Well hey out there. It’s been a really long time since I’ve done a tag post, so I figured it was time to pull one off the backlog. Today’s comes thanks to Meg from A Geeky Gal. At the time of writing she is on break from blogging, but she still remains an absolute titan among the blogging community. You can find her blog here which covers a range of topics from different geeky fandoms and has a variety of self care articles. In addition, she also runs a youtube channel. I have no idea how she keeps on top of everything, but have a lot of respect for her ability to stay motivated on her projects.

Da Rules:

1. Answer the 10 questions sent by the nominator.
2. Write your 10 questions for the nominees.
3. Answer your own questions.
4. Nominate as many bloggers you want for this award and notify them that they got nominated.
5. Tag the post #Let’s Blog Award.

Meg’s Questions

Are you a minimalist or a maximalist?

Looking around my apartment I’d have to say a minimalist. I’ve been living on my own for about five years and I still haven’t furnished my apartment on the basis of not wanting furniture that goes unused the majority of the time. I guess Chives uses just about every piece of furniture I do own as a napping spot, so were I to buy some newer stuff it’d get used on that basis.

While I wouldn’t have described myself using either term I believe minimalist fits better given an either or choice.

What is your favorite song right now?

That’s a really tough question. I did just start listening to the Guilty Gear -Strive- soundtrack and it has a ton of bangers that are stuck in my head. I think of the lot Love the Subhuman Self is my favourite, but Requiem and The Disaster of Passion are close behind. The whole of the game’s soundtrack is great if you really like electric guitars and has massive buttrock vibes. Though the lyrics are just a bunch of jibberish that sounds good, which makes sense given that the songs are playing overtop of players beating the tar out of one another.

What is something you miss?

Going to the pub. Lockdown has made going out for a drink or two and chatting with former and current work acquaintances impossible. It’s the one thing I’d actually like to return to in a post lockdown world.

What did you wear today?

The same thing I wear everyday: a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Working from home has allowed me to achieve my true final form: the king of sweatpants!

Do you have a word or phrase that you may be known for?

That likely depends who you ask. Though generally I think some people would associate the following terms and phrases with my unique understanding of the English language:

  • Chungus
  • Flange
  • Chumble
  • If the game let’s you do it then it isn’t cheating

What is one way you like to practice self care?

I wouldn’t exactly say I’m an expert at practicing self-care. In fact if you asked Miranda she’d likely tell you that I go out of my way to avoid it. So…uh…pass.

What is one highlight of your week?

I played through the entirety of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard with Jason over the weekend. It was my first foray into Resident Evil and I am now quite certain that it is not for me. That said, the experience was still fun on the basis of Jason and I making fun of how stupid most of the story was and my uncanny ability to predict what was going to happen next across the entire game.

What is something that holds you back?

Myself I guess? Not like anyone else has control over my actions.

One small thing that makes you happy?

Going for walks in the evening when I’m completely isolated from all living things. Having Chives running around the apartment has renewed my appreciation for the time where I’m actually alone and don’t have another living thing to interact with.

Something you’re looking forward to this year?

I don’t really know. I received both of my shots, but am still living under lockdown rules so I don’t have anything planned for the remainder of the year. I also don’t know what games are coming out over the next several months as it is becoming increasingly popular for smaller games to announce their release date only after they’ve locked into said date and almost all of the bigger budget stuff isn’t of interest to me.

I suppose the release of Deathloop? If I had to choose something instead of continuing to answer the question with non-answers.

My questions (and the answers)

Is there a game that you were originally opposed to playing because of the advertised difficulty, but really enjoyed when you gave it a shot?

For me this would be Enter the Gungeon. Every single review of the game I’d read spoke to how bullshit hard the game is and after having played it I absolutely agree. Despite that, I still had a lot of fun with it, so much so that I’d say it is one of my favourites played thus far in 2021.

Have you ever played a game because you thought it had a really good soundtrack?

I was wholly against playing Undertale because I thought the fandom around it was obnoxious (and still do), but after hearing the soundtrack I decided to play the game. I wasn’t as big on the game, but I’m glad I played it and got context for the various tracks.

What difficulty do you tend to play games on?

For me it always depends, but generally I stick toward whatever the normal or developer intended difficulty is. In genres where I’m a lot more comfortable (like card games) I’ll usually start on the harder available difficulties though.

What have you been watching lately via streaming service of your choice?

Mir and I have been working our way through the entire catalog of Studio Ghibli films on Netflix. One of the running themes I’ve noticed watching their films back to back is that almost every single one of them features a strong female lead. However, unlike in the current wave of Western films none of Ghibli’s films demean other characters to help elevate their lead.

Thus far my favourite is Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind.

What is your favourite game played thus far this year?

I’m not entirely sure, but right now it feels like a toss up between Enter the Gungeon and Them’s Fighin’ Herds.

What is something you’ve accomplished this year that you’re proud of?

For me it is the view count I had back in June. For the first time I managed to eclipse the thousand mark for a single month. I feel like it happened entirely by luck, but it was still really cool.

What is the pettiest reason you’ve chosen to not play a game?

Bad music or a really grating character voice. Honest to god that kind of stuff is such a turn off that I don’t even feel bad about not giving a game a chance if I know that the soundtrack sucks.

When you replay a game with a heavy emphasis on choice do you tend to choose the same decisions or do you make new decisions?

When I reply games with a heavy emphasis on player choice I always try to make different decisions compared to my previous playthrough. If I’m going to go through the trouble of playing something a second time I’m not interested in seeing everything play out the same way.

Have you ever replayed a game you used to like but found it substantially less fun because your gaming preferences changed?

Yes.

A couple weeks back I replayed through Paper Mario and found that by about the midpoint in the game I was starting to get bored of it. The problem was that so very many of the combat encounters feel repetitive as there isn’t enough enemy variety to justify the volume of combat that the game sets up for the player. Plus with how experience scaling works you’ll still finish the game around the same level if you do all the combat, or if you avoid the combat until you start earning additional experience points. In this way the whole game feels like it has a ton of padding.

At least players can skip combat, which is what I ended up doing from about the midpoint onward.

Toilet paper over, under, or pinecone?

Pinecone. Obviously.

Here is a consolidated list of the questions that is easier to copy and the nominees. Have fun with the questions. Or don’t. No pressure.

  1. Is there a game that you were originally opposed to playing because of the advertised difficulty, but really enjoyed when you gave it a shot?
  2. Have you ever played a game because you thought it had a really good soundtrack?
  3. What difficulty do you tend to play games on?
  4. What have you been watching lately via streaming service of your choice?
  5. What is your favourite game played thus far this year?
  6. What is something you’ve accomplished this year that you’re proud of?
  7. What is the pettiest reason you’ve chosen to not play a game?
  8. When you replay a game with a heavy emphasis on choice do you tend to choose the same decisions or do you make new decisions?
  9. Have you ever replayed a game you used to like but found it substantially less fun because your gaming preferences changed?
  10. Toilet paper over, under, or pinecone?

AK
Quietschisto
Omni
Meghan

Thanks for reading.