Upcoming Challenges for the Rest of 2019

August 31, 2019August 22, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ 2 Comments

Hi all! Thanks for checking out my blog 🙂 I really appreciate the comments, messages, etc. I’ve been getting since beginning these monthly challenges. Heck these challenges have inspired me so much to keep writing and hopefully I’ll have more original content finished up for you guys soon.

I wanted to take a moment to sort of layout the rest of the months I have organized for 2019. I have a lot more challenges in the queue but as of right now I simply want to focus on 2019 as a whole and invite everyone who wants to join in the monthly challenge!

September – 30 Day YouTube Challenge

30 day youtube challenge

So I wanted to do a spin on this YouTube Challenge for September since YouTube is a big part of my life. I have long-since abandoned the cable life and have invested so much time onto the platform. Now I wanted to share this template with you guys since it was originally what I was going to use; however, I’ve decided that for the month of September I would just highlight a favorite per day. It could be a creator, a video, a series, etc. If it’s a favorite of mine on the platform, I want to chat about it. This would be a great month for me to just share my interests with you all on a platform that is basically home for me 🙂

October – Horror-Lover’s 30 Day Challenge

30 day horror movie challenge - FOR OCTOBER

How else to celebrate the main month of horror than do a horror-lover’s challenge for the month 🙂 I’m big into horror movies, ghost stories, etc. so I’m excited to share that passion with this challenge.

November – 30 Day Song Challenge

30 day song challenge

I’m big into music. Music literally gets me through my days sometimes, especially at work. So I wanted to share a bunch of my favorites 🙂 this would be the perfect challenge to do that!

December – Best of 2019

I haven’t found a template for this challenge yet. I’ll probably just make one! But this challenge will be me sharing my absolute favorite things from the year 2019. It will be mostly entertainment-based. I try to avoid the newsie/political stuff with these challenges if I can. But we’ll see 🙂 there’s a lot of fun things to share from the year so far. Once I come up with the template, I’ll share with you all so you can join in too.

So there you go! I’m really excited to jump into the YouTube Challenge and beyond! And I’ve got a few other templates I’m making to work on for 2020 so stay tuned! Thanks for reading 🙂

30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge – Day Thirty

August 30, 2019August 26, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ Leave a comment

Another month, another challenge! Hi everyone and welcome to my blog. This month’s challenge is all about my favorite video game genres. I stole this one from my friend Will 🙂 hope you guys enjoy! Let’s jump into it!

Day Thirty: Favorite Party Game

Oh this one is super easy! We play this game A LOT at my place and on my Twitch streams. BTW you can follow me on Twitch @maeeverglow if you ever want to join in our gameplay videos or party nights! It’s always fun to have others along for the ride.

Guys, Jackbox party packs are THE BEST! Seriously there are so many fun games to play now that we’re up to like…what, party pack 5? Maybe even more than that xD There’s at least five games per pack and each one has its own rules, gameplay, etc. What’s more, these games are done online via a party system so you can be streaming the gameplay and have your friends or your audience join via their smart phones. These games thrive on the outlandish so it’s just so much fun all-around. My personal faves to play are Fakin’ It, Fibbage, Quiplash, and more.

And with that, we conclude Day Thirty of my 30 Day Video Game Genre Favorites challenge! What’s your favorite party game? Let me know in the comments below or share your own video game challenge!

Thanks everyone for reading this month’s challenge! I typically like to do a special addition for each challenge for months that are more than 30 days but this time I’m actually going to do a post sharing the future challenges I have planned for the rest of the year. My challenge for September isn’t really going to follow a template like the other months have due to me not really liking the templates I’ve found (plus it’s a topic where I just want to share all the favorites I can and not limit it to a smaller spectrum of something much larger – if that makes sense). Anyway, you’ll see that post tomorrow and then Sept. 1 we’ll begin our next challenge! Thanks again and see you tomorrow 🙂

#30DayVideoGameChallenge #VideoGameGenres

30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge – Day Twenty-Nine

August 29, 2019August 26, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ Leave a comment

Day Twenty-Nine: Favorite Card/Board Game

Hmmm well this isn’t technically a video game (I debated doing Werewolf since there’s a VR version of it now but no xD) but let me talk to you about Coup.

