The JK Vision │ Geek, Film, Gaming & Foodie Blog: August 2022

Layla May

Hello Lovely’s it’s Layla May here and I am so excited to talk to you all about some tips that I have learned to start and grow my own YouTube channel! First I’ll start with the tips, then I’ll end it with how I started my channel! If you have any questions or just want to chat, follow up with me on Twitter @May3Layla also if you want to see how I used any these ideas in my channel here is my link as well https://www.youtube.com/c/LaylaMayPlays (: So let’s get started!!

Layla’s Tips!!

Twitter:

Is my favorite way to promote my channel. Others like Facebook and Instagram, but I find that I am most successful with Twitter because I have a system that works out quite nicely for me. Also instead of splitting my time across serial social media sites I like to invest all my time into just one so I can reap the best results that I can get! When I had a smaller Twitter following I would try to follow 100 new people a day who were into gaming, Minecraft, or had a YouTube channel themselves. Now that I have more followers I try to follow 500 new people a week. New followers = new exposure for your channel!

Crowdfire:

I use the crowdfire app to track the people who have unfollowed me. This is super helpful, so you aren’t following a ton of people who are not following you! Also this helps you remove the people at the end of the week who haven’t followed you within the week. I usually follow people on Monday’s and Tuesday’s and unfollow on Saturday and Sunday.

Attention Getting Message:

I make sure that I have a short well explained message that I personally send to everyone who follows me on my Twitter. It thanks them for following me, telling them how much I appreciate all my followers. Tells them about my channel and then asks them to check it out. I close it out with having them tell me if they liked my channel and if they have subscribed. Your message is a key element to guiding people to your channel. Make sure it is short and sweet and contains the link to your channel.

YouTube Channel!!

PS4:

Is my console of choice and this is what I play Minecraft on for my videos! I record my videos on the PS4 by using the Share Button option.

Wired Turtle Beaches:

I switched from a wireless Sony headset to wired Turtle Beaches and it has made such a huge difference!! I think switching to a wired headset does make a difference in your audio! So if you are looking for a new or used mic wired is the way to go!

Audacity:

(Free) Additional to my wired mic I capture my audio separately on my laptop on Audacity while I shoot my video on PS4. My audio sounds amazing to the point where I have never had to edit my audio on Audacity at all. I just export my audio file to add onto my video.

Movie Maker:

(Free) This is what I use to combine my audio and my video together. At most I have to make my audio start a few seconds earlier so it lines up with my video and it works beautifully! This is where I drop in my intro and outros as well. I made my outro on Movie Maker myself by using an image I edited on paint on my computer and adding a song from Movie Maker’s huge of free music they offer!

Blender:

(Free) This is how I got my amazing new intro! Blender intro templates are on YouTube. You select the one you want, download the free editing software, and just drop your name right into it! Boom a brand new amazing eye catching, attention grabbing intro! If you are having any problems getting your intro and editing it, just YouTube tutorials that walk you through how to edit your Blender into!!

Nova Skin:

(Free) Is a program that lets you edit your Minecraft skin to make them look however you would like! You can also download your own skin from your PC Minecraft account! If you don’t have PC version you can create your own skin design or use one of the countless skins on the website itself. You can also use this website to position your skin in any way you like and also have the option of having them carry things like swords, pick axes, apples, and more! If you need help navigating this site again YouTube a tutorial!! Once I have my girl’s skin looking how I want I save the photo to my desktop. What is super nice is that the background is transparent so the picture will just be of your Minecraft skin!

Canva:

I do not have photoshop and I was looking for an alternative and what I found was Canva. Canva works for all my thumbnail needs!! I just upload my Minecraft skin and pick out my favorite font and boom! I have a brand new snazzy thumbnail for my episodes!!

This is Layla May I hope my tips and advice were helpful!

