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Moderator: JC Denton

Unread postby Scriabin » 06 Jul 2009 15:17

I'm a cinephile, competitive PC gamer, avid reader and classical pianist.
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Joined: 06 Jul 2009 15:08
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Unread postby Joris » 12 Jul 2009 14:29

Hello, I'm from the Netherlands and I really appreciate this site. It's made me think a lot and it's very entertaining, so thank you Alex. What I love about this place is that you take videogames so seriously, something that should only be natural for a reviewer but unfortunately is very rare to find.

I like fighters, 2D platformers and turn-based strategy games, most notably Tekken, Metal Slug and Chess.

I'm not a native English speaker.
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Joined: 12 Jul 2009 13:25
Location: Amsterdam

Unread postby Victory » 13 Jul 2009 13:50

Hi guys!

I have a PC gaming background, but dipped my toes into fighting games some years ago and now have a burgeoning interest in arcade games. I'm not very good with anything, but almost always I seem to have more fun the more seriously I take the game. Looking forward to my first 1CC.

Games are also of professional interest to me. I'm currently a student, but I was briefly employed in the industry doing design and programming.

I'm thankful of the content of Insomnia articles and this forum. So far I have made use of it to have more fun playing games, and as a yardstick and a loupe while reading other game journalism. Should I become a developer again, I would make use of it to make better games. I hope I will eventually be able to contribute something in return.

My native language is Finnish.
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Joined: 13 Jul 2009 12:35
Location: Helsinki, Finland

Unread postby SpaceMonolith » 07 Aug 2009 22:46

Hello everybody!

Last year I was introduced to the Arcade Culture article. I've been playing arcade games almost exclusively since then.

I registered so I can start posting my hi-scores. Also, I'll try to contribute what I can to the news and games boards.

Spanish is my native language.
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Joined: 07 Aug 2009 22:03

Unread postby aaden » 21 Aug 2009 15:59

OK, time to stop lurking and introduce myself. Hi everyone! I've actually followed this site for quite some time, though I can't remember exactly where I first found it.

Anyway, I've played video games ever since the SNES era onward. I was primarily into console games for the longest time, but I've gradually shifted toward PC games, especially doujin games. I do play quite a few games on my PSP and DS too.

I like almost every genre, but STGs are definitely my favorite. I enjoy fighters quite a bit too, I netplay several of them on a regular basis.
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Joined: 04 Jun 2009 20:11

Unread postby Crea » 15 Sep 2009 02:49

Hello. I'm residing in the United States although I was born in Japan. I used to play and purchase video games a lot more when I was younger but have gradually been losing interest in many genres I liked before. Now I mostly play WarCraft III custom maps (Defense of the Ancients in particular) and Super Smash Bros Melee, occasionally attending tournaments for the latter.

This is a great site with very interesting articles and I hope I eventually get a chance to read everything on the reading list.
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Joined: 15 Sep 2009 02:27

Unread postby argento » 20 Sep 2009 14:18

Hi there. I'm from Scotland, UK. Began gaming nearly two decades ago with the Atari 2600. Moved on to the SEGA Genesis after that and then PS2. Currently still playing the PS2 and my Xbox 360.

It's been perhaps around six years since I played regularly, but recently I've found myself playing a lot more.

My favourite games tend to be survival horror (such as Silent Hill 2, Fatal Frame, etc.) though I enjoy fighting games as well (mainly Tekken and Guilty Gear).

Thanks for reading.
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argento
 
Joined: 20 Sep 2009 14:12
Location: Scotland, UK

Unread postby youonlyknowme » 21 Sep 2009 09:22

I'm new here in that I just made an account. I've been reading the essays here for quite some time and really can't get enough. Alex, publish a damn book already!

As far as games go I mostly play fighting games. Soul Calibur IV held me over until Street Fighter IV came out; now that's really all I play seriously. I grew up on Street Fighter, World Warrior being the first one I ever played. I've followed the series closely ever since. I just can't get enough of the meta game that transpires when you are playing someone who is on your level.

Other games I like inculde STGs, (Ikaruga, Triggerheart Excellica -- yes I really did enjoy this one -- and Einhander plus the R-Types)

Zen Pinball pretty cool. Also, Virtual On but there is almost no way to play it in Oregon and even on a console everyone seems to rather want to play Madden 10 or new Halo rehash or whatever the hell else is new, I'd guess just for the sake of it being new.

I've never been very big on graphics as I grew up when the NES was cutting edge. I don't mind if a game looks shiny and bright or not as long as it's fun.

