It's pretty crazy that you've been on this site over 5 years longer then I've been alive. In any case, how has PC's culture changed over time? Would you say the site has had different, distinct "eras" like YouTube; or has it pretty been the same all the way through?
There are definitely distinct eras, although I think I'm so far removed from a lot of them that it would be hard to classify individually. And most of them would come from the lens of staff drama anyway. But on the whole, the site and its users have definitely changed over the years. Back in the mid-00s especially, PC had a similar culture to most forums out there in that the rules, and by extension the staff, were quite strict. So you'd have people warned and banned for things that ultimately didn't really matter, but the bureaucracy felt so important at the time lmao. The activity of the site kind of necessitated more rules and more staff, though. There are also lots of things that would fly back then (casual homophobia lol) that we'd never allow now. The internet and by extension PC was just a totally different place in some regards.
In video games as a storytelling medium, what separates a 'good' story from a 'great' story?
omg hard question @_@
I think this is pretty subjective, but I feel like for me, a good story is just a good story, but for games especially, I think a great story is one that is not only good, but actually integrates elements of the game itself. My favourite game stories are the kind of things that simply could not be done in another medium because they integrate player agency, gameplay mechanics, and other game-only things so well. You hear a lot about ludo-narrative dissonance and I guess that's the other side of the coin from what I mean, where a lot of games try really hard to tell a cinematic story but because they're rooted in the gaming medium, there's a dissonance because the gameplay pushes you to do things that are at odds with the story they want to tell. A story that doesn't make you think about that is fine, but a story that makes you think about it in a positive way? I love it!
It's hard to give examples of stuff like this without dropping spoilers for games, because a lot of games that I like really push these themes and the gameplay-story immersion closer to the end/climax for maximum . A lot of horror games get given as examples of good ludonarrative consistency for the obvious reasons of the gameplay matching the story in a scary, anxious sense, but it happens with other genres too. I just love when a story feels extra clever because it really makes good use of every aspect of the game available to tell it.
I am going to take this opportunity to do my favourite thing and plug The Outer Wilds, the best game I've ever played and with a story that could literally not be told any other way than as a game. The story, the gameplay, everything is just so carefully weaved together into as perfect a game as I think I will ever play. (But go in blind!!!)
how does it feel being so ancient that your PC account is now of legal US drinking age and your user ID number being only 3 or 4 digits long while user ID numbers passed the 1 million mark some time ago
Is there anything you're looking forward to in 2024?
Excuse you, my userid is only 2 digits long (it's 31).
If I say I'm looking forward to starting a new job in 2024 will that manifest a job for me? Let's say that and find out. But otherwise I don't have any particular plans which feels lame to say lmao. :'(
Anyone you met through PC that you've lost contact with and miss talking to?
I think most people I could get in contact with if I wanted to... I still have people on some form of social media or chat app. I think the only person I've really lost contact with is Abby but the one time we met irl kinda felt like a farewell before she deactivated accounts and moved on from internet life so it's not too big a deal.
Right now we have these Korean yuzu cheesecake cookies in the house and they're to die for.
How do you spend your free time between playing videogames, watching anime/movies/TV, reading books, doing sports or physical activity in general, and everything else? How much would you say this has changed over your time on PC?
How much do you like Cherubi?
Hmm, I'd say my free time is largely spent on video games, but that's fluctuated over the years as my hobbies shift. I tend to go in cycles of games -> anime/manga -> books -> games and so on, in no particular order. But I will say since discovering PC, the time I spent on all of the above took a back seat to ~internet~ as a primary hobby (although it feels less like a hobby now that the internet is all about social media and more like an awkard addiction to feed). But if your question meant if I have interests beyond anything in the list, I'd add drawing/art to it! I get bitten by that bug once every so often. Right now I'm kinda into crocheting... I learnt how to make plushies recently, though I can't do much beyond following a pre-made pattern. :'D
I love Cherubi! I was kind of indifferent to it when Cherrim became my fave but it's grown on me simply by association. I kinda like its pink more than Cherrim's because I like bright pinks the best. I'm not really a fan of cherries at all so Cherubi took a while to get up there in faves. I will say even though I love cherry blossom aesthetic stuff for its association to Cherrim, cherries themselves never grew on me over their association with Cherubi lol.