Remember to be your own kind of beautiful!! (:

Thanks Lovely’s

By: Ryan Cunningham

If there was going to be one motto for the past decade, it would be “out with the old, in with the new.” Netflix has almost entirely replaced physical movie renters, print newspapers are experiencing an all-time low in readership, and even popular radio broadcasts are steadily losing business to Pandora and Spotify. Across the board, the classic forms of entertainment and luxury are being replaced by their new counterparts–that is, except for video games.

Despite numerous technological advancements that should have sent video games the way of the dinosaurs and Cher’s original face, these bastions of merriment just keep pumping out hits and drawing in a bigger crowd than ever. In 2015, the Entertainment Software Association found that 155 million Americans play video games, and 44% of Americans do so for three or more hours every week.

What’s shocking about these numbers is that contemporary players aren’t just riding the wave of a fad. Video game studios are releasing retro-style products like Coffee Crisis to appeal to the classic, fundamental features that made games great. Instead of relying on new technology, the core features of video games have proven timeless and allowed for them to keep their integral values while adapting enough to stay relevant. Good luck finding another industry where using older styles makes the product more popular.

If almost every other industry is being swept away by new technologies, then why are video games the only ones that continue to thrive?

Relaxing

If you get home from work every day and are struck with an inescapable feeling of exhaustion, you aren’t alone. Modern workers are stressed out of their minds with the anxiety of paying bills and working long hours, and this kind of pressure can drain the life out of a person. Luckily, video games are a reliable and convenient way to get some of that juice back in your system.

Video games can help you chill out because, unlike your supervisor, they’re designed to keep you motivated. People work jobs all day long where they never get any recognition, and it can be nice to come home, relax, and be thanked by thousands of NPCs for saving them from impending doom. It’s more satisfying than filing a budget report, anyway.

Maybe that’s why video games have repeatedly been found to lower stress levels in players. When everyone is so wound up from grinding away at thankless and stressful jobs, video games can give them the satisfaction and enjoyment to keep them chugging alone. Sure, they might not be as “useful” as spending that time doing chores or putting in extra hours at the office, but since when did everything have to be useful? What ever happened to fun for the sake of it?

50 percent of Americans say they aren’t having enough fun, and there’s a reason for that. The culture has become so shifted toward working 24/7 that just relaxing has gotten a bad rap, but that shouldn’t be the case. There’s nothing wrong with taking some time for yourself, and most health experts agree that more relaxation could even increase your happiness and longevity. Video games are popular not only because you get to relax, but you get to do it by bashing in some zombie heads. Good luck beating that one, future technology!

Developing Creativity

According to recent research, Americans are creatively starved; while children are getting smarter with each passing generation, their creativity scores continue to decline. This trend may be disturbing, it isn’t that shocking. Children are exposed to more facts and knowledge than ever before thanks to the advent of the information age, but they’re also losing creative outlets left and right.

As arts and music programs in schools continue to be cut around the country, children are losing the few creative outlets that are left to them. While information is easier to attain than ever (did you know that Charles Strite invented the toaster?), Americans continue to lose opportunities to think analytically and learn to find alternative solutions to problems. And, God I’ve always wanted to say this, video games can save the day.

Even at a glance, this idea seems to make sense. There are plenty of puzzle games out there that force you to think non-linearly, so it isn’t that shocking that they could increase a child’s ability to think creative. According to a study conducted by Michigan State University, however, video games are increasing creativity across the board, regardless of genre. Even reading can’t boast those kinds of results!

American children are working harder than ever in schools and are having their creativity smothered. Video games are staying relevant because they’re still offering that creative outlet to children. It’s unfortunate but, until the authorities start to understand how vital creativity is, the youth of America will have to keep placing their faith in Arceus.

Building a Community

Despite what your grandpa tells you whenever he sees you pull out your Nintendo DS, video games aren’t actually tearing people apart. In fact, unless you’ve been vacationing at the bottom of the ocean, you’ve probably already heard about the most recent instance of a game bringing people together: Pokémon Go.