I guess that's me then.
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Joined: 21 Sep 2009 09:06
Location: Oregon

Unread postby Khazar » 28 Sep 2009 05:11

Hello, native English speaker from Massachusetts. Started with the NES (Super Mario and Duck Hunt) before moving onto the SNES for most of early elementary school. Mostly stuck with platformers for the console and the odd adventure game on the PC (Myst, The Neverhood). Scrambled for the N64 when it came out and played anything and everything for it, some favorites include Banjo-Kazooie, Rayman 2, Chameleon Twist, Majora's Mask, and Space Station Silicon Valley.

Acquired a PS1 in middle school since everyone else said Final Fantasy 7 was the greatest game ever. Played it for about a month before I realized everyone else was functionally retarded. Stuck to games like Crash Bandicoot, shooters, action games, etc.

Stayed Nintendo loyal with a Gamecube in the next generation. Played Pikmin, Metroid Prime, FZeroGX, and more obscure titles like Metal Arms: Glitch In The System. Growing up with a lean wage household during my childhood meant I rented many games, particularly during my SNES stint. This gave me a pretty high tolerance for crappy games. My mom paid five dollars for that copy of Clayfighter, and dammit, I had to like it.

Got a PS2, made the same mistake I made with FF again, this time with Kingdom Hearts. Realized my friends were terrible people. Also had a long on and off relationship with World of Warcraft up until a little while ago when I realized it was brain rot. I currently am playing Xbox 360 titles of all sorts and also revisiting old GC and PS2 titles I missed over the years. That's about it. I am also into aquaria and fish keeping.
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Joined: 28 Sep 2009 04:35

Unread postby Graphf » 23 Oct 2009 20:12

I am a native English speaker. I was born in Germany and raised in the U.S. and currently reside in Oregon where I go to college. My major is philosophy.

I play fighting games almost exclusively. Occasionally I play STGs and games that focus on killing lots of zombies.
PSN ID - Graphf. Currently playing SFIV, Triggerheart Exelica
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Joined: 23 Mar 2009 08:04

Unread postby pajari » 07 Nov 2009 16:44

Hi, I play a lot of wargames, citybuilders and shooters on the PC. I've been at this shit ten or so years. I've written reviews for different sites for about half of that time partly as justification of the hobby and partly because games really do interest me on a level slightly higher than consumption.
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Joined: 07 Nov 2009 14:44
Location: SLC

Unread postby Pulviriza » 16 Nov 2009 13:06

Native English speaker, I enjoy reading books.

I've been playing games for quite a while. I remember my brother having a NES when I was <10 and playing some Double Dragon or Wizards and Warriors 3. I have been mainly a PC gamer though, with anything from The Sims to Warcraft III to Left 4 Dead. I own a PS3 but do not have a great deal of games for it.
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Joined: 16 Nov 2009 13:01
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Unread postby Bread » 28 Nov 2009 17:55

Hello all.

My name's Jason, I'm 22, a lifelong gamer and reformed artfag. Started with the Commodore 64, now concentrating on Xbox 360. I missed out on all the home consoles up until the Dreamcast. I played through the 8 and 16-bit eras a bit late, but thoroughly enough thanks to emulation. Between that and older or amateur PC games, I got really good at controlling 2D platformers with a keyboard. My favourite games tend to be platformers, third-person 3D action and 3D brawlers. Multiplayer games were never really my passion.

Some of my favourites: Yoshi's Island, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4, Deus Ex, Thief: Deadly Shadows, Viewtiful Joe.

Currently enjoying Ninja Gaiden Black (on the last boss, I think) and GTA4 (few hours in). I used to keep up with the bleeding edge of games and games news, but not so much any more. I still intend to contribute to the news forum. I'm really looking forward to Bayonetta.

Currently reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson and Nietzsche's The Gay Science.

I'm also interested in programming and the history of computer science. I did a computer science degree. I used to want to pursue game development as a career. Now I just want to dabble in it as an amateur. I spent years of my childhood making never-finished games with the Clickteam development tools. For some time I was in love with the indie game scene. Not because it made great games or anything, it was mainly just a friendly subculture.

I wrote the blog that Icycalm commented on here. I was glad that I wasn't placed in the lol thread! I have since decided that active involvement in politics is not my calling.
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Joined: 28 Nov 2009 03:26
Location: London, UK

Unread postby Pegote » 03 Dec 2009 23:51

Hello, I'm Luis from Uruguay. (Well, *a* Luis, anyway.) English is not my native tongue, as you might guess, so I apologize for any and all potential fuckups in my posts. (Textual or otherwise.)

