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Spouse Aggro #84: D-Bags, Porno, Cash-Shop Values, Elvis!
Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:01:00 GMT [download/play]

You know, there are pod-casters out there that think it is cool to talk in a "radio guy" voice, or to play music the entire time in the background, or to not only whine about a game over and over, but to whine about a game you don't really play. We talk about one of those guys. Those guys seem to think that there are rules to follow in this hobby, which is mind-boggling to me. How boring.

We talk about Mabinogi's flying mount switch-a-roo, play a bit of Elvis, and discuss Ecks Bocks and if it is indeed fun. It has proven painful to me more than anything.

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Send emails to spouseaggro at yahoo dot com.

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Episode 84 Discussion Thread

'Generic Post Title' by Julie
Submitted on 2009-07-28 21:09:22 CST
"Limp Biscuit" eh? Now I wonder who the show was about. Interesting comment about "audio blog".

'Oh we were talking about that guy from uhm..' by Beauturkey

Submitted on 2009-07-28 23:14:21 CST
..WoW radio I think? He goes by Total Biscuit.

He thinks (and writes through his blog) that pod-casts should be more like his: background music the ENTIRE time, using radio cheesy voices and intros that last 3 or 5 minutes, and talking about a game that you never play, but talking (whining) about it with such passion that it would seem as though you still play it. He represents everything I think is wrong about a lot of game pod-casting I come across, which is to say that many of them whine most of the time.

Basically, he knows a friend of ours that does her own podcast. He told her he is faking it half the time, and that he considers himself a "shock jock." Really, we were just talking about him off-hand, but I left it in the show. He's just some wanna-be radio guy. While we do our show just to be a conversation, people like him do their show to fake it.

Anyway, we DID talk about stuff too! hehe

Beau

'Yes indeed...' by Julie
Submitted on 2009-07-28 23:19:58 CST
Yes indeed you did talk about other things. However I will admit it was the "radio guy" comment that caught my attention. I used to listen to WoW radio all the time but it was for someone else who has since left wow radio. I do understand your comment about "don't play the game" any more however - after all that is why we haven't discussed Eve Online on our show in awhile.

Julie

'Well, talk about any game..' by Beauturkey

Submitted on 2009-07-28 23:24:29 CST
..but, according to our friends and people that know him, he doesn't play it anymore. In fact, he talks about other games in this "WoW" podcast of his. That's why I re-branded our show, so we could talk about anything we want.

I pissed off some VG fans, but I hads ta do what I hads ta do!

Anyway, he's a dude. So, yeh. lol :)

Beau

'I LOVE TB from WOW Radio...' by Saylah

Submitted on 2009-07-28 23:48:54 CST
BluePlz is my favorite WOW specific podcast ever!! I listened to TB the whole time I wasn't playing WOW anymore. He cracks me up. I don't listen to find out about the state of the game though. I listen to hear what people are whining about now. hehe

'Whee-snaw!' by Seritaph
Submitted on 2009-07-29 00:04:25 CST
Darren has caused a few ripples with his expensive coffee and horse. Do you think he'd buy the horse if it frothed at the mouth, was coffee colored and named Starbuck? Just a rhetorical question.

Anyway on to RMTs. $15 a month for a content complete game is my threshold. And no, I have not purchased "services" like character transfers, etc. Also, personally, I find more satisfaction in earning items than paying for them at a cash shop. That said, it can come with it's own set of frustrations. Like faction grinding, which I think was mentioned. Mostly I think the whole, it's free but we're going to lure you into buying these items, model is kind of skeezy.

Which supports your point of it being a personal choice. Should the subscription model fall away, leaving only the RMT model, I would probably need to find a new hobby. Or switch back to single player games like Fallout and Dragon Age.

Anyway, nice show. Enjoying the loose discussion format. Many a good thing was spoken.

'The horse thing...' by Saylah

Submitted on 2009-07-29 00:22:02 CST
I was surprised how much Darren had carried on about the $10 mount in a free game. Continuing to walk was the simple solution. The fact that one person's value system held so much sway that they couldn't see other points of view or admit value - as far as I read the drama, really surprised me. Time is money is a common enough expression to immediately provide perspective that some players would find that $10 faster travel worth it. *shrug* Just didn't understand it or the "fool and their money" comment and attitude articulated toward people that didn't understand the big deal. But oh well people have varying value systems.

'But cash shop games still let you earn the items..' by Beauturkey

Submitted on 2009-07-29 00:24:51 CST
..cash shop games are not filled with only items that you can only buy. They have RMT alongside standard play. They have quests, grinding, crafting, housing...all the things that normal games have.

Would you quit out of principal? Not trying to push it, but according to that principal wouldn't you need to quit now since there are people in normal MMO's that do pay for those items that you said went beyond your threshold? (character transfers, etc.)

Anyway, you are right. We all make choices, and will need to make more in the future as different types of paying for a game (or not) come into play.

As far as TB being entertaining, I am not sure that I said he wasn't. If you are into that sort of thing, then it might be entertaining. My issues come from him not being honest about how he feels (which he admitted) and having an obvious dislike for a game that he does a fan-cast for.

Anyone of us could lie and make a show that seemed to be filled with our opinion. I would rather have a shitty sounding show (ours) that is honest than have one like his that sounds like a cheesy radio show and is dis-honest. :)

Beau

'We have...' by Saylah

Submitted on 2009-07-29 02:45:29 CST
shock TV, radio and ludicrously contrived reality TV. Shock podcasters? Expected.

