So apart from updating you all on our lives, this whole house buying process has been quite a learning experience which brings me to video games.  Within most video games, buying a home is not really an option.  When you play a game like Call of Duty, Halo, or Gears of War, the idea of a place called home is an afterthought.  Of course these characters have some kind of place they call home but it’s a place that we will certainly not be invited to see.  Then you have other games like, most notably, The Sims, Animal Crossing, and Harvest Moon which revolve around the notion of getting a home and building a game pretty much around that.  Most recently, however, games like Fable, Fallout 3, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim feature homes as a large part of the game’s mechanics.

Now, while buying a home in real life has it’s obvious hoops and obstacles, the only real obstacle in video games lies in earning, making, or stealing enough money to buy the house outright.  Off hand, Animal Crossing is the only game that comes to mind that actually offers you a mortgage that you can pay off (at your absolute leisure).  This bank, however, doesn’t care that you have a piddly job at Tom Nook’s store or run a credit report.  Nor do they care that most of your significant income comes from digging holes all around the town, shaking trees, and doing odd jobs for your neighbors for cash under the table.  They also don’t care when you pay your mortgage and they don’t assess late fees if you don’t pay for three months.  They don’t have a minimum payment so you can pay as little as you want or you can pay the house off in full in one fell swoop.  At the same time, you don’t have monthly utility bills nor do you have the ability to max out any credit card bills – in Animal Crossing you can only buy things that you have the cash on hand for.  You do have the option to save money at the town’s bank.  This does not earn interest (nor do the real ones for that matter!) but you can put away some extra cash for, really, whatever you want.

In Fable, you can buy a house once you earn enough money as well as (sigh, if I remember correctly) once you satisfy certain conditions within the game.  From there you have a place that you can call home to sleep in, have sex in (lol), and even redecorate.  You can also rent out houses to earn more money.  The nicer your house is decorated, the higher amount of money the house is worth if for rent or for sale.  If you are evilly aligned, you can even raise the rent above market value to make more money.  In Albion, there is no mortgage. You have to earn the money, ALL of it before you can buy a place.  Houses in Albion even grant the owner certain bonuses that can help (or hinder) you in the game.  You can also switch the home you live in with, quite literally, the push of a button.  The “A” button to be exact.

In games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim, a home is also a place to store all the crap that you collect from dungeons, quests, and killing stuff.  You can decorate the house, you can cook in it, and you can even alchemize potions of all kinds in it.  Like in Fable, you have to earn the money to buy the house.  Earning money, in the beginning of the game, is really hard in both games yet no one has a problem doing so.  We stay late at work (killing anything we can find), we collect as much as we can hold (yah! this book is worth one piece of gold! I’ll take it to town with me and sell it), we even pick town’s people’s pockets or steal from their homes and stores just to earn enough money to buy a coveted home.

So that brings me to real life where we all have a hard time saving money (well, at least I do).  Keeping my eyes on the prize, in a video game, is really the whole mechanic to playing a video game.  Do this to get to that then to that to get to this.  Why is it so much harder to keep your eye on the prize in real life?   Why don’t I opt to stay at work longer and why don’t I find stuff and sell it?  Obviously, I can’t run and and kill shit to either loot the body or sell its pelt (I guess I could do the latter, but a hunter I am not).  I try to recycle but it’s almost more work to recycle than it would be to just stay at work an hour longer.  (I guess I do the recycling thing to get my CRV back, feel less guilty about how much I waste, and feel that much more superior to you assholes who don’t recycle. I’m kidding about that last bit).  With “Buying a Home” being a true real life achievement to unlock, you would think that, as a video game achievement whore, I would have been working harder and longer to unlock said achievement.  Well, the one thing that video games have over real life is accelerated time.  Time happens a lot faster in game than in real life and that makes it a hell of a lot easier to keep your eye on the prize.  That and there are probably a bunch of side quests that need to be done thus earning you even more cash to put towards your home or that new shiny armor you’ve been eyeing in the blacksmith’s shop.

