As a gamer, gaming is a huge part of my life, as I expect it is for any gamer to be honest. So how else does it get into our daily lives? And I don’t just mean constantly chatting about and playing games, I mean how gaming changes the way you go about your day…

This idea came to me a while ago when I was obsessing over the history of Tomb Raider with my friend Caz; I know an unhealthy amount about it purely because it is one of my favourite gaming series. We saw a group of guys in hoodies and masks (or bandanas) walking past looking moody and it instantly starting me reminiscing about Tomb Raider 3. Specifically the London levels where you meet The Damned, guys who got stuffed up after being experimented on and now they all walk around dressed in a similar way because, well, they just aren’t pretty to look at anymore.

Anyways all this got me thinking about how much of our lives, as gamers, is shaped by the games we play.

When we were small children, we would make games out of everything, where I work now, they even make a game out of trying to drive me mad, but seriously, any and all types of games are fun… right?

From what I can tell, the type of games we are into shape the ‘other’ games we play as adults.
For my boyfriend, he is very into skill based games, FPS, RTS and so he goes and does things in a way which seems the most tactical, and tactics are a big thing for him.

Yesterday at work, I noticed I am a stats follower. I keep refreshing sales figures (yes I know, sad) but I like to achieve things, set more goals and then break them. I think this is influenced by my love of earning rewards for being brilliant.

These other games make the days more bearable, time passes that little bit quicker and act as nice diversions until you can get down to the real thing.

I mean, it would be amazing to be allowed your PSP or DS at work, but I think these other games we make for ourselves allow gamers to have the ability to be insanely creative in the dullest of times, and well, we just make the world nicer for everyone, really*.

*Well apart from when we beat them.. obviously.

I don’t know if I’m the only one that thinks this way but hell, I’m saying it anyway. Imagine a virtual world in an online game lobby with say, six of your pals. Nothing exciting or interesting about that though is there, well how about we say that three of these friends are playing on their Xbox 360 and the other three, on their Playstation 3. Somehow Sony and Microsoft came to an agreement that owners of either console could connect online with one another and game as if they were gaming with fellow owners of their particular console.

Unfortunately that was quite clearly, a fantasy world. When anyone I know is looking to buy a console, they like to know people that are already using it so they can be sure that they’ll have someone to game with and such. It actually tips the scales a good bit and is usually one of the main deciding factors in the purchase of one of the next-gen consoles for a gamer that takes it more seriously. I would personally say I know a lot more people at school that own a 360 rather than a PS3 - so that has already turned a few opinions on which new console they’ll be buying. I’m not in any way saying this is the only reason though, loads of other things contribute to the buying of a certain console, especially the exclusive games.

Yet with the likes of COD4 in my Xbox 360 disk-drive, I’ll be on the phone to my friend who is also on COD4. One problem though, they’re on a PS3 and don’t own a 360. So unless we go over to one another’s house and play a little split-screen, we can’t game against one another. Also with me not being such a big fan of split-screen, that’s not usually my favourite option. But anyway the whole point is, if PSN and Xbox Live conjoined into one massive game networking system, the possibilities would be endless! Clan matches could take place between both 360 clans and PS3 clans for example. Console-exclusive games clearly wouldn’t be playable by both but on games such as COD4 the idea would work well. But then we have loads of problems with this whole idea. Firstly and most recognizably being the fact that the chances of Microsoft and Sony agreeing to such a thing would be extremely unlikely and also the price differences of playing online. They’d probably have to just go free for both consoles or put a price on PSN.

It’s been a week since I was at the Leeds music festival and a few things I encountered there left a lasting impression on me. First of all, I am still absolutely knackered and worryingly, I didn’t have this problem last time I was there five years ago (note to self: I’m NOT getting old!). Second, I’m almost finished washing all my manky clothes. That it’s taken this long is absolutely ridiculous. Lastly, I was surprised at how much of a presence gaming had at this year’s event compared to when I was last there in 2003.

Rockstar was everywhere. You couldn’t avoid walls of posters for Grand Theft Auto IV, some five months after it was initially released. They were all there: Niko, Packie, Roman and my personal favourite Brucie (“YEAH BABY YEAH!”) gurning at us from posters as far as the eye could see. Even in-between bands we were treated to the game’s trailer that wowed us all the way back in April.

Rockstar’s next heavyweight release, Midnight Club: Los Angeles was similarly plastered all over the makeshift walls and cordons of the campsite and I fell for it, I thought ‘wow, that looks like it might be cool’. God forbid I could have one weekend where games aren’t staring me right in the face and my Blackberry isn’t ringing off the hook with emails and texts (probably about gaming) but no, this is the life I’ve chosen, I just have to deal with it…

Anyway…Slotted neatly between the Duracell and Relentless energy drink tents were two awesome installations for Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and Rock Band. They were both a bit quiet on the first day but by Saturday afternoon they were teeming as revellers of all ages scrambled to get the next shot. The interest generated at these showings will be well worth the cost of hiring space at the festival alone.

Those clever buggers in the marketing teams of Sony and EA made good on this decision and it got me thinking about how gaming has become parts of other ways of life. Train stations in Japan, for example, have download points where travellers can get the newest demos and expansion packsfor their Nintendo DS. It also reminded me of more social gaming  in the UK (no, not the Nintendo Wii…long before that kids) and a lecture I attended at this year’s Edinburgh Interactive Festival, focused on the revival of the arcades.

Again in Japan, it’s common for crowds to gather round and watch while a patron performs insanely well at Streetfighter IV or old classics such as 1942 and Pac-Man. I’m a big fan of arcades and believe that there is still plenty of scope for bringing them back in the UK big time and if the frenzy to play Rock Band at Leeds isn’t proof that this kind of gaming has some life left in it, I don’t know what is. I think companies just need to find new ways of making the arcades interesting again now that gaming isn’t linked to the tired ‘geeky’ stereotype. From what I saw at EIF, this could happen…but that’s a story for another post…

Three cheers for sweaty joysticks, the deafening roar of digital sound effects and a pocket full of 10ps.

(Oh and what do you guys think about arcades? Is there life for them yet?)