This Game Changed My Life Podcast Shows Profound Impact Gaming Can Have

Video games often get a bad rap, being considered 'a waste of time,' often by the same people who see nothing nothing wrong in mindlessly watching boxsets on Netflix in their pants. Now there's nothing wrong with that, and in fact I like doing this too but let's not think it's better to be a passive observer in the real world than an active agent in a digital one.

Well, the ‘This Game Changed My Life’ podcast looks at how video games have had a profound impact in people's lives by sharing real life stories. So, over 10 episodes (at the time of writing) we have varied stories of a refugee using skills learned within games to travel across Europe from Syria after civil war broke out only to create a game about his experience, a young college dropout loving a physics based space game so much that it led to a real job at NASA, and a tale of how Elite Dangerous united an uncle with his autistic nephew who was slowly dying from leukaemia.

The podcast is at points funny, touching and sad but the stories are authentic and narrated by the people themselves, ably assisted by amiable hosts Aoife Wilson and Julia Hardy.

This Game Changed My Life

The Codemasters Archive

Like most children of the 80's I had a huge love of the micro computers scene that was thriving. I had my first real experience with computers in the mid 80's with the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC 464. I used to love browsing the various video game magazines at WH Smiths (don’t forget, this was the era before the internet) to get hyped about games as the micro computer scene was thriving so often when you’d go to the video game shop you’d be faced with hundred of cassettes with cool cover art and tiny screenshots at the back; it was a real pot luck if you got a great game or a stinker!

Back in the day, before being famed for their racing games, Codemasters used to be a seal of quality. The first real games that blew me away were Robin Hood and later Fantasy World Dizzy. Both games were created by the Oliver Twins for Codemasters and at the time they became almost mythical figures, creating the best games including the iconic Dizzy.

I had a chance to meet the Oliver Twins a few years ago and have also read their biography but that’s by the by. What I want to tell you about is the Codemasters Archive, a webpage where you can play 173 of their classic and iconic games in browser! It’s great as you can play different format versions of the same game but a couple that really stand out to me are the rare Crystal Kingdom Dizzy (as well as all the Dizzy games to be honest), DJ Puff, Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament, Ollie and Lissa 3 (where are the other 2?) and Super Robin Hood.

So why not pop over and have a go?

V&A Video games: Design, Play and Disrupt Exhibition on Soon

London is abound with museums and I often go to some of them pretty regularly. Very few have ever run video game exhibitions but that is about to change. From 8th September 2018 the Victoria and Albert Museum in London will be running the Video games: Design, Play and Disrupt Exhibition.

Although there's not much to go on yet the V&A consistently runs excellent exhibitions.

Although there's not much to go on yet the V&A consistently runs excellent exhibitions.

On its website it states:

This exhibition provides a unique insight into the design process behind a selection of groundbreaking contemporary video games. Design work, including concept art and prototypes, feature alongside large-scale immersive installations and interactive.

Not much to be going on for the moment sure, but the website does feature some art and graphics from games like The Last of Us, No Man's Sky and Journey. I hope to be going and will be booking tickets soon but thought I'd let all you good people know as I know for a lot of you it's your jam too!

LINK- Official V&A Video games: Design, Play and Disrupt Exhibition Ticket Site

Power Up Retro Gaming at the Science Museum

With 5 more weeks of the holidays left are you thinking of what to do with the kids, who after just one week are driving you nuts? Well you could do a lot worse than visit the Science Museum in London, which from the 22nd July to 7th August is holding Power Up, a retro gaming exhibition. The whole thing is hands on and children get a chance to play the best of video gaming from the past 40 years including Mario, Pacman and Halo.
Tickets can be purchased at the link below but why not do yourself a favour and head over. I went to this same event a couple of years ago and loved it. 

PLAY Expo Margate was pretty cool

I went to the PLAY Expo in Margate a couple of days ago and I have to say that it was an excellent experience. There were loads of original arcade machines, 10 pinball machines and tonnes of original consoles with classic games. I finally fulfilled a gaming dream and played Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar and got my mitts on M.U.S.H.A. on the Megadrive.

There were 10 pinball machines set to freeplay... I was in flipping heaven!

There were lots of LAN games set up and a myriad of retro systems hooeked up ready for play.

I made a video of the event and have placed it below for your viewing pleasure.

Artcade- The Book of Classic Arcade Game Art

For people of a certain generation the arcades were a magical place full of noise, excitement and colourful art. Over the years with the dwindling of the arcade scene the marquee artwork and the arcade machines themselves have all but disappeared and their legacy has been left to fade away. However after being successfully backed on Kickstarter Tim Nicholls has worked diligently to scan and restore the artwork back to its former glory and will be releasing the book, Artcade- The Book of Classic Arcade Game Art, in April 2016. I for one am going to buy a copy and will hopefully review it here.