Born in 1984, I've probably playing videogames since I was about 3 or 4 years old. I never really focused in any genre or type of game, and monetary constraints never allowed me to be too active in getting modern hardware (my current pc has a Pentium 4, and my newest console is a Playstation 2... which I bought just this past July of 2009, I shit you not. Before that it was a Playstation.) Add to this that at some point I discovered emulation, and my gaming history is ultimately a mess.

The highlights so far: Commodore 64, 1988 to 1990 (the Outrun port was great); PC-XT, 1990 to 1994 (favourites: Outrun (again), Golden Axe, The Simpsons Arcade Game); PC-486, 1994 to 1997 (Wing Commander, the shit eroge JRPGs by Megatech, various Lucasarts graphic adventures); Playstation and various Pentium PCs, 1998 and onwards (a big bunch of JRPGs, starting with Final Fantasy VII on the PS, then moving to earlier ones mostly on SNES emulators; also, more western takes on the CRPG genre such as Deus Ex, Planescape: Torment and the mighty Fallout 2.)

(For the sake of gaining some "street cred", I could mention I used to sneak out of highschool and burn a couple of hours everyday on the arcade houses around here, mostly on fighting and racing games. Then again, no one challenged other players; and furthermore, the owners used to exchange lots of cabinets with arcade houses from other towns quite often, so there weren't many games you could play often enough to get really good at them. So, ignore this paragraph.)

Nowadays I'm going for either action-adventure games (I recently bought a Nintendo 64 with both Zelda games, that should be fun) or SRPGs (started Disgaea on PS2 a few days ago.)


BESIDES THAT, I love music (King Crimson owns) and I write and perform with my group. I also dabble around with graphic design, mostly for the sake of making websites for relatives and flyers for my group..
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Joined: 25 Nov 2009 18:05
Location: Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Unread postby Eboshidori » 07 Dec 2009 20:07

Here comes a new challenger!

A French challenger.

I've been reading this excellent site for a long time, and now, I'm decided to join the only place where you can find interesting and proper stuffs about video games.

Arcade addict since early days, loves SEGA and SNK, huge CRT fanatic (the only screen for gaming, and especially for lo-rez stuffs), 2D ardent supporter.

Favorite genre: shmups.
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Joined: 06 Dec 2009 00:12
Location: France

Unread postby Fedorov » 22 Dec 2009 18:39

I am a non-native English speaker and long-time Insomnia reader.

My main interests are Quake and Quake-clones. I also follow the pc-game-modification and indie game communities extensively -- not so much the artfag elements as the tournament communities and independent studios. Other interests include Western CRPG's and action-adventure titles -- especially of the stealth variety.

Non-videogame hobbies of mine include computers and networking, and amateur film-snobbery.

User was banned for not knowing that the acronym for "personal computer" should be written with capitals. --icy
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Joined: 22 Dec 2009 06:19

Unread postby austere » 27 Dec 2009 14:54

I am not a native speaker, but English is currently my strongest spoken and written language. I currently live in Australia and study in Hong Kong.

Amongst my earliest memories was the time my uncle came to our house with a package under his arm. It contained an Atari 2600. I remember all the adults having a ball playing the numerous games that he bought along with it. After much nagging on my part, they allowed me to play and then lost to the 4 year-old in some kind of cowboy shoot out game. That was my first memory of "winning" and it was very addicting.

Even after two decades since then, I haven't stopped playing games. I currently own a Famicom, Megadrive, Saturn (PAL), Dreamcast, Xbox, PS2, Wii (PAL) and PS3. I am most disappointed with the Wii, mainly due to a lack of good PAL games available. My favourite console was the Dreamcast with its broad selection of shooters, especially the later ones like Radilgy.

The Xbox made a great emulation console, but Ninja Gaiden was the only game released on it which I enjoyed. On the PC, I played shooters like Quake and Half-Life, strategy games such as Starcraft and Red Alert 2 as well as some bullet hell games like Perfect Cherry Blossom.

A little under three years ago, I travelled around Japan with some university friends. I was initially disappointed with the arcade scene. Wherever you looked, there were claw "games", pachinko places with a decrepit crowd or photo-booths malls. It was only when I had travelled to Tokyo that I saw what was left of the once-strong arcade scene in Akihabara. Though they were still filled with the usual fluff, I climbed a few floors into the smoke filled rooms where I was rewarded with what I had been seeking. I still remember playing After Burner Climax for the first time, what a rush that was!

