AFK Gamer

Don’t Hate Me Because My Keyboard’s Beautiful

I don’t write about gear alot because it’s not really my deal. The hardware section is not my first choice when doing a thorough browse of my local Best Buy.

Not that you asked, but I’ll usually start off in the console games section, moving off into cellphones and iPod accessories, then a slow stroll past the camera equipment to reach the Wall of DVDs, followed by a careful scrutiny of CDs … must. resist. the. siren’s. song. of the boxed sets … into computer hardware and PC games, with the big finish in Plasma Televisions. The brief layover in hardware is mostly for my mental list of stuff to search for on Newegg.com.

Like this recent acquisition … the Logitech G15 keyboard. Put plainly, this is the BEST KEYBOARD I HAVE EVER OWNED. And I’m like you, I use up keyboards almost as fast as mice (mouses?), so when a keyboard dies, I’ll race to Best Buy and tell Skippy to get me cheap, wired, in stock STAT!! Guild Raid!! No time to chat!

But this one … it’s the kind of keyboard you show off to the neighbors, even the homeless ones. “So anyways, if you ever do get a home, you should get one of these bad boys. Very nice.”

The other gear issue is, some of the Warcraft buds have been recruiting for their little Gears of War club. I feel obligated to give you a link for that, although I know everyone has heard about Gears of War by now. Even me, an MMO guy. (Here’s the link, BUT, it does a weird browser-size hijack so watch it: Link)

Problem #1: I do not own an Xbox 360.

Problem #2: I do not own Gears of War.

Problem #3: I am not made of money. I’ll drop half a mortgage on a plasma television that I’ll watch on Sundays, but $400 for one game? I’m balking. How good could this game be?

As I’m researching how much this non-MMORPG adventure would set me back, I browsed past all the Xbox 360 faceplate mods I could buy — I don’t want my Xbox to look like a Chrysler Town & Country, thankyouverymuch — until I spotted this: Pelican’s Design Your Own Faceplate.

I did not even know such a thing was possible. This really appeals to my basest of consumer instincts — now I want the Xbox just so I can have the $30 unique-to-me faceplate.

Or, how bout I turn the tables on that. I’m willing to sell space on my new Xbox faceplate for say … $200. When my neighbors and close friends come over to my home to watch me play Gears of War, your company has a captive audience for your marketing message. That’s value! I’m serving the drinks, I’ll open the Doritos bags, I’m going halfsey on the Xbox + Gears of War, you’re getting prime marketing real estate in my HOME.

For an extra $50, I’ll even comment on the faceplate every hour. “Those guys? Umm, Pennzoil is only the best motor oil on the market today, noob. How do you think those Gears of War keep turning? It’s with fine lubricants like Pennzoil.”

Non-motor oil advertisements are welcome as well.

Thottbot

Thottbot, the popular World of Warcraft database and spoiler site, has been made over! The front page is still rather Google-like in its simplicity (one of its charms, in my opinion — don’t mess with that, mystery site makeover person! — but with a fancy graphic and more prominent advertisements. As of today, Thottbot’s biggest lure was left untouched … Free.

Second Life Posing

More about everyone’s favorite online human zoo, Second Life: ‘Second Life’ faces threat to its virtual economy, via CNET. Seems some industrious open-source types have unwittingly (they claim) given everyone the keys to the kingdom. From the article, “Linden Lab, which publishes Second Life, posted a blog alerting residents of the virtual world to the existence of a program or bot called CopyBot, which allows someone to copy any object in Second Life. That includes goods such as clothing that people purchase for their in-world avatars …” heh, lol? Half the fun of gaming is having something the other guy doesn’t. And when everyone’s super, no one will be.

I’m Flattered

A new gaming magazine that appears to be about me: AFK Magazine. I’m flattered. Much as I hate posers, how could I stay angry with a fan mag? I can’t. So, when people arrive here, thinking they’re going there, I’ll try not to act like an emo twat who writes gushtastic adverts reviews about whatever game is on the media auction block that month. I assume my fan mag will exercise similar restraint.

Nevermind, Let’s Not Talk About Second Life

The Chicago Tribune featured Second Life on the front page today, below the fold, in a multi-article profile.

(Makes ya wonder how long they had that in the can waiting for a slow news day, and, wow, this is a REALLY slow news day.) Anyways …

Despite the curious placement, it’s an interesting set of articles about Second Life: the hardware, the people, the commerce, the celebrities, the absurd.

Now, because the Tribune is under the mistaken belief that locking content behind registrations is a GOOD IDEA, I can’t share and we can’t talk about it and now we’re all just annoyed, so try to imagine the 2-paragraph pithy commentary I would have written instead of this one sentence:

I’ve lost interest.

Where in the WoW?

I know someone will recognize this within seconds of publish because they leveled from 5 to 28 in this out-of-the-way little quest grove, but as God is my witness, I had never been here until last week when I was putzing prancing around on my fancy pants Blood Elf hunter.

About

AFK Gamer is the lair of Foton, an MMO gamer for ten years, currently scraping out a virtual living in World of Warcraft and, sometimes, Guild Wars. More info available here.

Comments

• Warcraft Widows  138
  Sarah, Michael, Jean, Laura, Jen Again, Crystal, Joel, brokenhearted, brokenhearted, VespaRider [...]
• Thottbot  7
  Brent Michael Krupp, drypulse, waif, Kemayo, Foton, tide, L'Emmerdeur
• Don't Hate Me Because My Keyboard's Beautiful  13
  gablaxian, unbeliever, Blachawk, Jen, Foton, steve, Brant, aaron, Foton, chicogrande [...]
• Posers  7
  Ding, Dreaming, Anon, nordee, ratmaggot, drypulse, Wildcricket
• Second Life Posing  3
  gablaxian, Foton, gablaxian
• Loot the Damn Hounds!  25
  Hound, Maffix, Brent Michael Krupp, aaron, Chuck, Yunk, Yunk, Maffix, Brent Michael Krupp, aaron [...]
• To Ding or Not to Ding  4
  Foton, Tormentus, ratmaggot, Dreaming
• Gaining the Whole World, Forfeiting a Life  4
  steve, Foton, VanHemlock, aaron
• Choo Choo!  7
  Tormentus, Larry, Puhase, Foton, Rick, Elbows, Fireball
• Where in the WoW?  8
  Eradon, zaboga, Foton, Eradon, ratmaggot, Nonentity, nordee, Steven
• I'm Flattered  1
  Eradon

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