This is such a fun game that you can play with as little as two-three players (and as many as six or more depending on how you want to play) and it’s also relatively short. You each get two cards face down that only you know what they are. The point of the game is to coup the other players while either telling the truth or lying to get you through the game. You need seven coins or more to coup another player so you collect coins during your turn as long as you don’t make a play against another player. In addition, you can call out other players if you think they are lying. If they were lying, they have to turn over one of their cards and it’s out of play. If they were telling the truth, then one of your cards is out of play. If both players’ cards goes out of play, they lose. It all about strategy and seeing what the other players are doing. It’s a lot of fun and I’m always up for a game if others want to play 😀

And with that, we conclude Day Twenty-Nine of my 30 Day Video Game Genre Favorites Challenge! What’s your favorite board or card game? Let me know in the comments below or share your own video game challenge. Thanks for reading 🙂

#30DayVideoGameChallenge #VideoGameGenres

30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge – Day Twenty-Eight

August 28, 2019August 26, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ Leave a comment

Day Twenty-Eight: Favorite Turn-Based Strategy Game (Non-4X)

Does worms count? I’m trying to think if it counts as Non-4X or not. I know it qualifies as an artillery game…

You know what, executive decision, we’re going to talk about Worms!

Oh boy, Worms is such a fun party game to play with friends. You get a team of worms on your side and a map is generated for you to battle in. Each team will then get to take turns combatting against each other with a variety of weapons. And believe me, they range in sensible to outlandish. There’s shotguns, bombs, turrets, and then even explosive sheep, UFOs, grandmas, and more. It’s fun to see how creative you can get with a kill, and even more fun to see how traps and everything can backfire on you. Lord knows I’ve ended up killing my characters just by accidently flipping onto a mine. It makes it for a wild ride!

And with that, we conclude Day Twenty-Eight of my 30 Day Video Game Genre Favorites Challenge! What’s your favorite non-4X turn based strategy game? Let me know in the comments below or share your own video game challenge! Thanks for reading 🙂

#VideoGameGenres #30DayVideoGameChallenge

30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge – Day Twenty-Seven

August 27, 2019August 23, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ Leave a comment

Day Twenty-Seven: Favorite Real-Time Strategy Game

Oh boy, another game genre that I don’t typically play. I think I’ll chat about a certain game that I don’t necessarily play but I do enjoy reading up on the lore and the characters involved in the storyline.

So League of Legends, or LoL as many know it on the internet, is a multiplayer online battle arena/real-time action strategy game developed by Riot Games. You are a summoner in this world and you control a champion with unique abilities that will join a team of other champions and face off against enemy champions. Your goal is to wipe out your enemies’ structures , their defenses as well as their Nexus which is the heart of their base. You start off weak but accumulate strength when you collect items and experience throughout your match.

What I enjoy about this game (because the gameplay is repetitive) is the stories and lore in the game and with each champion that announce to the world. I adore me some Jinx and some Rakan/Xayah. If anything, I recommend checking out the lore pages, stories, comics, etc. that come out with the game because the storylines are quite extensive and unique.

And with that, we conclude Day Twenty-Seven of my 30 Day Video Game Genre Favorites Challenge! What’s your favorite real-time strategy game? Let me know in the comments below or share your own video game challenge! Thanks for reading 🙂

#30DayVideoGameChallenge #VideoGameGenres

30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge – Day Twenty-Six

August 26, 2019August 23, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ 2 Comments

Day Twenty-Six: Favorite 4X Strategy Game

Again, this type of game isn’t really my cup of tea but of the ones I’ve played, I think I enjoyed Civilization the most.

civilization vi — Screenshot from the E3 2016 walkthrough for Civilization VI

This turn-based 4X video game created by Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley aims for you, the player, to build an empire that can stand the test of time. You expand and develop your own personal kingdom, you explore the worlds, you exploit others, and exterminate your enemies. Because the goal at the end of the game is to survive against all the rest of your opponents. What’s more, there’s a huge tie-in to history in these games, including using historical figures as your leaders for the civilizations you’re building. It’s all about strategy and how far you’re willing to go to survive.