Another thing that is virtually absent in video game home buying is the bank (except in Animal Crossing of course).  the stipulations and hoops that home buyers must jump through are ridiculous.  Of course, it’s somewhat necessary since we are just trying to bounce back from the housing crash that happened a few years ago.  It’s a great time to buy but you really have to make sure that all your ducks are in a row.  Minimize your credit card debt (have as little as possible), pay off your cars, and for Pete’s sake, pay your bills on time – all of them.   You want to have a good credit score basically so you won’t pay a higher interest rate.  Next, you want to have at the very minimum , $25,000 in the bank.  This number is dependent on a number of factors: the price of the home, the status of your credit, your income amount, your debt to income ratio, the type of loan you need, the type of sale, and the condition of the house.  We only had $11,000 saved up so we had to come up with a way to pay the closing costs that satisfied the bank and basically assured them that we can indeed afford the house.  The bank will need to verify where the down payment money comes from so you will need to be prepared to explain it by either making sure it’s obvious or writing a bunch of letters of explanation.  Then there are all the things you have to gather together to prove to the bank that you are worthy of getting their money to buy your home.  Your bank statements, your pay stubs, everything that proves that you make enough and have enough to purchase this house.  Then there is the waiting and oh yes, you will wait.  Even for a home that is bank owned.  A home that makes the bank absolutely no money for every day it stays unsold.  You would think that the banks would do their shit faster so they can stop losing money on it, but they don’t, they take their sweet time and take a process that is supposed to last 30 days into one that takes anywhere from 30 to 45 days and sometimes even longer.  This is assuming that the buyers as well as the sellers are on top of things…if both parties are lagging, the whole process does the same.  In our case, we had all of our ducks in a row and had satisfied all the requirements as early as possible but because the bank took so long to open escrow, we wait.  And wait some more.

And that brings us to the present and possibly, the whole point of this article, in my mind.  Why can’t buying a home in real life be more like buying a home in a video game.  It’s a hell of a lot easier and we seem to enjoy the whole process that much more.  One more thing to note, moving homes in a video game is sooooo much easier than even thinking about moving in real life.  Hell, in Skyrim, I can carry like 350 lbs and all of it fits into my adventuring satchel or whatever it is I keep my loot in (a bag of holding?).  If I had that encumbrance and strength, for that matter, this would be a whole different story!  Anyways, Norm and I will be back soon, once we have completed our move and have settled in, and we will be able to come back and focus on what Married with Video Games is all about – video games, relationships, and more video games.  Thanks for reading!

The call for entries left editor, Daniel Wade, more than 2600 pieces to sift though and this year, we get 358 new characters to appreciate and drool over.  You may recognize a few gaming characters like Reiko Nagas from the Ridge Racer series, Sarah from Tabula Rasa, characters from and inspired by The Legend of Norrath, Magic: The Gathering, and even fanart of Marvel comics character, Ms. Marvel.  The programs used for each piece varies.  Most have been created using Photoshop and Painter with a complete listing of the programs used featured in the book’s index.  The index also features a list of artists with email addresses, websites, and page numbers of their featured artwork.

I’m always so impressed with not only the artist’s skill with the digital paint programs but their unbridled imaginations as well.  One of my favorite pieces featured in this collection is entitled “Sakura” by ScarletGothica from Italy.  It features a beautiful Geisha with Sakura branches growing painfully from her back with a big red sun, cherry blossoms, and koi fish in the background.  The background also features the famous wave from the Hokusai woodblock print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.  While I say that this piece is one of my favorites, with so many wonderful pieces, it’s very difficult to narrow it down.

Exotique 7 is a must have for people who love and appreciate digital character art.  Use it to inspire your own artwork or just to enjoy some of the hard work and endless imagination that these artists have shared with the world.