It was a shame that the friends who had accompanied me weren't as enthusiastic about arcade games as I. Their interest in Akihabara was animu, which is fair since we were a mixed crowd with only three gamers. One day I intend to visit Akihabara again, hopefully with companions who are interested in and knowledgeable about arcade games. That is, when Japan decides to stop treating all foreigners like criminals by taking their fingerprints upon arrival.

Outside gaming, I’ve spent six years in university studying physics, pure mathematics and electronic engineering. During this time, I managed to receive the Australian equivalent of an MSc. in physics. Upon graduating, I worked as a control engineer for almost two years before quitting out of boredom and disillusionment. I am currently studying for a doctorate in microelectronics.

One thing I will definitely avoid is getting trapped in academic hell and becoming a grant-chasing parasite. Instead, I would like to work in this area for a while and a PhD is a minimum requirement for most positions. After I'm bored of that, I'll do something else!

Finally, I'd like to say that I've been reading Insomnia for quite a while and that icy along with the rest of the crew created something unique on the internet today. I hope the high quality is maintained forever and look forward to icy's book.
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Joined: 07 Dec 2009 22:50

Unread postby urovoros » 01 Jan 2010 05:07

I'm from Mexico. Not a native speaker of course and, in fact, spanish is my strongest language.

I studied Hispanic literature and hate the academy. Above philosophy I think literature is the supreme discipline for understanding the reality. Borges is my favorite writer: "Philosophy is a branch of fantastic literature". Also I love Schopenhauer for being among the few that put aesthetic value as the most true source of understanding.

Currently I'm a professional reviewer and writer in the most important site about VG in Latin America, Atomix.vg, so Icy surely thinks I'm a whore. But I understand his point of view, Schopenhauer hated Hegel for being also a philosophy whore. Hey! I don't have a rich merchant father to live on, I need money and in this country at least, a literature student doesn't have that many opportunities.

Anyway, urovoros here, reporting in. Devour the representations. Tear apart the castle of mirrors. Far away from philosophy, the aesthetic experience as the sword of the genius.
"La filosofía es una rama de la literatura fantástica." ~Jorge Luis Borges
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Joined: 30 Dec 2009 10:47
Location: México City

Unread postby icycalm » 01 Jan 2010 13:42

I meant to not reply to introductory posts, but since this contains a number of astonishing idiocies that I cannot just allow to go unchallenged, I will make an exception.

urovoros wrote:Above philosophy I think literature is the supreme discipline for understanding the reality.


You are an uneducated imbecile. Philosophy is ALSO literature you fucking moron! Even journalism is "literature"! Even forum posts are "literature"! Literature = writing, pure and simple. How hard is it to get this inside your tiny little rat's brain! "The supreme discipline", lol! WRITING IS NOT A DISCIPLINE YOU FUCKING MORON -- IT IS A MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION! PHILOSOPHY IS NOT A DISCIPLINE EITHER! WAKE THE FUCK UP!

urovoros wrote:Borges is my favorite writer: "Philosophy is a branch of fantastic literature".


Goes to show how stupid you are, that your favorite writer is a bedtime story peddler. Not to mention your favorite quote of your favorite writer is a piece of childish stupidity.

urovoros wrote:Also I love Schopenhauer for being among the few that put aesthetic value as the most true source of understanding.


Sentence makes no sense. Absolutely none. Schopenhauer would have laughed at you. He would also have asked to have you castrated (he advocated castration for imbeciles like you, so that they would not get the chance to propagate and pollute mankind with more imbeciles).

You know what, I am just going to ban you for being such a huge fucking dickhead. This is my gift to you for the new year, just as your retarded post above was your gift to me.
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Unread postby Confucius Rex » 02 Jan 2010 07:35

Howdy. I'm from New Mexico.

I've been playing video games as long as I can remember. I started out with Super Mario Brothers and Bubble Bobble on the NES. Around 1996 or so I started playing PC games in addition to console games, but now I only have a computer to play on. I had a Wii, but I was underwhelmed by it so I gave it to my sister.

My favorite games off the top of my head are Bubble Bobble, Yoshi's Island, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, 1nsane, Supreme Commander, and Europa Universalis III. I know I'm missing a lot of them, but I can never remember all of them.