'This is true.' by Beauturkey

Submitted on 2009-07-29 04:39:55 CST
And this is the fourth time now I tried to post this comment. Weird.

But yeh, you are right. :)

Beau

'Be your best, ignore the rest' by AnkleBiter
Submitted on 2009-07-29 13:30:09 CST
/endcheesytitle

I love your format: relaxed & honest.

Leave the "I-wanna-be-popular-so-I'll-be-just-like-them" to those not comfortable with themselves.

I'd say "never change", but that's kinda ridiculous; everyone changes... all the time.

'Cash Shop Games' by Seritaph
Submitted on 2009-07-29 15:43:35 CST
You're right, RMT games let you earn items as well. Sorry if I gave the impression a person has to buy everything. However it always seems like the cash shop items are better in some respect, make the game easier, or offer features inherit in subscription based games.

For example in one particular game, it costs about $15 US dollars to reset your skill tree back to zero (and no, you cannot earn this item or pay an NPC with in game money). In this game, skills are similar to talents in WoW. I'm a person who likes to kind of experiment with these kinds of things by trying one path and then another, so right away I know I could not afford to play this game the way I would want to.

And I'm just going to admit this openly. Given the choice between a scraggly old slow nag of a horse that I could earn in game, and a fast sparkling unicorn with rainbows flying out its ass that I can buy in the cash shop. I'd want the unicorn. Where it becomes tricky is that in that two weeks, after I've purchased the unicorn, the Death-Mare! will be up on the cash shop. And it'll be way more awesome than the unicorn because it's on fire with skulls flying out of its ass. And although this is all good fun, like you said with the taxi rides, I just couldn't personally justify it.

I'm not really concerned what other people do in any given game, so I wouldn't let that influence my quitting. So I guess would quit when I feel like I can no longer play any game to my satisfaction avoiding any RMT transactions.

'I need to correct myself...' by Seritaph
Submitted on 2009-07-29 15:50:23 CST
I wish there was an edit button. Instead of, I'm not really concerned what other people do in any given game, I really mean to type, I'm not really concerned with how other people spend their money in any given game.

'I getcha..' by Beauturkey

Submitted on 2009-07-29 16:16:22 CST
..and it makes sense. To be totally honest, for me it comes down to just really really enjoying spending little bits of cash on lil toys like pets and other fluffy stuff.

I love that stuff! lol

I have never been much concerned with achieving anything outside of having fun. If I happen to do something cool or grow in power, cool. If not, cool too. Cash shops just pull at that inner kid in me, and I love it.

Thanks for the comments man!

Beau

'Dude I hear ya!' by Seritaph
Submitted on 2009-07-29 16:38:46 CST
Cash shop games really know how to reach that inner child. They do have some cool stuff. And you're right, it's all about having fun. The stuff is fun. Whether a person likes RMTs or not, there's a market for it, and these games are just a small part in defining how we view our entertainment, how it's distributed, and how we spend our disposable income. I think Darren made that point, and it's a good one.

'Great show!' by MassivelyMax

Submitted on 2009-07-29 22:24:48 CST
New Spouse Aggro listener here and just wanted to say two things:

1. The music selection is really impeccable. In the few shows that I've listened to there hasn't been a song I haven't enjoyed!
2. Are there a lot of game shops up in Dallas? Because there is a near complete lack down here in Houston.

'The inner child...' by Saylah

Submitted on 2009-07-29 22:32:04 CST
Never thought about it like that. Some of the Cash Shop items I purchsed felt like necessary tools - things I wanted to have a pleasant journey. The mount in ROM and decent gear in W101. Whereas my crafting workshop in ROM was all wish fulfillment that would provide a gamine edge per say but something I wanted SO badly in an MMO. When the planting comes I will have wish fulfillment again. My room will be my personal harvest moon online. hehe. Wait for it! :-)

'Value' by shuttler

Submitted on 2009-07-30 22:53:49 CST
As for xbox games value it's worth noting games like mass effect, fable & oblivion can be picked up for cheap and have between 70-100 hours of play.

Burnout is also a great social experience

loved the game/tech/comic guy reference - some guys on those industrys can be totally anally retentive jerks. I'm a tech guy myself and can't stand other techs that talk to people like they are supposed to understand the jargon

I'm loving some tabletop right now, I'm worried the plastics will best the pixels in the war for my attention!

'TB' by Ceadrick

Submitted on 2009-08-07 00:36:48 CST
My mother always told me if you can't say something nice about someone don't say anything at all.Words to live by.

'Tb or not tb' by Julie
Submitted on 2009-08-07 01:06:37 CST
@ Ceadrick: Total Biscuit may not be for everyone. Some may not like his style but it is his style...its his "Schtick" if you will. It has a wide appeal as well and when he quit was asked to come back. I described him on our show as a "man after my own heart" as much as any man can be "after" a nuns heart.

Julie

'My main point about the guy...' by Beauturkey

Submitted on 2009-08-07 03:52:00 CST
...is that he considers himself, truly, a "shock jock."

Also, that he has confessed that he is basically playign a character half of the time.

I just don't dig doing something that ain't, you know...real. lol

Beau