Yes, Pokémon Go has gotten people more active and it has led to unprecedented amounts of bonding within the Pokémon’s fan base. People have been getting active within their communities, chatting up strangers, and making real friends because of a free game on their phone. “But most games don’t make you leave the house,” the mysterious voice in my head is telling me, and that’s true. While most video games do tend to keep you seated on the couch, they still present plenty of opportunities to interact with other gamers.

Even before the advent of AR technology, video games have always been about bringing people together. Couch co-op is an art form that, while it has classic roots, is still being created today. While many critique video games for being distracting or isolating, I challenge anyone to find a better bonding tool than forming a Viking party with your friends and saving the world.

No matter how many video game magazines you subscribe to, there will always be amazing indie games that you’d never hear about without real life connections. Every longtime gamer has a group of friends that they can chat with to figure out what games are worth buying and to get the latest gossip in the industry, and that’s part of the fun of being a gamer. If everyone with an Xbox was a reclusive shut-in, there’d be no way to organize massive conventions like E3 or Gen Con. Video games have been bringing people together for decades, and that’s why they’ll continue to stand the test of time.

Fun Is Simple

You don’t need to be a “nerd” to enjoy video games. You don’t even need to have particularly impressive hand-eye coordination. All that you need is an hour or two of free time, a console, and the desire to enjoy yourself.

More often than not, life is complicated and frustrating. Sometimes you just need to relax, sit on the couch, and destroy some coffee-obsessed aliens with the power of heavy metal. In a world that is as fast-paced and draining as this one, there will always be a demand for games that let people relax and form connections with the people around them. Instead of dying with the release of new technologies, video games are adapting and becoming more popular than ever. And, on behalf of everyone who comes alive with the feeling of a controller in their hand, I say thank God.

Well, the short answer is “barely”. Our man Keith gives us the lowdown on what footy fans had to suffer before EA’s beast of a game:

In the same way that Sky would have you believe that football didn’t exist before the inception of the Premier League in 1992, Electronic Arts would probably be pretty happy if people believed that football video games didn’t exist prior to the release of FIFA International Soccer in late 1993. We’ve gotten so used to the yearly installments of FIFA (plus the tournament tie ins) and Pro Evolution Soccer over the past two decades that it seems unimaginable that any other football games even existed. However, for better or worse (much worse in some cases…) they did, and here we take a look at just a few of them….

World Soccer – (Master System)

Released in Europe in late 1987, and in the US under the title ‘Great Soccer’ (err, ok…), World Soccer was the first console football game I ever played or owned. At the time, bearing in mind that I was about 7 or 8 years old when I got it, it seemed ok at first. But young Keith soon grew weary and frustrated with this second rate sim. Although the pitchside view and cutesy sprites looked ok, the controls were clunky and unresponsive, there were no free kicks whatsoever (apart from offsides!), and it was almost impossible to score!

IF you somehow got close enough to the opposition goal to have a shot, the direction of your effort was determined by a white arrow that slide up and down the goal line, that you then had to stop in the desired place. You also had to make sure you kept the ball and that your player was facing the right way – this sounds easy in the modern era of responsive controls and pads with 28 buttons, but back then it was a freakin’ nightmare! And that is where World Soccer shall stay – confined to my nightmares.
This is a shocking game and not one that I would recommend checking out, even for nostalgic reasons. Amazingly, it even spawned a sequel! Interestingly, in Scandinavia it was called ‘Anders Limpar’s Proffs Fotboll’. Better title definitely, but not enough to save this game from the soccer sim scrapheap.Many sequels followed, as did ports to various consoles. I played Super Kick Off a fair amount when it arrived on the Mega Drive, and always had a soft spot for it, in part due to the “almost, but not quite” player names. Brian Eclair and Jamie Blueknapp being ones that stand out in the memory!The pace of the game is sloooooow beyond belief; the collision detection is appalling and the shooting and passing so weak it’s ridiculous. Amongst all these frustrations and worthy of a special mention are the slide ‘tackles’ in this game. Go on, give it a try and watch your defender slide halfway down the length of the pitch without getting anywhere near the ball. ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!A true multi-player legend, the action was fast and furious end to end stuff, and the popularity of the game can easily be measured by the fact that it was eventually ported to virtually every console you can think of, including the Mega CD! Sensible Soccer must go down as a classic and in the opinion of many, was the first truly great football video game.