I found the site after being someone linked to it from Fark. It's extremely hard to find people on the Internet who know what they're talking about when it comes to video games, so I made an account as soon as possible.
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Joined: 29 Dec 2009 22:54
Location: New Mexico

Unread postby quash » 15 Jan 2010 23:32

Hello everyone.

I've been reading the articles here for almost a year now. I wasn't motivated to join the forums, however, until I came across icy's review of Gun Valkyrie. I recently had a conversation with a friend about the game (and about how dumb we both were for getting rid of it many years ago) and after reading icy's excellent review, I had to play it again. I'm loving the game more than ever now, and it's all thanks to Insomnia.

I've been playing fighting games for about three years now. Although I've mostly been playing BlazBlue in the past year, my true loves will always be Guilty Gear and Virtua Fighter (even though it's near impossible to find competition for either one in the US anymore). And although I'm very bad at them, I have recently picked up shooters as well. Mars Matrix and DoDonPachi have been occupying my shooter cravings as of late.

I don't plan to post here often, or at least not until I have a better understanding of the community here. Unlike many people on the internet, I am considerate enough to acknowledge that I must adapt to any new community I become a part of, not vice versa. [This naivety is exploded here: http://forum.insomnia.ac/viewtopic.php?t=3131 --icy]

I hope to partake in some good discussions in the future. Until then, I will be keeping up to date with the activities here.
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Joined: 14 Jan 2010 04:55
Location: Japan

Unread postby fat elf » 16 Jan 2010 13:07

Hi everyone,

I'm a native English speaker interested in illustration and making 2d computer games. I'd rather make things than just be a consumer.

The game I played the most is Speedball 2.

I have some simple (likely retarded) questions about threads in the theory section. I'd appreciate it if a charitable and knowledgeable person sent me a PM volunteering to answer them. Thanks.

[
fat elf wrote:2d


Banned. --icy
]
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Joined: 03 Jan 2010 04:37

Unread postby Lord Knight » 21 Jan 2010 23:05

Hey, English speaker from New Jersey here.

One of my friends pointed me to this site while we were talking about how bad game review sites were. I read one article, and started to click around and before I knew it, four hours had passed.

As far as game history goes, I was a hardcore Nintendo fanboy from age 4 until freshman year of high school. I played most of Nintendo's big games throughout that time (Link to the Past, Mario 64, Pokemon, etc etc). At this point I started to play JRPGs fiendishly. I played through most of the staple, well known JRPGs of that time (FF series, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross etc) but eventually played a couple of lesser known games like Star Ocean 2 and Legend of Dragoon. After that I went to a big SSBM tourney near my house and got into competitive gaming.

I played SSBM for about two and a half years. My friend showed me Melty Blood Act Cadenza, and I fell for 2D fighters hard. To this day I still play Melty Blood, along with Blazblue.

As far as other genres I like, I really enjoy SRPGs, especially the Fire Emblem series.
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Joined: 21 Jan 2010 22:39

Unread postby Siren » 08 Feb 2010 22:31

Hi everyone.

English is my primary language and mother tongue. I've been going to college for two years, though it feels like I'm taking my first term. I didn't want to be a doctor, anyway. Owning a business looks like a much more satisfying goal.

My favorite genres of games are shoot-em-ups, stat-heavy action games, and fighting. It is amazing how three years ago I wanted nothing to do with them, and now they are in my blood. I am also intrigued by the cell shading aesthetic and have been following games with such a style since Jet Grind Radio (or was Fear Effect first?)

This site has turned my life around completely. Thank you, icy!
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Joined: 08 Feb 2010 10:08

Unread postby Forte Dante » 21 Feb 2010 13:49

Hi.

You might find it amusing that I found this site via Action Button (your comments on their random top games list), which I found even earlier through Kotaku (reading it for game news). I can see you know exactly what you're talking about (making me feel all the more ignorant), so I decided to sign up here.

I am a native English speaker (technically my second tongue, but I've been speaking English since I was four), so hopefully I don't embarrass myself. My gaming started with Pokemon Blue. As a result I did play a lot of 'RPG's, but I don't like them so much anymore (hammy stories and barely any actual game), though I still play a few. Since my RPG fixation I've played a lot of old and new games (admittedly I'm only able to play most old games through emulation). I like action games (shooters, 2D, 3D, platformers), strategy games (especially the turn-based kind, as I'm not a big fan of RTS games) and I'll play any other kind of game that I can get enjoyment out of (lowest on my list would be sports games, most of which I find dull).
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Joined: 20 Feb 2010 08:54
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