April showers bring E3 bloggers
Hey there guys n’ gals, lads n’ lasses, dorks n’ dweebs, dicks n’ asses – welcome to yet another month of C-Blog Recaps. Since restarting the feature last month, we’ve had a pretty good number of new bloggers join the fray, eager to thought-vomit their word-barf all over the good name of Destructoid. And that’s exactly what I wanted.
Whether or not this monthly recap had anything to do with that isn’t the point – the point is, people are feeling confident and writing with us again, which is always a good thing. So thanks to our new bloggers this month, and thanks to all of our regulars who have kept going throughout the years. You guys ARE Destructoid.
So, last month my challenge to the Community was to increase our blog numbers, and without doing any research or analytics whatsoever I can say I’m satisfied with the results that I’m imagining. Great job in meeting my arbitrary and unknown goals, guys! This month, I’d like to issue this challenge – comment on more blogs. That’s it. Open up a blog, read through it, and simply leave a comment at the end. Your comment doesn’t have to totally agree with the views expressed, or refute any points made, or really any specific thing at all…just acknowledge the fact that you read it. I’ve personally been in the position where even if someone did read my work, there weren’t many (or in a few cases, any) comments at all, and let me tell you, it’s disheartening. A simple, “Thanks for the blog, man!” goes a long way in vindicating someone taking time out of their lives to share some thoughts, even if those thoughts don’t exactly line up with your own.
Love your fellow Dtoider, and they’ll love you back.
With that in mind, let’s get to our April C-Blog Recaps!
Promoted Blogs
How does one get their work featured on Destructoid’s Front Page? Well, as one of the people who gets to make that decision, I can tell you it’s a matter of having something to say. I know we all have something to say, but what I mean is having a unique message or voice, and really going for it. You’ll notice a theme with most of our promoted blogs: They’re evocative in some fashion or another.
No, I don’t mean getting out there and shouting in a holier-than-thou message – that’s certainly a way to push away your audience. The best blogs know and respect their audience, but also know how to make a case for something in their own voice. If you’ve got something to say, study these works and learn from their successes, and you, too, will find your work featured by Destructoid.
* – We featured NakedBigBoss’ blog about aging and gaming last month in our Staff Picks, and guess what? It made the Front Page. And it really resonated with a lot of folks. Turns out a bunch of people, both younger than NBB and older, really related to his words on being an adult and finding the time to do this wonderful hobby of his. If you haven’t read it yet, roll on over and give the man your attention. He’s earned it with this one.
* – Newcomer genoforprez drops some damn good analysis on what distinguishes a willing relationship with an AI partner in a video game, and a game that presents merely an extension of gameplay hiding behind a companion avatar. Plus, those drawings are fucking $$$. This goes to show that even new blood in the blogging arena can make Destructoid’s Front Page with a damn fine thesis with a spot-on presentation. Bring it on, new users!
* – You bet your ass we can Front Page Community Managers! ShadeOfLight speaks to the very heart and soul of many gamers’ plight: We’re so self-conscious about our number one hobby that we feel like we have to repress our love for the medium. It’s tough to be open and free with something that many people have preconceived notions about, but hopefully Shade will inspire you to let go of those worries about gaming – and any other aspect of your life that people may judge.
* – Speaking of being ashamed of things, the internet is a wasteland of groupthink and holier-than-thou attitudes just waiting to pounce on unpopular opinions. LaTerry puts forth the incredibly bold claim that even though Final Fantasy XIII is a putrid puddle of donkey vomit, it’s still an enjoyable and entertaining experience for him. We all like things most people consider to be “bad,” so this blog is relatable on many levels.
Bloggers Wanted
Admit it – every once in a while you watch a movie or read a book or play a game, and honestly find yourself thinking that the story’s Big Bad really wasn’t all that Bad at all. A Small or Medium Bad, at worst. It’s ok, you’re only human.
April’s Bloggers Wanted prompt asked bloggers to describe an instance where the author really didn’t think the villain did anything wrong. Apparently, it was a doozy as few people were willing to admit that they hate animals and thought Dr. Robotnik was doing the world a favor. Not that I think that or anything. Nope.
Enrico Pucci is Blameless and Justified – noonog
Lavos – Cockaroach
Comments of the Week
CotW team, if you’re reading this, it means that I’m still alive, despite your best efforts to kill me by not featuring every comment I make. I mean, c’mon, I’m very funny! My mother says so!
Comments of the Week is the Community’s way of highlighting the best and brightest comments each week – even Dere’s! Get your name in the shining lights by dropping the funniest, wittiest, smartest, and hottest comments you possibly can.
Band of Bloggers
The feature long since dormant, LaTerry rose from the ashes to revive the old Community staple, Band of Bloggers! He himself being a connoisseur of all things dragons, he made this month’s topic all about dragons. And it really took off! (Like a dragon?! Because they fly?! Get it?! …I’ll be in the car.)