And with that, we conclude Day Twenty-Six of my 30 Day Video Game Genre Favorites Challenge! What’s your favorite 4x Strategy Game? Let me know in the comments below or share your own video game challenge! Thanks for reading 🙂

#30DayVideoGameChallenge #VideoGameGenres

30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge – Day Twenty-Five

August 25, 2019August 23, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ Leave a comment

Day Twenty-Five: Favorite Metroidvania Game

I’ll be honest, I had to look up what this term meant before I could answer xD like I know what Metroid and Castlevania are, classics! But I wanted to make sure I understood what the term was because I never heard it before. SHOCKER! I know haha. I probably have at some point and just didn’t think anything of it but I’m now understanding what it means and am here xD

So metroidvania is a subgenre that are typically side-scrollers and you have a large map to explore but tend to have areas with limited access that require you to have certain items, achievements, etc. before you can continue through. Level design and gameplay is a huge factor to these sorts of games and I realize many of the side-scrollers I’ve mentioned in the past qualify in this section. But I wanted to talk about a game I haven’t yet that I really enjoyed and that’s Hollow Knight.

hollow knight — Cover Art for Hollow Knight

This 2D action-adventure game takes place in the world of Hallownest, an ancient kingdom being explored by an insect-like knight with no name or voice. He battles with a nail and engages in fights with hostile bugs and other sorts of creatures in this underground world. You have to beat certain bosses and challenges to progress forth in the game and if you lose at points you will have to recover what you lost. The lore of the game is told through NPCs, etc. You know, a typical action-adventure or RPG. ALl in all, this game is very charming and fun (and at times difficult). And what’s more, there’s multiple endings to the game that occur depending on the player’s actions. So how will your story end?

And with that, we conclude Day Twenty-Five of my 30 Day Video Game Genre Favorites Challenge! What’s your favorite Metroidvania game? Let me know in the comments below or share your own video game challenge! Thanks for reading 🙂

#30DayVideoGameChallenge #VideoGameGenres

30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge – Day Twenty-Four

August 24, 2019August 23, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ Leave a comment

Day Twenty-Four: Favorite Game with Design Tools

Hmm, design tools huh? Well, I do dabble in one particular “game” which let’s be real – it’s more like design software than a game itself but it is used to create games!

homepage-rpg-maker-vx-ace — Art for RPG Maker VX Ace

I love RPG Maker, even though I’ve only dabbled with it here or there and haven’t fully made something tangible with it. You can utilize this software to create full-scale role-playing games, including designed landscapes, character sprites, battle systems, and more. I’ve got a couple packs, and a couple versions of the game on my computer at home and I hope to someday really dive in and create some worlds to share with others. But until then, I’ll just toy with it from time to time for inspiration 🙂

And with that, we conclude Day Twenty-Four of my 30 Day Video Game Genre Favorites Challenge! What’s your favorite game with design tools attached? Let me know in the comments below or share your own video game challenge! Thanks for reading 🙂

#VideoGameGenres #30DayVideoGameChallenge

30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge – Day Twenty-Three

August 23, 2019August 21, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ Leave a comment

Day Twenty-Three: Favorite Sandbox Build/Survival Game

Hmmm, well I’m just going to answer with a game that’s not necessarily my favorite but it’s a favorite of my nephews and it’s something we play together regularly.

Minecraft is whatever you want it to be, in retrospect. It’s a sandbox/build game where you mine for resources and craft them into whatever you want them to be. You can craft tools, bricks, cake, etc. You can build houses, build a farm, build a village, etc. You could do literally whatever you wanted in the main game, and it continues to build with regular updates from the dev team. You can play alone or with others. Typically I wouldn’t play the game alone because I get bored too easily (if I’m building, I wanna do it with my hands, like with Legos) but with my nephews it’s a fun time for us to create things either in the same room or from far away.

