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| | February 3, 2006
GO SEAHAWKS!!
Okay, I promise that I will be talking about the more digital kind of games later on in this column. But for now, please bear with me, because I’ve been waiting my whole life to say this: “SEAHAWKS IN THE SUPERBOWL, WOOHOOO!!”
I am so psyched! | |
| Supporting the Seahawks hasn't always been a popular pastime. Actually, it's been more of an exercise in patience and forgiveness. Some years our boys did well, other years… well, not so well. But I’ve always been there to cheer them on! I grew up on Seahawks football – I remember my dad sitting down with me in front of the TV on Sundays and teaching me about the game. And this season has been the ultimate.
All of a sudden, everyone here is a fan. Every game is the talk of the office, every unusual play an excuse for analysis and discussion. Seahawks bumper stickers are everywhere (I even saw one this morning on a car with an Oregon plate), and team t-shirts are the official attire of diehard and fair-weather fans alike. The whole town is pumped.
And why not? After all this time, we’ve finally proven that we can do it. At last, I’ll be sitting in front of the TV on Superbowl Sunday, wearing my lucky #37 jersey (Shaun Alexander is the man!), and cheering my lungs out as the Seahawks strut their stuff. It’s a dream come true.
So with all due respect to everyone from the beautiful city of Pittsburgh, this Northwest native just has to say, “GO HAWKS!” | |
| Moxie’s Perfect World
So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about multiplayer games. (Okay, it’s because I’ve been playing Dominoes like a crazy person, but more on that next week.) I love playing online, obviously, but something has really been bothering me.
Imagine, if you will, that a group of strangers gets together for a Superbowl party. (Please forgive me the analogy – I have football on the brain this week.) Some of them are Seahawks fans, others are rooting for the Steelers, but they all have the same goal in mind: to watch a great game, drink a few brews, and have fun. After an hour and a half, however, one of the guests suddenly turns on a supporter of the other team, insults his parentage, likens him to the hindquarters of a draft horse, and plants a whole bowl of guacamole dip in his face. As the other guests stare in stunned silence, television forgotten in the background, the social offender laughs maliciously and casts global aspersions on their sexual orientation or cultural heritage.
So, how often do you suppose this scenario will play out on Sunday? Outside of the seediest possible type of bar, I’m guessing not very often at all. When people get together face-to-face, their conduct is governed by social courtesy and old-fashioned common sense. Yet somehow, when some of these same people go online for a few rounds of cards or a bit of arcade action, they suddenly feel compelled to act like the mannerless guacamole pirate mentioned above. How is it that they can’t make the connection between social situations in the physical world and those on the Web?
Most sites, MSN Games included, have a Code of Conduct which specifies how people should behave when playing or chatting online. But really, this should be a mere formality (and an overly wordy one, to boot). If everyone would just remember three little things, the virtual world would be a much better place to coexist:
1) Have fun! (After all, that’s why we’re online in the first place, right?)
2) Accept responsibility. (If you wouldn’t say it to a 260-pound biker with “retribution” tattooed on his forehead, don’t say it at all.)
3) Remember: it’s just a game. (So there’s no reason to become offensive over it. See rule #1!)
In my perfect online world, we’d all just get along. | |
| Tech Time
This week’s support conundrum is from MSN Games user sftncudly:
“Dear Moxie: I have been trying to access rooms in Spades, but I keep getting the window - UNABLE TO LAUNCH ROOM. I have played in here for several years and now all of a sudden I can’t access it and I have no idea why. Thank you.”
Now this one has a bunch of possible reasons. If you're trying to play in our classic game lobbies on a corporate computer, you may not be able to without having Administrator access on that computer. You may also need to open ports in your firewall or proxy server, or possibly just reinstall the MSN Games software... for more information, just check our support article on the subject.
See you next week! | |