As it turns out, the Community loves it some dragons. And who could blame them? Check out the participants in this month’s Band of Bloggers – and don’t forget, you can be a merry member of this band! All ya gotta do is blog, baby!
That Dragon, Cancer – Greenhornet214
When 10 Min Showers Became 30 Min Ones – Luckrequired
Blue Dragon Impressions – dephoenix
Devourer of Dragons – Gamemaniac3434
C-Blog Recap Which Barely Counts But Fine I’ll Allow It – Larx
Battle with the Blue Dragon – Lord Spencer
Spore – SrChurros
My New Buddy Otr – LaTerry
This month, Greenhornet214 takes over the mantle with A Walk in the Woods. This prompt is sure to inspire you as video games are absolutely brimming with natural settings. Read over the prompt, reflect upon your gaming memories involving a walk in the woods, and join in on the fun!
Staff Picks
For whatever reason, many great blogs don’t get featured by Destructoid. That doesn’t make them any less great, however. Below are some of the staff’s favorite blogs from April that didn’t fall into any other category, but need special mention from the Recaps team. Read them, or face our combined and honestly-not-all-that-considerable wrath!
The Actual Charlton Heston had a recent bout with cooking, and things didn’t go over quite so well. The team has decided to start a charity fund for the medical expenses he now faces due to the unfortunate events of that day. If you have anything to spare – anything at all – please send it to Pineview Medical Facility in Topeka, KS, C/O Mike Fingersmith (the author’s real name). Thank you for being so understanding, Dtoid Community.
taterchimp has created a working prototype for a board game he’s been working on, so why not give it a try for him? I said I would, but life intervenes. Hell, I haven’t turned my PS4 on in about two weeks now. Such is life. Give this man’s game a try, and give him some feedback!
sonic429 is somehow disappointed with the PS4! This blog isn’t written in a snotty, contrarian way, but instead is focused on legitimate gripes the user has with the console. I don’t really agree with these issues, but it’s still a well-written blog that has a ton of people talking about this generation of consoles. Discussion is why we have blogs, folks!
Zalno walks us through some furry terminology, as well as some insight into the culture behind the topic. This sort of read isn’t for everyone, obviously, but variety is the spice of life. Plus, I love learning more about what makes people tick.
Dango gives us his love letter to the ease of sharing gaming experiences on modern video game consoles. I’ve never been huge on photo mode or sharing my gameplay, but it does provide an interesting look into how sharing gameplay can bring us all together through games that often allow us to have vastly different gameplay experiences.
genoforprez writes another solid piece, this time advocating for the silent protagonist in gaming. While I think there’s definitely room for both, and the story and presentation must serve the silent protagonist to allow the player to be able to see themselves in the shoes of the main character, I do believe that sometimes a voiced character is simply necessary to the game. Could you imagine Dante being silent, or having to do your own cheesy laugh for Tidus?
Lord Spencer reviews Little King’s Story for Wii, and it makes me genuinely want to play the game. I missed out on a lot of gems for the Wii for the very reasons Spencer points out – primarily, there were a ton of shovelware games that masked the really outstanding works on the system. It’s rare a retro review makes me want to play a game, but this does a great job of convincing me to go out and find it.
Chris Bradshaw muses on what it means to be a gamer, as well as the mentality that goes into the “I don’t care what people think about me” attitude that many gamers have adopted as seemingly a defense mechanism against those who don’t fully understand the hobby. This is a very provocative piece that inspired a lot of discussion in the community, as well as some blogs diving further into some of the point made.
Flegma waxes poetic about the lost art (both figuratively and literally) of the video game manual. Remember those? They may have outlived their own use in the digital world, but man there was nothing quite like learning about a game before popping it in, and knowing what to expect from the adventure ahead.
A LevelHeaded Gamer introduces himself to the Community with a very long but very uniquely-written blog. I love intros, and this one makes a heck of a splash. Welcome them to the Dtoid C-Blogs, and if you haven’t yet, write an introduction of your own!
A Brief Message from Qtoid
Qtoid is where regular Destructoid users go to post their thoughts, feelings, and general sentiments when a regular blog is just a bit much for the particular subject. If Twitter sucked less and had about 44% less unwanted political rants, you’d have Qtoid! We like to highlight one Qpost a month to help illustrate the idea behind quickposting.
Occams is always good for a laugh or thought-provoking question, and can even make strangers on the internet post pictures of their bedside tables to see what makes them tick. Hell of a thing when one simple prompt can elicit such a response. Thanks, Occams!
The world is your oyster. Bring that oyster to Destructoid’s C-Blogs and let us shuck the hell out of it.
– Wes Tacos
Picture credits:
Blog Header – MeanderBot
Promoted Blogs Header – Inquisitive Ravenclaw
All Other Headers – ZombieCORPS
I’m looking to cut Zombie down to just one header image, so if you want to submit an original piece for one of our headers, please contact me at tacos@destructoid.com