What’s more, there’s add-ons or other game types out there you can play in the realm of Minecraft. Hungercraft is a popular game type where you’re basically in Hunger Games against other Minecraft characters. The goal is simple: outlast everyone else. There is also Sky Factory, Galactacraft, etc. and all with their own goals for the players to follow. There was even a Pokemon version of Minecraft (though I think Nintendo killed it – haven’t researched it in awhile).

Again, Minecraft is whatever you make it out to be. It’s meant for you to use it as a vessel for whatever adventures you want to create. You want to build a scale replica of Walt Disney World? You can do it in-game. What to hunt for treasure in ruins and in undersea caverns? You can do it! Want to kill wolves and sheeps and pigs? First of all, HOW DARE YOU?! And yes, it can be done in the game. You control your fate with Minecraft!

And with that, we conclude Day Twenty-Three of my 30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge! What’s your favorite sandbox/build/survival game? Let me know in the comments below or share your own video game challenge! Thanks for reading 🙂

#30DayVideoGameChallenge #VideoGameGenres

30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge – Day Twenty-Two

August 22, 2019August 21, 2019 ~ lostneverglow ~ Leave a comment

Day Twenty-Two: Favorite Game Marketed for Children

Ok, so I won’t necessarily say that this game was marketed for children per say…but the marketing for it in the states was A HUGE FAILURE and it’s one of my favorite games of all-time so I wanted a chance to really gush about it.

Winner – Earthbound

EarthBound_Box — Cover Art for Earthbound

Earthbound, also known as Mother 2 in Japan, is the second entry in the Mother series. Why isn’t it called Mother 2 in the states? Because until recent years graced us with the game, we didn’t get the first game and so they released Earthbound as a standalone. And guys, let’s talk about the marketing for this game because that’s the biggest shame of all (yes I know, there’s plenty of shameful marketing stories in video game history, E.T. being one of them, but this game is one of my favorites so it’s the one you’re learning about today xD suck it up buttercup!

When Earthbound was released in North America in 1995, Nintendo tried a very atypical marketing campaign as part of their “Play it Loud” campaign where they would use inside jokes from the game to help sell it. They would share that “This Game Stinks!” and feature foul-smelling scratch and sniff advertisements to help build interest for the game. They would also include the entire game guild with the box for the game so that people could learn how to play it since it was such a massive game for the SNES. This bizarre campaign did not really resonate with players. Not only did they not know what the game was about with the campaign but they also were basically being told the game would suck, even though it was really just a play on words. $2 million in marketing was spent on the game but only sold about 140,000 copies in the United States.

Despite everything, you can see that Earthbound (and the Mother series as a whole) has a cult following not just in America but around the world. With sites like Starmen.net and with influence to other games like Undertale, Costume Quest, and more, people love what Earthbound was and continues to be as it finds more gamers through the virtual console store and the SNES classic system. What’s more, you also have major Earthbound characters (and Mother series characters) in the Smash Bros. series so that’s helped build interest in those who had previously not even heard of the game before.

With all the love nowadays, we truly hope for possibly remasters of the games, maybe a new installment, OR AT THE VERY LEAST AN OFFICIAL MOTHER 3 RELEASE IN AMERICA! But only time will tell.

I’ll just say this now that even though the marketing failed as it did, this massive RPG is FANTASTIC! Yes, it has some bizarre attributes to it but a lot of the mechanics and story were ahead of their time. And the characters are wonderful! The game deserves so much more than to be referred to by the terrible marketing it was given.

And with that, we conclude Day Twenty-Two of my 30 Day Video Game Genre Favorite Challenge! What’s your favorite game marketed towards children? Let me know in the comments below or share your own video game challenge! Thanks for reading 🙂

#30DayVideoGameChallenge #VideoGameGenres

PS: Here’s some videos regarding Earthbound, discussing advertising and theories 🙂 as well as some fan creations inspired by the game! I’m not saying I agree with the theories but it’s fun to theorize what all is going on in these games and look for deeper meaning. Just some fun stuff!