Gazza’s Superstar Soccer – (Amiga, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum)

Endorsed by and named after everyone’s favourite blubbing boozy Geordie, Gazza’s Superstar Soccer is a haunting reminder of how bad things used to be. Bizarrely, it has no scrolling. This means there are three fixed views of the pitch, a side on view of the middle third, and as soon as the ball goes to one end of the pitch it switches to an end to end view where the camera appears to be floating above the centre circle… If this wasn’t distracting enough, the game is also uglier than Gazza’s fellow Geordie and erstwhile England teammate Peter Beardsley (sorry Beardo), and the players all appear to be doing a poorly choreographed version of Riverdance. Michael Flatley must be spinning in his grave. Whats that? He’s not dead? Oh…..

Kick Off – (Amiga, Atari ST, NES initially, everything else later…)

First released in 1989, Kick Off became a huge success, and its developer Dino Dini became a well-known name amongst gamers of the time (in true football style he even ‘transferred’ from Anco to Virgin Games in the early 1990’s). It was another game with a top down view, which worked well. It was quite difficult to get the hang of, and dribbling with the ball took a fair bit of time and skill to master, but this did add an air of realism to the way it played. It was notable at the time for various features such as action replays, players with different characteristics and skills, tactics, injuries and even different referees with different moods!

European Club Soccer – (Mega Drive)

Originally a PC game titled “Manchester United Europe” (I feel sick just typing that…), this sim from Virgin was released on the MD in 1992 and featured 170 teams to choose from, including those from the 1st Division at the time. A classic case of style over substance, this is a very well presented game with decent animation and fairly detailed sprites. However the gameplay lets it down terribly.

It’s a shame as it looks good, there are lots of options (tactics, kits, lots of teams, tournament mode), but the sloppy gameplay and plodding nature of the game suck all the fun out of it.

Sensible Soccer (Atari ST, Amiga, PC… then everything else!)

Developed by Sensible Software (hence the title…) and known affectionately by aficionados as Sensi, this was originally released on the Amiga, Atari ST and PC in 1992. It featured a top down bird’s eye view similar to many older football games, but from much higher up. It was most notable for its aftertouch feature which allowed you to put a crazy amount of swerve on the ball after you had a shot. It was also a departure from most other footy sims at the time in that the ball ‘stuck’ to the player as he dribbled, as opposed to him appearing to tap it front of him as he ran, which was the case in other games. This allowed a greater degree of control and added to the game play immensely as you can dribble round players in a way that had never been properly captured before.

They think it’s all over….

So there you go. We’ve barely scratched the surface of retro football games, as I decided to only cover the ones I have previous experience of, and I wanted to end this article on a positive note with Sensible Soccer. But for every Sensi, there’s a World Cup Italia ’90… Now its over to you. What are some of your best loved/most hated retro football sims? Let us know…

- Keith

The post was originally writen by Keith at Arcade Attack. If you liked the post then please check out more of their content!

The Devolution of Diablo

by Syrmaticus (@IronDaggerGames)

irondagger.wordpress.com

Writing about a game long after the dust has settled is good for one thing, at least. I can better hold myself apart from the inevitable, populist sentiments that riddle unworthy sequels and oft-cursed Part Threes.

Or so I told myself when I fired up Diablo III and saw Tristram for the first time in almost a decade. Oh, my bad. It's New Tristram now... and what a difference that word makes.

On my way to the infamous cathedral, I reflected on the terror that place had stoked in me when I was, what, fourteen? Creeping along dank hallways, back glued to a wall, quaking behind the woefully inadequate buckler I had arrived in town with, breathing a sigh of relief Diablo himself must have heard at the first, blessed discovery of an enchanted club.

