Ok, I'll bite. I've been a fan of the single player games since III.
As someone who learned programming and 3D graphics modding games, the series has always been special to me, and pretty directly lead to my career.
What makes these games special is that Rockstar develops their own in house game engine, and has the money and staff to take the time and do it right.
From what I've read and watched about this new engine, they are doing things so far beyond what any other company has invested in, that GTA VI is going to redefine what gaming can be.
While everyone else is on the Unity and Unreal band wagon, pumping out clones of systems everyone else is making, Rockstar is creating new low level technology to build a truly reactive, immersive environment.
Will they create a GTA Online that just milks money out of micro transactions? Sure, they will, be stupid not to.
But, I am honestly excited to see what kind of single player simulation of a living city they are able to produce with 13 years of development.
Did I buy the $100 premium version? No, I will never preorder a game again after Cyberpunk, but if the reviews are good I'll drop $100 dollars on a game that I'll easily play for 500 hours
Don't know the details, but a baseball player was giving an interview, and at the last moment basically blind caught a ball about to wreck the interviewer.
Felix Baumgartner's freefall from the edge of space.
Edit: you asked for stories, read it as videos for some reason
Not sure how well Moore's law is holding up these days, but considering a typical PC is streaming hi res video these days opening a 500 page text file should happen so fast you don't even notice it.
Modern Windows and many of the core software are pathetically unoptimized, wasting time and resources because as others have pointed out, "fuck you" seems to be the mantra now days.
I dig through a ton of reference material every day for work, and should be able to open a file, control-f to the relevant information, and close it again as fast as my fingers can type.
I have the world's most expensive PlayStation controller. For the past five years I've pretty much only played Rocksmith 2014, and have a few hundred songs downloaded. I'm about to hit 1000 hours played.
On my fourth bass, a brand new Ibenez fretless, and finally have a setup without all the buzzing and crap of a cheap bass.
I like blues, classic rock, but my brain just seems hardwired for 90s grunge as that was my youth.
Greenday, Offspring, Primus (on easy) are my go to. Really enjoy Me and Bobby Mcgee by Joplin and Moonage daydream by Bowie when I've been drinking.
Been thinking about taking lessons at a local store, I really want to learn to read tabs and get things setup to play along with YouTube.
I'd love to be able to play some Pink Floyd, Phish, and Grateful Dead. Other than three Dead songs there's none of that available.
My free time is divided between audio books, video games, some TV, mostly YouTube, and learning bass guitar.
I try to skateboard once or twice a week in the summer, and snowboard at least twice a month in the winter.
I have a few motorcycles but those are more cheap transportation these days than a hobby.
The skating, snowboarding, and motorcycles are my "Screaming at the gods". Dangerous activities that require total focus so everything else in life can be forgotten for a while.
Books and the bass are to keep my mind active and learn new things.
While I'm all for physical media, I get why things are going this way.
I have a large library of PS3 games I can just fire up and enjoy, offline.
With the PS4 and PS5, I can't think of a single game that works from the purchased disc. Everything requires huge download patches, to the point the disc is nothing more than a license to the game.
I think the bigger issue is game longevity and ownership.
If I buy a game, I expect to be able to play it, today, next year, ten years from now.
I have N64 games I still play on an original system from the 90s, they are mine.
Games, especially single player games, that require online connections to servers that can be taken away at any time is absolute bullshit.
I've spent a crazy amount of money on Rocksmith 2014 over the years, and when they pull the servers I'll lose access to hundreds of DLC songs.
I think that any game you buy, physical or download, should be yours, and if they need server access to run, the company should be required to provide the server source code, or a free patch, that allows you to continue to play the game, when they take the servers offline.
I love my career, which took a very long time to develop.
Over the years I've had plenty of jobs I didn't like, some I'd even say I hated.
Some helped develop my career, others were just solely for the paycheck, though I'd like to think I learned something at each.
Been at my current company for about six years, and I have to say, I love it.
It's a company I respect, making products I believe in, and my role gives me the freedom to do projects the way I want, with the technology I want.
I like the people I work with, and I can honestly say I've not once woken up with that dread of '"Crap, I have to go to work".
The company, my chain of command, and the people who use my systems, all appreciate the work I do.
Now, would I do it for free? Hell no, those are hobbies.
My only real answer as to why you should like your job, I know love is a stretch for most people, is that a job you enjoy doesn't leave you as stressed and burned out as one you don't.
I could talk for hours on how skateboarding has impacted my life, but Rodney Mullen already did the perfect TED talk on that, and how do you improve on the master?
Seriously, even if you aren't into skateboarding, watch that one.
I guess two topics I could easily spend a half hour off the cuff on could be "Video conference systems design and best practices for Zoom and Teams call", or "How to survive a permadeath vegetarian run in Subnatica".
Then let the audience decide which they'd rather be bored to sleep listening to.
Ok, I'll bite. I've been a fan of the single player games since III.
As someone who learned programming and 3D graphics modding games, the series has always been special to me, and pretty directly lead to my career.
What makes these games special is that Rockstar develops their own in house game engine, and has the money and staff to take the time and do it right.
From what I've read and watched about this new engine, they are doing things so far beyond what any other company has invested in, that GTA VI is going to redefine what gaming can be.
While everyone else is on the Unity and Unreal band wagon, pumping out clones of systems everyone else is making, Rockstar is creating new low level technology to build a truly reactive, immersive environment.
Will they create a GTA Online that just milks money out of micro transactions? Sure, they will, be stupid not to.
But, I am honestly excited to see what kind of single player simulation of a living city they are able to produce with 13 years of development.
Did I buy the $100 premium version? No, I will never preorder a game again after Cyberpunk, but if the reviews are good I'll drop $100 dollars on a game that I'll easily play for 500 hours
He's either doing things really right, or really wrong.
