Introduction

One of my hobbies is PC gaming, a relatively inexpensive hobby for me given that I get a lot of value out of the games that I buy. I favor games that tell a riveting story, or better -- allow me to tell interesting stories.  These games tend to allow the player to fool around quite a bit, and are called "sandbox"-style for that reason. I've decided to start sharing the more enjoyable parts of my gaming experience online. This blog is mostly for my own amusement, but hopefully other people will find it enjoyable.

The games that will probably feature most here are:

• The Sims 2, a "life simulator" dubbed as a software toy by its creator, Will Wright. The Sims allows players to create people and create buildings for them to live and shop in. It's very detailed, and very fun: I've been playing games in the series since The Sims debued in 2001. I'll probably get The Sims 3 at some point, but not for a while yet. I may tell stories or simply share screenshots of homes I've proud of.
• GTA Vice City is one of those few games where when I say I love it, I don't just mean I enjoy it. I truly love this game: my life is made better by its existence. You may be familar with the Grand Theft Auto series reputation already, but pay that no mind. What I love about this game is not the fighting, the car chases, or the story, but the setting. Vice City is the sequel of Grand Theft Auto 3, a revolutionary game for its time that is set in dreary Liberty City, Rockstar Games' interpretation of New York.  Vice City is far from dreary: set in the 1980s, it places the player in city defined by its white sandy beaches, its glorious sunny days, its insanely fun taste in music, clothes, and cars, and -- just a touch of jadedness and consumer culture. The hours I've spent playing this game -- driving around the city on bikes while listening to the game's 100 eighties hits or my own sutff -- are incalcuable.  I've never played a game with more atmosphere, except perhaps Mafia.  (Mafia may make this list once I find all of the install cd.)
• Vice City was followed up by GTA San Andreas, a massive undertaking that I just started experiencing this fall.  San Andreas's story -- and it does have one, unlike its predecessors -- unfolds in three cities (Los Angeles/Santos, San Francisco/Fierro, and Las Vegas/Venturas.) and a vast countryside. San Andreas doesn't have the atmosphere of Vice City, but holy wow does it have a lot for the player to do. The storyline missions are just a start: besides this there are gang wars to participate in, races to win, oceans that need swimming, and planes that need flying. San Andreas tends to monopolize my time, given that I'm just really getting into it. 
• The Civilization series are turn-based strategy games that allow the player to rule over a nation of people from its beginnings as a tribe of nomads til the modern era. There are multiple victory options, both peaceful and non. Civilization 3 is one of my favorite games, but I'm still getting used to its sequel, Civilization IV.

There are other games, but these are the ones that take up most of my time, and what you will probably be seeing most of.  Content on this blog will be varied: one day I may share a housing design, the next I may post a video of a particularly spectacular stunt in Vice City. You can expect screenshots, guides, content-based musings, and stories just for starters.