Exotique 7 is available for pre-order now though Ballistic Pulbisher’s website in a standard soft cover edition for $59.00 and a hardcover edition for $115.00. The hardcover edition is bound in black leather and features gold metallic embossing.  The first 100 customers to purchase Exotique 7 will also receive a  free A3 poster print of “Nimhue” by Omar Diaz which is featured in the collection and will be sent separately in a flatpack mailer to keep the print fold-free.

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The idea of Tron was created by Steven Lisberger and Donald Kushner. They already had much of the story in place and everything centered on the visual concept of the film: live action with computer-generated imagery (CGI). However the visual scope of the film translated to an overwhelming investment that scared studios away.

After a very trying time finding a studio to back the film, Steven Lisberger and Donald Kushner finally got a green light from Disney, who was struggling a bit at the time. This was a calculated risk by Disney, who was mired in declining theme park attendance and a drought in its animation department. They were just opening EPCOT Center at the time, and were on the eve of another major change in their history, the Michael Eisner era. Banking on a huge turnaround and also introducing animation back into the Disney fold, their hopes of turning the company around could have rested on the shoulders of the film.

Tron was released in 1982 amidst a lot of hype. Word of the movie spread like wildfire during a very lucrative time for video games. Home consoles started to permeate the marketplace and arcades could be found everywhere. So the idea of a movie that takes place in a computer generated world was very exciting. One of the most unique aspects of the film is its use of light.

Unlike any film before or after it, all the shots that took place in the computer world were turned into negatives, backlit, and re-shot. Add the record amount of CGI for backgrounds and vehicles and you had an undertaking that was more than most people could take. It was way ahead of its time.

Ultimately, the reviews of the film were mixed. Like Avatar, most critics found the story was overpowered by the special effects and lacked any real pacing and drama. The cyber-punk themes never caught on and in the end, its biggest success was the video game that was inspired by the movie.

Mattel Electronics also gambled big on the success of the movie. They developed four original titles for the Intellivision. Tron Deadly Discs is heralded of the best of them all. The game features a disc battle between you and unending waves of enemies that increase in power the longer you survive. Occasionally a Recognizer will fly on screen, forcing you to disable it or dodge its fire until it finally flies off. Tron Maze-a-Tron puts you in the shoes of Flynn as he runs around a circuit board trying to disable it long enough to destroy the MCP by inputing a binary code. The game was decent, but suffered from confusing gameplay and instructions. Solar Sailer was the only Tron game to feature voice acting via the Intellivoice, a voice synthesis add-on to the Intellivision. The game tasks you to find a special code by traveling on solar sailer beams. The game also is also the only Tron game to include music inspired by the movie score. The fourth was created for the Atari 2600 called Adventures of Tron. The game started as a remake of Tron Maze-a-Tron, but changed so much during development that it turned into its own game.

Bally Midway released its upright arcade game, Tron, the same year as the movie. Featuring two screens, one for the player and one above for people to watch, the video game gobbled up more quarters than the film. With a simple, yet effective control scheme, the game put players on the game grid with four different mini-games: Light Cycles, I/O Tower, MCP Cone and Battle Tanks. Once you completed all four games, you started over on a more difficult level. Most players would never get beyond the second level.

Then all was silent in the world of Tron. When Disneyland finally removed the last of its Tron cabinets from the Starcade, it marked both the end of world of Tron but also the end of the arcade era. Games became too expensive to upkeep and too expensive to play. Games went from costing a quarter a play to a dollar, or more. It became frustrating to lay down a dollar to play for a few minutes before the game asked you to put more in.

Then with the help of both Nintendo and its 1985 national release of the NES, as well as Capcom’s wildly popular 1991 arcade title, Street Fighter II, video games were back on the scene. However, Tron never surfaced again until 2003.

It all started that year with a link to a website that looked like a companies private website. Finding a code and inputing it, it took you to a list of files that give you information linking to the Tron universe. At first, many people thought that a new Tron movie was coming out soon. This got everyone really excited. Then it was announced that the viral marketing campaign was linked to a new video game called Tron 2.0. With a heavy sigh, computer geeks still rejoiced that Tron was still alive in some form.

