April 2013 represents a renewed focus for this site.
WatchUsPlayGames will be shifting into a new focus for April 2013. Quantity and formula’s are out, quality and less updates are in.
As you’ve noticed, all of last month and throughout the previous months essentially since the new year, I’ve been posting a formula of articles that were scheduled ahead of time, one a day for each month. For March I was able to get that up to three articles per day, sometimes more, in the form of a “Song of the Day”, “Photo of the Day”, “Review of the Day” (essentially) and sometimes a “Let’s Play/WatchMePlayGames video of the day”.
Now I will be trying to shift my focus from less of a formula to more quality posts. However I still want to post at least one article a day, so I may do so with a formulaic article, such as the “Videogame Photo of the Day”, but we’ll see. One idea may be to try and combine these formula’s into only one article… so that you get a photo, song, video or whatever in one post. Not sure if that would work though.
All in all, I want to focus more on quality and less on numbers, and more on marketing and promotion and less on frivolous posts and time spent writing them. I also may start posting Let’s Plays from youtubers. Something I had originally intended to do when I started this site (thus the name), but haven’t done so due to wanting to keep the focus on MY Let’s Play articles instead of that of others.
However I think I will try to do both (i.e., post my Let’s Plays as well as highlight the Let’s Plays of others)… So we will see where this leads. But I’m going to make a push to change things up around here and hopefully create more of an identity for myself and the site as a whole, bring in new readers through promotion and marketing, and focus more on quality posts than quantity.
I should also mention a few new developments. I’m going to make a bigger push for posting more of my own video content, including a “Let’s Read” series where I will read a book aloud, and a videogame unboxing series where I will unbox classic videogames. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but I’ve yet to get around to it.
In addition to all this, I’m going to really strive in April to find out a way to make simple but effective updates to the look of the site and site features, while also focus on researching new ways to improve the site (I’m still quite the newb).
And finally, this needs to be the month where I get ads placed on the site. I just gotta find a way to earn the money for that latter one first so I can update my WordPress to the paid version. And that money may have to come through selling some of my videogames. Boo. But I need the income and if I can generate it on the site through ads, that will be a huge incentive to really get things going and boost my morale for updating the site.
Yays! Proper Internet has finally been restored at my place. This will make it much easier for me to properly (there’s that word again…) update and get cracking on more videos, more podcasts, and other fun stuff.
:)
I’m going to start uploading WatchMePlayGame videos and ListenToMePlay Podcasts today, so expect to see some new stuff real soon!
I really need to get back to WatchMePlayGames Resident Evil Zero Podcasting. I haven’t played the game in a couple of weeks now. It’s never my intention to abondon a game, but it does happen.
Given that this is a very interesting series and special feature that I’m doing however, I WON’T let that happen. So expect to see the next (and final, I believe) installment coming soon.
I also haven’t played Final Fantasy VIII in a number of weeks now (which reminds me, I need to update my Diary of Final Fantasy VIII feature as well) and I’m going to force myself to play both of these in the next few days.
I definitely don’t want to abandon FFVIII nor Resident Evil 0.
Virtually all of my gaming time has been spent with Perfect Dark lately, I’m planning on doing a Podcast series of that very soon. I’ve already recorded a ton of episodes, including the entire Single Player Campaign on Agent (Easy Difficulty) and even a few videos using my new webcam. Sadly the videos are pretty grainy and it’s hard to see, but I’ll still post them anyway as soon as I get our internet turned back on at my apartment (been using a free unsecured wifi signal in our complex for months now, but sometimes it gives me problems. Another reason I haven’t been updating as much).
I also haven’t been updating as much lately because I’m kind of in a lull, and just get tired of the Internet easy this days. I am planning to write out a new schedule and do my best to stick to it like it’s a job in the coming months ahead for the new year. Hoping to try and really budget and manage my time in order to pump out 8 hours of productive work on this site and other projects.
With Christmas coming up, I’ll be getting a few additional pieces of hardware that should allow me new abilities for expanding my website. My birthday was in November, so I already got myself a brand-new 1080p HD webcam! I am hopeful that I will be able to use this to record VIDEO footage for my “WatchMePlayGames” video series…
Something I’ve always wanted to do, but my capabilities at doing so have been low and sparse. I did to a WatchMePlay Super Meat Boy series, but I never completed it and that was recording a PC game, not a console game.