The present recreation of that delicious nightmare drew from me a sigh of exasperation Tathamet himself must have heard.

This game is supposed to scare me, damnit

No, a tricked-out church crypt packed with easily defensible corners, well-lit spaces wide enough to golf in, and laughably disposable undead I can see coming half a mile off isn't scary.

Scary was why I wall-hugged in the original Diablo. Not out of any 'close off your blind spot' tactical consideration or any similar Sun Tzu jazz; I was gnawing the heart in my mouth at the prospect of venturing into that claustrophobic yet frightfully open void, away from the cold, animal safety of the stone at my back.

Scared of the (digital) dark. As a teenager. And it wasn't even a survival horror game.

Diablo II, while not quite as hair-raising, did try valiantly with places like the Rogues' Monastery and the Durance of Hate, which actually made me hesitate to push on at certain junctures for sudden fear of the shadows ahead. What did Diablo III accomplish in this regard?

Right from the zombie movie ripoff of a kickoff, I was about as fazed as I was much later amid the newest, obligatory magma-and-brimstone Hell reprise. In fact, once the classic first dungeon of the Diablo series failed to frighten in its second incarnation, no others came close.

I can only put this down to level design, the mood generated by the plot, and my having aged some ten-plus years.

Facing my fears... and smacking 'em down

The first Diablo, greeting me with dim, tight corridors and chambers punctuated by drafty, open halls that looked about as welcoming as the gaping maws of demons, evoked immediate fear and suspicion – made only worse by the omnipresent gothic architecture and funereal ornamentation.

Okay, so the lava caves below (when did Diablo, right or wrong, turn into D&D dragon den?) dealt a heavy blow to the atmosphere. So did, to a lesser extent, the series's first rendition of Hell: a curiously sanitized chain of ballrooms with scattered Chinese Mythology 18th Level of the Underworld decor. But the potency of the atmosphere in the cathedral and the catacombs? Undeniable.

The dark low fantasy formula of blighted medieval countrysides and desolate castle ruins served Diablo III well in its early outdoor areas, as a tether to the series's thematic roots. However, the blatantly overpowered nature of the player characters killed a good deal of the spookiness. A ravening undead horde, climbing out of a mass grave decked with swinging corpses, is naught to be feared if you can draw steel with the air of a B-movie action hero and wade in smirking like a boss.

This only got worse later on in Persian deserts and war-torn tundras, both rehashes of Diablo II settings and not entirely congruous either (particularly the latter; what room is there for the series's classic creepiness on a battlefield?).

Yes, back in Diablo II, fighting grenade-lobbing catmen in the desert and blowdart-spitting pygmies in a twisted fantasy Vietnam War simulation sort of detracted from my expectations. But I don't recall being bothered much.

Suspense and suspension (of disbelief)

Because I knew what I, or rather my character, was up to. And I believed in it. That all-important accessory known as the plot made it so. It seemed, back then, that the more outlandish and un-scary the setting, the more the writers tried to give you a purpose; one that didn't seem too out of sync with the humble quests players of the first game were used to.

In Aranoch? Searching for a tomb-sized needle in a haystack. (Fair enough.)

In Kurast? Undermining the world's biggest religion. (Read: a head-on assault on their damned HQ. Going downhill here.)

And in Arreat? Plowing through infernal legions to stop Baal and save the world. (Wow, all grown up now!)

Diablo III didn't just fail harder than this. It repeatedly insulted players' intelligence, plot-wise: blatant giveaways such as the Stranger's identity (his sword was the clincher but I hoped I was wrong, for freshness's sake), Belial's disguise (so obvious from the outset that I refused to swallow it until the bitter end), and Adria's true nature (a shining example of foreshadowing via flavor lore taken a hundred steps too far) come instantly to mind.

