Writing tip: Dare to step away from the edge!

 The other day I was on Facebook and saw a paranormal/ fantasy book advertised. The book synopsis listed one of the main characters as being "foul mouthed". That was it. That was all of the description given for the character. Since when did being foul mouthed count as a personality trait? This brings visions of a teenager who thinks cursing like a sailor makes them more "grown up." Or perhaps makes them edgy (Whatever that means.) I have heard it said that people who use profanity have larger vocabularies than most people. It's hard to prove that when the person's "extensive vocabulary" is replaced with a steady stream of profanity. When you write, celebrate language and help expand it. Don't drag your reader through the gutter. 

Light Spec Gamer: Hold it! Stepping into the court room with Phoenix Wright.

 

Are you looking for a little more legal drama in your gaming? Do you want to throw it down in court on a screen that is larger than your old Nintendo DS could ever dream of? Capcom's handheld classic looks amazing on the iPad. The HD graphics look great on iPad and gameplay appears to be the same as the classic.

Go beyond voice!

There was a lost opportunity in the Michael Bay Transformers movies. Not long after we meet Bumblebee we discover that he is unable to talk and is forced to use his radio to communicate with the world. This would have been an excellent opportunity to feature the use of sign language. It was revealed that the Autobots learned human language via the internet, so why wouldn't Bumblebee have sought out a way to communicate? I believe in Transformers lore that Bumblebee did know sign language. 

Hollywood is currently hyper focused on making a wider audience feel included, so how did they miss this opportunity? In the 1950's version of Zorro, Bernardo communicated with Don Diego via a form of sign language. Later the TV series Ironside featured a wheelchair bound detective. Not too long ago I read a fantasy novel where human and elven races communicated with each other via sign language due to language complexity. As a story teller, look beyond voice and don't be afraid to reach beyond what is expected. 

Light Spec Gamer: Prince of Persia -Escape-

 

Prince of Persia first appeared in 1989 on the Apple II and has been around in one iteration or another ever since. Prince of Persia: Escape is a runner game for the iPad and Android. The game plays very much like a classic platformer, and that is good and bad. The good is that it brings simple gameplay. The bad is that like many older games it can be very hard and relies on the player having good reflexes. Gameplay is hampered by lag that may be caused by the on screen advertising that appears on the bottom of the screen during gameplay. If your reflexes are up to it, Prince of Persia delivers are challenging venture back into the world of Prince of Persia. 

Trick or treat!

 It's four days to Halloween! Halloween can be a lot of fun if you keep things in perspective. Read a spooky story or audiobook, and make sure you help to keep Halloween safe for everyone.

Light Spec Gamer: It's all about control.

In my opinion one of Microsoft's great contributions to gaming has been making their controllers able to work on more than their consoles. In years past Gravis and several others duked it out to be the "standard". You had to hope the game you purchased was compatible with the controller you owned. That required studying the specs on the box beyond the basic requirements. On top of that the controller for your console often would not work with your computer and vice versa. Starting with the XBOX 360, controller support started to spread. Now the XBOX one controller works on XBOX, Windows, Mac, and iOS. Lets hear it for Bluetooth and standardization.  

In defense of a trope.

 Many people have derided the "rescue the Princess/ Queen" trope in literature, film, and games. I believe that the critics are missing out on something important. Over 90% of the time the Princess or Queen has real and sometimes absolute power. When the ruler does encounter a problem and needs help the hero is often an "average Joe" who rises to the occasion. This illustrates that we need each other. If a dash of romance is mixed in so much the better.