However my main dilemma comes from two areas:
My computers are all VERY low on hard drive space. My solution is to either buy a Terabyte drive, preferably a 3TB Drive (which would be amazing), OR buy a Blu-Ray Burner. I am leaning more towards the latter source for now, as that would allow me to create hardcopy backups of all my important and not-so-important files, pictures and videos, that are clogging up my hard drive. It would kill two birds with one stone because I have always worried about hard drive failure, which could result in losing the decade-worth of pictures and videos that we’ve amassed. Which would be a really sad state of affairs.
So the sooner I can get a Blu-ray Burner and start making backups on blank Blu-Ray discs, the better. And that would allow me to free up a tremendous amount of space. Having said that, it’d also cost me a bit, cause I’d have to buy lots of blank discs, and it would take a lot longer than simply buying a new hard drive which would immediately free up tons of space.
Of course, new hard drives are more costly, it seems, than Blu-ray Burners. And like I said, it’s long overdue that I start making backups of everything. So I am leaning more towards the latter.
Currently I have 6GB free on my 1TB internal hdd. I’m about to attempt recording a video file for my Perfect Dark Xbox 360 Podcast series, which is already completed even though I’ve yet to upload the first installment. Sadly, I may also need to update my computer, as last time I recorded a video test-run, the video started slowing down. :(
So I may still be a ways off in getting to the point where I can really start doing lots of video. But we shall see….
No updates for today (except this one). I’ve continued the hunt for a job, while also persuing several different avenues. I’m back at looking for writing jobs and gigs online, and I think I’ll try out for “Demand Media” despite what the naysayers say about it. I can’t help but think that if I had started a long time ago, then I’d be making pretty good money by now…
I also want to continue looking at actual writing gigs, and I plan on finally putting ads on this site so I can start, hopefully, getting paid for it soon. So that’s what I was up to today, researching. Hopefully a job will come knocking before Christmas as I persue different avenues, including “normal” jobs. Wish me luck!
I’ve been obsessing over sushi the last week or so. The other day I watched THREE HOURS of nothing but “how to make sushi” videos on youtube. I plan on compiling them soon into a feature here on the site so you can learn how to make sushi too!
I went to the store today and headed to the Japanese/Asian Foods section to check out the ingredients/tools-needed prices. Turns out that it wouldn’t be TOO expensive to get the core ingredients to make your own sushi.
You can buy the Seaweed it’s wrapped in (called “Nori”, which contains more calcium than raw oranges) for $2.83 for ten sheets per pack. I found Rice Vinegar, needed to take the crazy amount of steps you have to take in order to create rice the way it is used for sushi, for the low cost of $1.18 or $1.54 depending on brand. “California Rice”, a close American made rice to the Japanese-style used in Sushi, runs $1.26 for 1 lb, $5.12 for 5 lbs or $12.98 for 20 lbs. Not too bad. Jasmine Rice was “$6.48” for 5 lb bag.
A bottle of ginger slices cost $4.74, a bottle of Wasabi Sauce runs $2.68 and a bottle of “Chinese Spicy Mustard” runs $1.30 (small bottle) or $2.28 (large bottle).
The one thing they didn’t have was the actual bamboo roller… I’m sure you can find them somewhere for cheap, and probably online or on amazon for VERY cheap. All told, it’d only cost about $13 and you’d have most of the basic stuff needed to make Sushi. Then you’d only need to concentrate on what you want to fill it with. Which can also be expensive, especially if buying fish, but you’d be that much closer to Sushi making!
I can’t wait to get started!
I spent a large chunk of yesterday re-organizing my small Filing Cabinet. I labeled all of the folders, took everything out, wrote out new labels, and plan to go through all of the files in my Filing Cabinet and resort everything.
Before doing this I went through a lot of my idle mail that I’ve never looked at, and figured out the exact amount of debt I owe to various organizations. The amount is really high, very sad when you are unemployed… but I can’t wait until I have a job so I can finally start paying it all down.
Over the last week I’ve also re-arranged my room, and finally got a very nice wooden desk/dresser that has been sitting outside on our balcony (given by a family friend from church) moved into my room. I was finally able to use it and it turned out fantastic! I filled it with books and the top is now lined with magazines.
I was able to clean out my closet which was so stuffed with crap just thrown in there haphazardly that it feels really great to finally have it essentially cleaned out. Most of the books and stuff that was stuffed in there were moved into the new wooden dresser. I also swapped out a lot of stuff that was in this amazing giant cabinet that I dug out of our apartment trashcan and moved it to the new wooden shelf, freeing up new space for different stuff to be put in that cabinet.
