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Yeah, it's hard to beat the price of a console, even at launch. An entry-level gaming PC is what, $600? The next generation of consoles should be less than that.
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I'd love to check it out. I don't have a set travel schedule, and I'm usually gone about a week out of every month. It's just a part of the job.
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My favorite perk is the ability to see something interesting in a game and then pick up the phone, call the developer, and ask them about it. I love talking to the people who make the games we play, and I always feel like when I'm learning something new about the industry I'm bound to write a good story about it. I kind of trust that what I'm interested in the readers are interested in, and that's been a safe bet for the past few years.
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Nothing. Everyone repeats the same few stories, so I just go to one of the super-blogs and scan it once a day. That's all you really need to keep up. I don't really need to know every tiny detail from every game, I just try to keep up with what's happening.
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No, this is my job, and I love doing it. Even on the days where I don't want to to do it... it's my job. The best way to keep your sanity is to make sure you write every day, and you're comfortable doing it for hours each day no matter what. Most people wake up every morning and they don't want to go to work. I'm lucky enough to love what I do. Even on days where I'd rather be doing something else, I feel incredibly lucky to have this job. The second you take it for granted is the second it goes away.
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I love it so far. It's easy to get your friends to try new games because they don't have to pay anything upfront, and you get to try a ton of new games. I'd say Tribes is one of my favorite PC games right now, although Blacklight: Retribution is also quite good.
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Being surprised by something I don't expect! I'd also love to play a real Wii U game, not a tech demo.
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I don't think there is any threat to the console industry, it's just changing. Valve doesn't have much of a reason to get into selling gaming hardware, or things like console-like PCs. Apple is always going to treat gaming as an added bonus, not a focus.
This is where the portable gaming industry is falling apart, though: the iPad does gaming at around a seven, and everything else at an eight or above. Systems like the Vita do gaming at a 9, but everything else at a 2 or lower. People don't mind paying more for the iPad because it does so much more and it does those things WAY better than anything else. I'm not sure how much of a market remains for dedicated portable gaming, although I love my 3DS and Vita. -
Man, I hope so! People are also asking if I'm going to pop up in a strip. I think with that sort of thing you just have to hang back and if it happens, it happens. I love PATV though, and being on it seems overwhelming to me. I've been a fan of the site for years, so it's still incredibly odd to think I'm staff. I also telecommute, so I don't have the social experience everyone else does in the office.
I'm not sure if I'm much of a new hire after a few months, but again, I'd love to do an episode. We'll see! The other upside is right now I'm pretty anonymous when I'm at PAX, because I HAVEN'T been on PATV. You see people like Erika, Jamie, and Jeff get so much attention because people know who they are. It's kind of fun to be undercover. :-) -
Don't send the text unless they ask for it. Give them an idea of what the story is about, maybe a few sentences, and ask if they'd like to read more and how they'd like to receive the text. If they're interested, they will let you know how to proceed.
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I was incredibly humbled by the number of people who showed up for my presentation, and talking to people afterwards was amazing. Someone had the entire staff of Penny Arcade sign a first edition of The Silmarillion, and at first I refused because it seemed blasphemous! Then he pointed out that others had signed it, so I finally went ahead and did it. When someone asks you to do something like that... man. It's a big deal.
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I tend to chop it off right before a trip, and I felt like I had to look at least glancingly professional for my official PAX. It's funny, whenever I go in for a haircut my barber always asks where I'm going. I don't think I've been completely clean shaven in over a decade.
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Go back through the questions, there are a ton of people asking the same thing. This isn't a blow off, I've tried to give the best advice I can, it's just been handled a few times already.
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Brute! Strong as an ox, good on defense, and easy to fuck up the enemy's base. Plus with the heavy spinfusor and the shotgun you don't have to be a genius to hit anything. I also think the neutron grenades are a fun way to troll people. Basically it's the best class ever.
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Every company that has attempted that kind of thing has failed, and I still love Rock Band. I'm kind of over trying new takes on the same theme.
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I actually haven't, although I hear they're quite good. It's very weird to be part of an organization that actually creates games, though, but in a good way. I love Zeboyd games, so personally I can't wait to play the third installment.
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Oh yeah, to a major extent. I moved out when I was still in high school, and had my own apartment before I graduated. I got into all sorts of trouble.
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I keep a bunch of stories going at a time. It's just a matter of what interests me and what I think we can do well.
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That's up to them! I'd love to do it, though. Also, I'll be sure to fix my bio.
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Check your facts, always ask for comment from the companies involved, and don't report on rumors or sources you're not 100 percent sure of.
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Ben Kuchera’s Bio
The Gaming Editor of Ars Technica. Family Man.