Just to be safe I'll keep wiping
The only new EA product I have any interest in is Mass Effect 5.
They fuck that up, and I just won't give them any more of my money.
I have quite the skill tree that I'm too old and broken to make use of.
Reborn with my knowledge of skateboarding? Yes please.
Don't know the details, but a baseball player was giving an interview, and at the last moment basically blind caught a ball about to wreck the interviewer.
Felix Baumgartner's freefall from the edge of space.
Edit: you asked for stories, read it as videos for some reason
Not sure how well Moore's law is holding up these days, but considering a typical PC is streaming hi res video these days opening a 500 page text file should happen so fast you don't even notice it.
Modern Windows and many of the core software are pathetically unoptimized, wasting time and resources because as others have pointed out, "fuck you" seems to be the mantra now days.
I dig through a ton of reference material every day for work, and should be able to open a file, control-f to the relevant information, and close it again as fast as my fingers can type.
I had gotten Subnautica free with PlayStation network, so was quite happy to pay for Below Zero when it came out.
Played it until I was forced back on land, and gave up.
Recently I went back to give it another try, and played it permadeath.
There were a handful of moments that reminded me of why I love the original, but not many.
Like you said, way too many tight winding maze areas that all felt very the same. It traded wide open depths for claustrophobia.
I really am looking forward to 2, I don't have a PC so will have to wait. Trying real hard to avoid spoilers.
I don't believe for one minute that this war will end while Trump is in office. He just cannot restrain himself from fucking things up.
This is so me, find the right gear and feather the clutch, never touch the brakes.
When it's 30F and sunny I'm on my snowboard in a t shirt. Course, I'm in Chicago, 30C feels like a nice cool day to do shit outside in summer.
Spending time being out of reach. The power button is by far my favorite on my phone.
I have done this, not sure if it's much of a flex.
I have the world's most expensive PlayStation controller. For the past five years I've pretty much only played Rocksmith 2014, and have a few hundred songs downloaded. I'm about to hit 1000 hours played.
On my fourth bass, a brand new Ibenez fretless, and finally have a setup without all the buzzing and crap of a cheap bass.
I like blues, classic rock, but my brain just seems hardwired for 90s grunge as that was my youth.
Greenday, Offspring, Primus (on easy) are my go to. Really enjoy Me and Bobby Mcgee by Joplin and Moonage daydream by Bowie when I've been drinking.
Been thinking about taking lessons at a local store, I really want to learn to read tabs and get things setup to play along with YouTube.
I'd love to be able to play some Pink Floyd, Phish, and Grateful Dead. Other than three Dead songs there's none of that available.
I live in an apartment so it's all headphones.
My free time is divided between audio books, video games, some TV, mostly YouTube, and learning bass guitar.
I try to skateboard once or twice a week in the summer, and snowboard at least twice a month in the winter.
I have a few motorcycles but those are more cheap transportation these days than a hobby.
The skating, snowboarding, and motorcycles are my "Screaming at the gods". Dangerous activities that require total focus so everything else in life can be forgotten for a while.
Books and the bass are to keep my mind active and learn new things.
I can't remember tears of joy, I think I'm just too jaded.
The last thing that brought me happiness was getting to ride a skateboard pump track for the first time this weekend.
Been wanting to try it for years, but there just weren't any in my area.
Scary and challenging at the limits of my skill, which is just what I had hoped for.
Been a lot of tragedy in my life recently, I'll take what I can get.
While I'm all for physical media, I get why things are going this way.
I have a large library of PS3 games I can just fire up and enjoy, offline.
With the PS4 and PS5, I can't think of a single game that works from the purchased disc. Everything requires huge download patches, to the point the disc is nothing more than a license to the game.
I think the bigger issue is game longevity and ownership.
If I buy a game, I expect to be able to play it, today, next year, ten years from now.
I have N64 games I still play on an original system from the 90s, they are mine.
Games, especially single player games, that require online connections to servers that can be taken away at any time is absolute bullshit.
I've spent a crazy amount of money on Rocksmith 2014 over the years, and when they pull the servers I'll lose access to hundreds of DLC songs.
I think that any game you buy, physical or download, should be yours, and if they need server access to run, the company should be required to provide the server source code, or a free patch, that allows you to continue to play the game, when they take the servers offline.
I love my career, which took a very long time to develop.
Over the years I've had plenty of jobs I didn't like, some I'd even say I hated.
Some helped develop my career, others were just solely for the paycheck, though I'd like to think I learned something at each.
Been at my current company for about six years, and I have to say, I love it.
It's a company I respect, making products I believe in, and my role gives me the freedom to do projects the way I want, with the technology I want.
I like the people I work with, and I can honestly say I've not once woken up with that dread of '"Crap, I have to go to work".
The company, my chain of command, and the people who use my systems, all appreciate the work I do.
Now, would I do it for free? Hell no, those are hobbies.
My only real answer as to why you should like your job, I know love is a stretch for most people, is that a job you enjoy doesn't leave you as stressed and burned out as one you don't.
I agree, all my real success has been with technical recruiters.
Temp to perm positions where the head hunter takes a fee until you are either hired on or move to another contract
But it is in and of itself a piece of history.
Changing a story that is thousands of years old is wrong.
Go ahead and make the movie, but be faithful to the original work.
I could talk for hours on how skateboarding has impacted my life, but Rodney Mullen already did the perfect TED talk on that, and how do you improve on the master?
Seriously, even if you aren't into skateboarding, watch that one.
I guess two topics I could easily spend a half hour off the cuff on could be "Video conference systems design and best practices for Zoom and Teams call", or "How to survive a permadeath vegetarian run in Subnatica".
Then let the audience decide which they'd rather be bored to sleep listening to.