All in all, combined with the moving and rearranging of my videogame stands and computer desk; My room now looks completely different and is set up completely different. I think it’s a very positive thing.
Last but least, I have been extremely lazy lately in finishing my Resident Evil Zero Podcast series. I definitely need to get back to that.
It’s been a very busy week and month for me. My friend tried to commit suicide, I’m glad to report that he is now doing well. Or so it seems. Keep him in your prayers. That resulted a full day’s stay at the hospital overnight, and then I got sick myself with a really weird thing that had caused me to have to go to a hospital a few months back.
I had bad “stomach” pains, although I wasn’t sure where they were exactly coming from. The pain would shoot up my butt at times, and made it hard to use the bathroom. I was diagnosed as having a urinary tract infection, the male equivalent, after having my balls ultrasounded by a hot chick. lol. It was an interesting experience…
Anyway, it came back… briefly, just this past week. However it thankfully went away after a few days… I am now taking more pains to try and drink less caffeine and coffee, try to wash less with soap in my sensitive areas, and drink more water….
Hopefully things will go well. Thanks for reading. :)
You can all abortion whatever you want to call it. The act is murdering an individual. Factually.
People are NOT “products” and neither is a fetus. While that may sound like common sense, this absurb stance on another soon-to-be-son or daughter was the counter-argument proposed to my Pro-Life stance by a fellow friend in an extensive debate I had with him on the topic of abortion and life.
One one side (mine), you have someone who believes that all-life is precious, even the tiny innocent human to be born as the result of rape or incest. On the other side (my friend) is the belief that an unborn person is a “product”, and can thus be disposed of at the whims of their mother. Two competing views.
In my mind, while the mother’s life is of the utmost importance, just as important is the PERSON she is carrying inside her. As soon as conception has been made and a human being, your son or daughter, is growing inside you, you forfeit the right of considering your body your own. Anything and everything you do effects your little one, and if they die inside you, YOU DIE. If you are murdered, they are murdered. It is not one murder, it is considered TWO.
This, as everyone knows, is the natural cause and effect of sexual intercourse and unprotected sex. Regardless of the circumstances, that person growing inside you is an innocent boy or girl who deserves their own shot at life. That is my stance as a Christian, Conservative and Republican, and always has been.
This topic was the debate subject I had when my dear childhood, lifelong, liberal Democrat friend called Paul Ryan a “prized asshole” (a phrase I would never use for anyone, I should add. I don’t use that kind of obscene language) over Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential choice’s refusal to support abortion even in the case of rape or incest.
Here is our conversation in full, followed by more observations by me at the end. This will give you a clear definition on where I stand as far as abortion is concerned.
A fantastic picture of our next Vice President of the United States.
Democrat: What a prized asshole. “Paul Ryan Refuses To Say Abortions Should Be Available To Women Who Are Raped” – link.
Me: Just saw an interview with a woman born of a rape. She values her life just as much as you value yours.
Democrat: That’s cool. I once took a psychology class and in the class was a girl who was the product of rape. She said she would have preferred that her mother never had her because she always saw the pain in her mom’s eyes when she looked at her. Even after her mother had more children from a loving relationship, her mom always had a different look and treated her differently then she did her siblings. She said that her mom had a hard time raising her and it was an intense emotional struggle for her mother.
I’m also sure that you’re familiar with the 13th amendment, right? You know what it means and what it stands for. A woman is raped and then a product is made. The mother is then a host for that product… involuntarily.
The product then feeds off of and grows within the mother… without her initial consent. It’s then brought to term and a laborious and painful birth ensures. It was never the intent of the mother to go through with this, the product and constant reminder of a time in which something happened to her that took away her freedoms and it continues for 9 months.
No sense to be so overjoyed. It’s just another product growing inside you, right?
Then come the emotional bondage of give it away to a system of orphanages and foster homes that is broken and underfunded to which the kid has little chance at a normal life or whether to keep it and have the woman remain a slave to the horrendous event and the kid to have “special” treatment as in the case of the student I shared a classroom with.
Taking away the right of a woman to choose her own, something that you believe was imbued to you by a creator (the right to choose) and something that is reinforced by our government (the pursuit of life, liberty and property/happiness), is committing her to slavery/indentured servitude.
Not you or I or anybody in the Whitehouse has the right to say what a woman can or cannot do when it comes to this, for it would be unconstitutional.