Dropped balls like these underscore the tragic lack of mood throughout the game's quests. What is left to immersion when you can effortlessly guess what's really going on, all the time? Add an environment that casts the spotlight more on epic monster-slaying than the finer points of what, in essence, is a tale of humans contending with forces beyond their ken (nephalem... ugh), and it becomes easy to see the series's downward slide.

The original Diablo suffered from no such issues. There wasn't much of a plot there, just a hack n' slasher garnished with a few key lore points and a few more smaller ones for aesthetics. The whole game was level one to level sixteen, point A to point B; a great deal in between was up to you and your imagination.

By contrast, its successors tried harder, and, accordingly, opened themselves to the risk of falling harder. The latest tried hardest, especially by introducing persistent, prominent plot figures (Leah, Tyrael, et al) that function like the essential NPCs in an MMO – keeping the player on story rails, and supplying superfluous filler.

The result of having these characters accompany us from Act to Act and drive things along? It comes off as us following them. We're back to the old MMO trope of players immortalized in official lore as the brave, but somehow unknown champions that aided Sir Protagonist in the slaying of the dragon.

I am afraid – but for the series, not of it

Would Diablo III not have been far better off keeping faith with its prequels' comparatively more stripped-down nature and player-centric plot focus? After all, is it not scariest when you're all by your lonesome?

Nobody's contesting that it's a fantastic team action game. That was always the point. But taken as an RPG experience (and I employ the RPG designation loosely)? Not quite as stellar. It was more than a little disappointing, watching the genre-defining precedent set by the first in the series muddied by declining writing standards and mass market appeal.

Warcraft went the dumbed-down route long ago. Even StarCraft, the last of Blizzard's franchises to stick to its C-10 canister rifles, has thrown in the towel with tragic hero Zerg and space hadouken matches. While Reaper of Souls went a considerable way towards redeeming Diablo's past glory, the outcome remains in doubt – this franchise is just one more disappointing expansion away from going to hell.

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Becoming a recognized artist is now easier than it ever has been before.

With the downfall of CD’s and many of our music shops now closing down, it’s time to invent yourself as an online artist and it’s easier than you may think too. Here I have rounded up some ideas which may help you promote yourself in our new digital era.

Social media

With the likes of Justin Bieber and Jessie J as an example, both of these artists were discovered on YouTube.

YouTube has 1 billion active users each month, the site allows you to upload videos giving you instant exposure to those who love to find new music.

Make sure you’re promoting yourself using twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Twitter alone has 232 million users, whilst Instagram have a 150 million and Facebook have 500 million users, so these are great platforms to start promoting yourself. Twitter has a brilliant way to promote yourself even more with the use of the ‘#’ and ‘retweet’ option, these are helpful tools to get wide spread exposure and make contacts within the same industry.

Create a page on these networks and provide regular updates of where you are, what you’re up to and upcoming events, to ensure people have somewhere to keep in touch with you. Make sure you’re holding regular events such as gigs to give a taste of your music.

Giving out your music on USB devices to people who are interested, will allow the opportunity for people to share and download the music, providing you with a fan base and possibly an income too. This is also a great idea for the use at clubs, by ensuring your USB device is branded with your/the band’s name on it will mean they won’t forget you the next day.

Networking these ways essentially provides a powerful, simple and successful way to promote yourself as an artist without the use of a record label.

Sound Cloud is a fantastic network if you’re looking to successfully share your music online. This network allows unsigned artists to create and share their music across their social media platforms- it lets you share privately with friends and family or you can post your material publicly. The network, as with all social media can be accessed by using almost any device of your choice, so you’re able to use it anywhere, and it is free to use.

Your own website

It’s important to have your own website so that your social media has a platform to refer back too. This will be the place all the latest news, stories and images should be located and stored, pack as much information on there as possible. Make sure the website looks professional so people know you want to be taken seriously, make sure it’s well laid out so that subjects and pages are easy to find, and people can explore your website at ease and gain as much knowledge on you as possible.

