erm. Hold up. I have to stop writing for a bit to go and feed my daughter (I do the late shifts on weekends). For those who don’t know, newborns feed 3 hourly in the early stages, and yes, it’s brutal. I’m very, very tired right now.
Okay, so I bailed. Let’s skip forward to 10:30 am. I got 5 hours sleep, I have a coffee (the cheap, but it doesn’t really matter because I’m too tired, kind), so I’m good. What a casual, I know—as some of my crew might jest (i.e. Nick, Callum). Speaking of reductive statements, more than ever I’ve been hearing people spouting “git gud” across the internet when talking about Dark Souls III. Like many, I enjoy using ironic phrases, though I do have to laugh at those who take them seriously. Then again, I’m playing DS3 on PC, so it’s easy to feel superior when observing filthy console peasants telling each other to “git gud” when their issue is probably the crappy framerate. I jest, obviously. …Sort of.
Dark Souls III is actually the first Souls game I’ve played on a PC, and while I’m not genuinely obsessed about platform (given what I do, I play on most), I can’t underplay just how much of a difference that 60FPS has had on my playstyle. I’m almost wondering if that’s part of the reason why I’m playing better, as a higher framerate is imperative for games in which timing matters, and that’s Dark Souls to the letter. If you don’t have a PC, check out Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin and you’ll see what a difference this can make. Where do you stand in the controversial 30FPS vs. 60FPS debate?
Anyway, it’s about time I wrapped up my ramblings. I said above I was working on something that’s not a review, and the idea I have is a new opinion series called “Why I Play Games.” Basically, the goal is to dig into why certain games make me tick, so I’m keen to see where that goes. I’ll be starting with Dark Souls, surprise, surprise. Otherwise, I think that’s enough (this isn’t so terrible I need to delete and start again). Eventually, I’d like to engage with more of you—I’m also happy to answer any questions. (I know, civil conversation, I’m dreaming pretty big!) If you’d prefer to just lurk, however, no worries. Maybe check out some of our other stuff while you’re here, though?
William Kirk