Me: Actually it says all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Once another human being is growing inside you, your body is not your own. Anything and everything you do effects that life, which is why there are warning labels in places that serve alcohol.
Both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have pro-life records, though one has flipflopped on the issue.
As Ron Paul said, you treat pregnant women as two people, not one person. You may forfeit a life as a “product”, which speaks volumes, but many people see it differently. And that life has every right to be given a chance at life despite the circumstances of its birth. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Democrat: Actually, if you look up the history of the phrase, you’ll find that it was intended to mean property and did say it but was changed to say the latter.
I didn’t forfeit anything. A child is a product. Life is a product. Humanity is a product. One of the definitions of the word is “1. Something produced by human or mechanical effort or by a natural process.”
Once a child that was made from such a despicable act of confinement is made, it is an extension or the original act and it’s up to the mother to make the choice, for she is the one that has to live with either outcome and if that’s the case then she has the chance to atone for her actions, right? She’ll meet her maker in the end. Correct? Then we don’t get to decide for her in this life; only she can do that.
Me: Well I’m just glad I don’t have that twisted outlook on life. You should read this book called “A Stolen Life” by Jaycee Dugard.
You would’ve taken her greatest gifts away from her, on account of them being rape induced. Thankfully she held a different view, and sees their life’s as gifts, angels to brighten her day through the chaos and pain she had to endure. Innocent lives.
Here is an extensive interview with Jaycee Dugard.
Democrat: I’m sorry that you think my view on life is twisted just because it doesn’t conform with yours. I would have used the word different because that’s all that it is.
Some Other Dude: You know, mandatory birth control would make this a moot issue. :o)
Me: It’s not because it doesn’t conform, it’s because it values death over life. Innocent life. I should’ve tacked an “with all due respect” onto the front. And that is why this issue will never be “resolved”. I can’t see how anyone can kill an innocent being no matter the circumstances, while you don’t even see it as a being. So there’s no compromising on this front, the gap between views is a gulf as wide as the ocean. Just as a lot of views between Conservatives and Liberals shake out to be.
Democrat: I don’t value death over life. I’m not saying that there aren’t any consequences. I’m just saying that this isn’t for anyone but the woman to decide.
Me: But that means you are giving the infant no choice in the matter. How is that fair? Or moral? That’s how you are choosing death over life. The mother’s life is important, of course, but just as important is the human she is carrying. I don’t see how in the world anyone can undervalue that, considering you, me and everyone that walks this earth was once one of these “products” ourselves.
Think about it logically, if a woman were to take her infant and throw it out the window, that’d be a crime, a disgrace, and immoral. But to kill it, is not immoral? It’s perfectly fine. It’s her choice if he or she lives or dies?
Ron Paul discussing abortion, and how pregnant woman are considered TWO PEOPLE not ONE. The health of the child is just as important as the mother.
Democrat: It’s still not up for you, me or any government to decide.
Me: Actually yes it is, when a child is in danger others step in to save that child, be it the police or government or a concerned citizen who reports abuse. Because that child has rights, just like you and I do, and deserves their shot at pursuing happiness. Parents have authority over the child, but not authority to end the child’s life or cause excessive harm or endangerment to him or her.
—– End Conversation
Pro Life has defeated Pro Choice on abortion in 2011 and 2012 as Pro-Life continues to grow.
I went on to make a few observations regarding abortion and the state of its support, or lack thereof, in a few other Facebook posts.
“Although Pro-Choice Democrats still outnumber Pro-Life Democrats, the percentage of Pro-Choice Democrats has dropped ten points in the last year, from 68% to 58%. Pro-Life Democrats currently make up 34% of the Party, which is a seven point increase over the same time period.
The upward Pro-Life trend in the country is not limited to older adults. A 2010 Gallup poll illustrates that Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine have been moving in the pro-life direction. In 2003, 40% of that age group considered themselves pro-life. By 2010, that percentage had increased seven points to 47%.” – – Source
The Democrats do understand that 51% of the country now considers themselves pro-life right? Last time I checked, above 50% is considered a majority. Meanwhile those who identify themselves as “Pro-Choice” is at its lowest point ever, 41%. The DNC (Democratic National Convention, where Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will officially be nominated for the 2012 Democrat Party Ticket as the incumbents) will feature the president of Planned Parenthood speaking at their convention.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think most people see that organization like they perceive Code Pink; radical. As the series of recent stings has proven, where undercover agents revealed them promoting (or failing to report) child rape and child prostitution, and stings revealing Planned Parenthood advisers advising clients that aborting their unborn baby’s based on their kids gender was acceptable and perfectly legal… I think their reputation has been quite tarnished in recent times, wouldn’t you agree? Well We’ll see if hosting the President of Planned Parenthood helps the case for the Democratic Party and Barack Obama, but I have my doubts.