Compared to before when all artists had were CD’s to promote themselves, there are now so many more opportunity’s which you are able to take advantage of to get yourself known in the industry, without having to spend big money on promotion.

"Claire Louise Sheridan is a keen blogger, writer and marketer with aspirations of becoming a recognised member of the digerati. Until then, she's content seeing the world, watching live music, volunteering, playing with her kitten and eating all of the food. You can find her Twitter here" @xo_clairelouise

*Beep* *boop* Initiating guest protocol. Scanning environment. Targets acquired. Engaging discourse in 3, 2, 1. Blatant self-promotion detected. Deploying countermeasures!

Hiya! I’m James and I’m here to help you take your dungeon master skills to the next level.

Before I get started, big thanks to Adrian for the invite. If you dig what I have to say and want to hear more, you can check out my blog and podcast at www.conquestorcalamity.com and or follow me on twitter @ConquestTable.

Now, onto the main event.

Today, I’m here to talk about 4 things you can do right away to be a better Dungeon Master. Whether you’ve been DMing for years or you’re thinking about picking up the game for the first time, there is always room for improvement. At Conquest or Calamity, we are currently playing Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition but these tips can be easily applied to whatever rule system your group prefers.

Tip #1 “The best stories are the ones we tell together.”

As a DM, it can be very tempting to write a detailed story, beginning to end, and then stick player characters into it. After all, you’re the person doing all the prep work. Why shouldn’t you be the one to write the story?

In a word, agency. While no DM worth his or her salt would ever go into a game without some narrative hook, (See tip #2) nothing kills a player’s sense of agency faster than the realization that their choices don’t matter. After time and again bumping fruitlessly against a DM’s expository rails, many players will feel as though they are simply being herded along from “cutscene” to “cutscene”.

For some players this type of game is enough but for many it can feel one dimensional, if not altogether boring. I’ve seen more than a few games ruined by a ham-handed DM with an overbearing agenda. Don’t fall into this trap.

Instead, prepare to give your players the freedom to explore the setting, subtly incentivizing them toward story objectives using meaningful rewards. In time, clever players will learn to tug on the strings that offer the greatest benefit. Thus, the party gets to experience your story but on their own terms.

It takes practice but believe me. Your players will thank you.

Tip #2 “Preparation Prevents Poor Performance”

Ah, yes. Preparation. The DMs lifejacket. There’s a whole post about this one over at Conquest or Calamity so I won’t reinvent the wheel here.

Suffice it to say, there are as many correct ways to prepare for a game as there are games. The most important thing is to have a mastery over whatever setting you ultimately choose. A DMs understanding of rules and context can make or break a campaign.

Tip #3 “Cheaters never prosper. Except really they do.”

Remember DMs. When it comes to the game, it’s setting, and all of it’s inhabitants you are, for all intents and purposes, God. You are the arbiter of all game things and as such you are entitled to certain luxuries. In this case, I am referring to cheating dice rolls.

Did a pesky goblin score a crit on your rouge right before she could do something totally awesome? Not if you think he shouldn’t have. You’re God.

There are several reasons that DMs use screens. This is one of them and it is your birthright.

That said, this particular tip must be used sparingly as to not alert players. To accomplish this particular feat, I generally ask myself the following question before cheating a roll. “If I don’t cheat this roll, will someone in the party feel as though their night was ruined?” If the answer is yes, I cheat.

Tip #4 “Fake it ‘till you make it”

Sometimes, regardless of how much you prepare, a player will ask or do something that will stump you. Don’t panic. Just make it up. You are God after all. If you confidently assert that something is so, then it is.

Just make sure to be consistent and remember that the purpose of the game is to have fun.

__________________________________________________________________________

Happy DMing!

James Hicks

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With technology expanding and growing tremendously quickly, it’s beginning to take over everything that we do, even intervening in our fitness regimes. The big question is whether or not it’s having a positive or negative effect on the fitness industry? Here I have outlined some positives and negatives of the revolution of technology.