Tron 2.0 was more of a critical success than a true hit. Its slow pace and platforming puzzles really held it back from being a killer app. Still, it had  some of the best glow effects ever seen in a game, and a decent story to boot.   The game is still alive and well even today, but aside from that, in 2003 there wasn’t much else save a little hint that a movie may be on the way.

Then in 2009, the rumor became reality. Not only did the film get an official announcement, but an online video game called Space Paranoids was released. The game, inspired by the game that Flynn was showing off at the beginning of the original Tron movie, is a completely faithful imagining of what Flynn was playing.

Now the movie is due out on December 17th and it has a lot to live up to. Like the original, the movie is going to open up amid a ton of hype. It is expected to be full of amazing visuals, and some great action to boot. Video games to support the movies release are also out, and if the reaction to these games are any indication of the movie quality…well, lets just say that I hope that it’s not.

Tron holds a special place in my heart that sits next to Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars. While Tron Legacy won’t ruin the original for me, I do hope that it’s at least enough to keep the world alive…the Tron world, I mean.

E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo. It’s an annal convention and trade show that is currently held in Los Angeles. Anyone involved in creating anything that has to do with video games is on hand to show off their newest technology to the press and other gaming professionals. It is currently one of the largest trade shows of its kind, with the 2009 attendance reaching over 70,000 people.

The idea for E3 was originally conceived in 1995 by Infotainment World and the Interactive Digital Software Association. They were at a convention called the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where they realized something was missing. Their booths only had enough room for their product. They didn’t have enough room to have a private area for special demos or business discussions so they would have to make these special appointments elsewhere. It would be much more convenient for the people they were trying to impress to simply meet right there at the booth. At the time, CES refused to expand to support this idea, and E3 was born.

Since then, E3 has grown to become the biggest platform for developers to show off their wares in the U.S. As E3 became more popular, it evolved into a very glitzy and competitive event. A few years ago, the competition heated up so much, that complaints were raised about sound level and scantily clad women distracting from important press conferences and announcements. In response, the powers behind E3 decided to make it a press/invite only event. Instead of having all these companies crammed into the L.A. Convention Center, they spread the event out over the greater Los Angeles area, and the huge booths and glamorous attractions were all but eliminated. This didn’t sit well with the press because of the difficulties of commuting around L.A. and making appointments in a timely manner.

To accommodate, the convention has been building itself up again, and this year has reached new heights in size and presentation. The booths were impressive, with plenty of eye candy and demos for most of the hottest titles.   It has become popular for companies to save announcements of their new consoles and games for this event. If the game is already announced, you might be able to find a new demo or even a playable demo of a system or game that has never been shown to the public before. This makes it a very special time for gamers, and all the press is out to report their experiences to you so you know the best ways to spend you money.

While E3 is the biggest and most exciting video game conference in the U.S., it isn’t always the best place to introduce certain titles. Occasionally developers will save announcements for special titles for smaller events so it can get more attention.

There are so many video game websites you can visit to read all about the different things shown at this year’s E3, and if you want to sift through all the mess, you can probably find some great things out there. Married with Video games was lucky enough to be able to attend the event, however with our limited resources, could only catch the highlights of the event. Our focus was on games fun for the family, however, it was also important for us to see all the hot new titles so our readers can be more informed. Here is a list of the booths that we visited this year at E3:

Nintendo
Sony
SOE
Microsoft
Natsume
Harmonix
Ubisoft
2K Games
Sega
Disney
Electronic Arts (EA)
Square Enix
Namco Bandai
Capcom

Duration: approx 45 mins; File size: approx 42 MB

We are having some difficulties with all of the streaming plugins, but will hopefully have this resolved soon!  For now, you can click on the link and listen to it on your computer or your iPod.  Please let us know if you are experiencing any issues.  Thanks again!