Especially considering that more and more people are coming to the conclusion that abortion is abhorrent and immoral than ever before. After decades of Pro Choice dominance, people are CHOOSING LIFE over death this time, and I expect that Pro Life support will only grow in the future, not shrink. And that includes young people like myself.
Thanks for reading. Sound off on whether you agree or disagree in the comments below.
Keep it civil, I police all comments and will delete your’s if I feel it is unworthy of being posted, at my own discretion. This is NOT youtube or Yahoo or Facebook and I’m determined to keep the comments section from becoming that way.
The Bible says that love is stronger than Death. But in the midst, throes and turmoil of losing a loved one, never forget that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, and took the sting out of Death.
When your loved one passes away, it will look like Death has won. But that’s a lie. Death has not won. For Love lasts forever. Love is stronger than death because God. IS. LOVE.
T.D. Jakes speaks this message at Whitney Houston’s funeral. If you haven’t heard it, take time to listen to his message and allow it to sink in. In just over five minutes this powerful man of God delivers the most eloquent funeral speech I’ve ever heard. Heartfelt, funny, gracious, moving, profound, uplifting. Perfect.
Do not allow death to sow seeds of bitterness, resentment, or even regret. We all will have regrets, of time lost, love lost… and memories and moments never to be redeemed again… But that is a lie. We WILL meet again in Heaven, and that time will be redeemed 100 fold. Remember that the Bible says our lifetime spent here on earth, even if it is 100 years or more, is as a wisp of smoke compared to our eternal life in the hereafter and beyond.
In but an eyeblink from God, 1000 earthly years pass by. Within an early second, our loved ones will be reunited with those who loved Jesus Christ and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven to be rejoined once again. Death is a destination… and death is the beginning of life. NOT THE END. Thus the death of a loved one is something to be celebrated.
Prayer Request: As my uncle Tom passes from this life into the next, please keep him and the family in your prayers. Pray that this brings the family closer than ever before, and that God prepares my uncle’s soul to enter Heaven, and embraces him with open arms. Thank you.
Death. Is. Dead.
Celebrate their life, celebrate their memory, and celebrate the reality of the afterlife in the loving wings of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and their creator, their Father God. For our lose is Heaven’s gain. And the gain they receive is beyond earthly measure or comprehension. We will join them soon enough, for life passes by in a blink. Make the best of it, and love people. For God is love, and nothing on this earth, not metal, stone or works of creativity, will pass with us. Nothing but our relationships, and those souls in which we have brought an eternal destiny.
That’s All the E3 2012 For Today Folks! Day 0 is done, look forward to Day 1!
Day 0 of E3 2012 has come to a close, and the show officially starts off with a BANG tomorrow morning very early, as Nintendo gets prepared to show off everything they have in the works for the Wii U!
It’s going to be a day to remember full of megaton announcements, so BE PREPARED! I’ll be up early to cover the show and hopefully post another 30 articles all by my lonesome. :)
I hope you guys enjoyed my coverage of E3 2012 so far, I plan to keep it up with the same rapid pace as the week progresses. There are about a bajillion articles and games I still have in mind and really wanted to cover, and a few articles already posted that I need to fix up, edit, update and add-to. But hey, time waits for no man…
All in all, I posted 31 articles today, June 4th 2012, and pushed my viewership to record highes, record likes, and a high number of new followers. This is harder than I ever worked before; so I hope you got to learn a lot of cool stuff and see something that you missed. Please spread the word to your friends and let them know that WatchUsPlayGames has them covered for their E3 2012 news and videos. Goodnight guys, God bless and get some rest! Be sure to SET THAT ALARM CLOCK! The Nintendo E3 2012 Press Conference show starts at 9am Pacific Time (11 hours from now) so be sure to wake up bright and early!
At least, it gets closer to closing in on 1,000 everyday! (Although lately I’ve been selling off a lot of games to make chump-change to buy food…. oh to be young and jobless :/ I’ll be fixing that soon as Summer hiring is in full swing!).
I own games for virtually every system imaginable. I hope you have fun looking through them all. :)
Watch Us Play Games 