IPods

Music has a big influence on our motivation to exercise and this has been studied by many psychologists, it’s true. You’re able to create playlists which encourage you to carry out certain exercises. It distracts you and gives you something to think about whilst exercising, as sometimes it does get a little boring. On the other hand, running with headphones in could be potentially dangerous as you become less aware of the surroundings around you.

DVDs and WIIs

Workout DVD’s have been around for a few years now and are getting even more popular and intense with many celebrities such as Davina McCall joining in with the trend, creating their own DVD’s which have been really successful. With the most intense workout DVD being ‘Insanity’ which is said to provide you with a years’ worth of results in just 60 days. On a downside, you might not have the discipline and willpower to maintain this like you would if you were to have a personal trainer or were a member of the gym. You also aren’t provided with encouragement or clear results of your progress.

The Wii have designed the Wii fit game which comes complete with a balance board, this device encourages you to take part in various different sports including yoga, tennis and running all the privacy of your own home, you’re able to play as a single player or even in a group on certain games. It’s so effective and encouraging that many hospitals are even incorporating this into rehabilitation programmes. The same as the DVD’s, to gain anything from the Wii you will need to have the discipline. The intensity of the exercises on the Wii are nothing like the intensity of going on a real run, therefore you aren’t burning as many calories or getting as fit and healthy as you could be, if you took that time and effort to go outside and do what you’re doing it would be a lot more effective and worthwhile.

Apps

With the rise of smartphones and with the smarter they’re becoming, we now have apps which are able to track your fitness. They can track the route you’re running and how far you have run, count how many calories you have burnt or consumed and provide you with workout routines- all on one device. You now never have an excuse to why you haven’t exercised.

Big on the scene at the moment is the Fitbit Flex which is a light weight wristband which monitors how many steps you take throughout the day using intelligent software. All the information is then synced to a computer or a mobile app which you’re able to access, enabling you to download the data which the device has recorded and it is shown in Graphs and charts, allowing you to track your progress. The Fitbit Flex is a reliable device made for the purpose of exercise you’re able to set goals and reach them using this, compared to the use of mobiles which can be unreliable as they haven’t been designed and made with fitness in mind.

Machinery

Many people can be put off the thought of having to go outside to run or go on a bike ride. We now have more machinery than ever before which encourages more and more people to exercise and get fit with the use of treadmills, rowing machines and cross trainers which are able to suit anyone’s needs ranging from a low to high intensity setting. We now have gyms providing top of the range equipment which can monitor how many calories are being burnt, heart rate and even imitate steepness of hills on running machines to make it more realistic- this is great and enables you to keep on track of your progress, providing both motivation and encouragement to keep going. Although, with more and more people using this equipment in their homes, there are many people that don’t know how to use it properly as they have no support from an instructor, this is causing injuries that could have been avoided.

General health

People’s general health is improving constantly, thanks to the expansion and improvement of technology. For example, people are deciding and to give up smoking thanks to the invention and use of Electronic cigarettes; this is having a huge effect on fitness as after a few weeks of non-smoking the lungs increase their endurance and lung capacity, eventually healthy lung tissue will be produced which supports a greater capacity, encouraging both fitness and exercise.

On the other hand there have been negatives to our increase of technology. With many of the younger generation being encouraged to use devices such as iPads and iPhones at such a young age it is taking away the old school, playing outside with your friends and replacing it with talking on online chat sites instead, this isn’t motivating and it’s encouraging laziness.

I feel with the time and energy you’re spending taking time to search for the latest fitness apps or going out to buy the latest DVD could be time spent going out for a run or a swim which is both free and of a higher intensity and would be much more worth your time.

"Claire Louise Sheridan is a keen blogger, writer and marketer with aspirations of becoming a recognised member of the digerati. Until then, she's content seeing the world, watching live music, volunteering, playing with her kitten and eating all of the food. You can find her Twitter here" @xo_clairelouise