The "Introduce yourself" thread

[JaySevenZero]

Welcome Magic,

"..people who don't play games"

Never met many myself but then again like racists, homophobes and Tory voters I tend to give them a wide berth anyway as we clearly have little to talk about.

[ratsoalbion]

Heh heh, welcome Magic!

[macstat]

Hello, my name is Maciek and im from Poland.

I started listening to you guys about two months ago, while i was looking for something to listen why im walking with my new doggie. I was in a shock when i found out that there are people who dont make content based on inside jokes and "comedy". I really like your indepth style, not forcing many topics but focusing on meaningful and though provoking discussion and most of all i like that every one of you try to think about adn discuss others opinions and not dismissing them just because they may not align with yours.

But enough about you ...
I was about 5ish when i played my first video game. It was green beret on ZX spectrum (at my fathers workplace). I was so amazed and scared at the same time my first playthrough was just standing in the beginning and stabing anything that charged at me.
For some time i didnt have my own gaming console or computer so most of my early gaming childhood was playing on my cousins C64 during winter and summer break, my neighbours amiga and of course still at my fathers worplace (mainly on pc). I cant remember when i actually got my first computer but i remember it was 386DX, with things 5,25 floppy disc drive. Ah memories ...
Most notable games i remember from that times are (in no particular order) Golden Axe, Another World and its succesor Flashback, Prince of Persia, Civilization, Settlers (on split screen with two mouses i might add;) ), Heroes of Might and Magic, Police and Space Quest, Mortal Kombat, Dune I and II, X-Wing vs TIE fighter and more.
Big switch in my gaming priorities happened in late 90s when games like Fallout, Baldurs Gate and my all-time favourite Planescape:Torment came out. From that time my favourite genre is RPG.

As you probably noticed i didnt have a console in my early days so i havent really played main nostalgia triggers like Zelda for example. That's actually another thing i like about C&R. It lets me experience games i didnt play (and probably wont play cause im scared *cough silent hill *cough).

Now being in my early 30s, I work as a data scientist (mainly in clinical trials) and i still love spending time on games (my PC). I still play story rich RPG's but im also very fond of open world games (between that and being a Pole guess what i thought about Witcher ).

Ok i rambled far to long ... lurker mode engage <burrow>

[JaySevenZero]

Hey Maciek, a warm welcome to our forum!

Always nice to see that our listenership is expanding to other parts of Europe too

[Crowcifer]

Hello!

I never really know what to write in these 'introduce yourself' threads. It's all too easy to come off as a self-reverential waffler! Anyway, here we go. I'm an Irish man and have been living in South Korea for past five years or so. I was introduced to video-gaming when I was a young pup via Mario and my older brother on the NES. After almost making myself blind with Pro Evolution Soccer on my flat-mate's Xbox I didn't bother with games for a few years and even ended up selling my PS2 and games to help make ends meet when the IMF and recession started making a mess of Dublin's fair city.

A few years ago, on a flight to Japan, I found a crappy port of Street Fighter 2 as part of the in-flight entertainment and that gave me the urge to get back into consoles and square eyes. I bought a PS3 in mid-2013 and started to really get back into it.

I discovered Cane and Rinse via a google search that linked to a 'Vice' listicle about gaming Podcasts. I enjoyed the hell out of the episodes on The Last of Us, Tomb Raider, and The Walking Dead Telltale games.

Almost there! The forum seems like a great place and free from the frankly inexplicable 'macho man' gamer nonsense that I expected to find! So here I am. I'm looking forward to making acquaintances and getting to discuss our mutual hobby. Cheers!

Edit: I love that automatically supplied avatar. I reckon I'll keep it for a while.

[Craig]

Hello!

I never really know what to write in these 'introduce yourself' threads. It's all too easy to come off as a self-reverential waffler! Anyway, here we go. I'm an Irish man and have been living in South Korea for past five years or so.

.

If you want to pop down to Japan and want a tour guide I'm in Fukuoka - we're close to Seoul than Tokyo and you can get the ferry from Bussan!


I've only just noticed this thread after posting for a few months!

Got into the podcast a few months ago starting with games I loved, moving onto games I played but wasn't crazy about and then looking at the list of podcasts when thinking of new things to play! My wife over heard me listening the other day as I was making dinner;

"They're talking about Videogames on the radio! I thought it was the news!"

I like the podcast's relaxed tone and the way it focuses on the positives of games. Everyone tries to look at what the game was trying to do, rather than what it didn't do. Too much of the Internet is wildly declaring flawed pieces of entertainment as trash and I've got to the point where life's too short to be listening to someone spend an hour tell me why a game is terrible.

As for myself? I'm from England but living in Japan for the last 3 years and the foreseeable future. My written and reading Japanese is terrible but I can follow conversations and muddle together sentences enough to be understood. Right now I really want to start trying to play more Japanese games in Japanese, mostly because i think it's neat rather than any practical reason. I'm not big into JRPGs and most of the stuff I enjoy has had a timely translation.

I'm a big Nintendo nerd, though due to financial reasons haven't jumped on the Wii U ship despite really wanting to. Right now I've access to the Wii, 3DS and PSP.

[ratsoalbion]

Welcome folks, always nice to get a little background behind the names on the forum.

[Addman]

Hello everyone! This seems like the best place to introduce myself and pop my posting cherry.

I only started listening to you guys a couple of months ago, but I have quickly become a regular listener. I initially started out by listening to your Silent Hill podcasts (great work by the way) and have since found myself delving into your extensive back catalogue. Your insightful and positive commentary has been a great accompaniment to my commute.

To give you all a little information about me, I'm 29, I live in the soggiest part of the UK, and I've played video games for as long as I can remember. All time favourites include Bioshock, the Metal Gear Solid series, the first three Sonic games (and Knuckles), Tekken, and Silent Hill 2. I'm looking forward to having good read through the discussion topics on this forum.

You may now start whatever hazing rituals you usually undertake.

[JaySevenZero]

To give you all a little information about me, I'm 29, I live in the soggiest part of the UK

That'll be Lincoln* then, yeah?

*I state this since moving here from Brighton several months ago - I swear it has barely stopped with the bloody rain, during the Winter months at least!

[ratsoalbion]

If by "hazing rituals" you mean a warm welcome, then here you go!

[jnSLMN]

Hello all!

My name is Jon and I'm from Seattle. I started listening several months ago when a few fans of the Zero Escape series on another forum I go to recommended we give a listen to the episode on 999, and listening to it really brought me back to the experiences I had when I played that game. I checked in periodically after that and would give a listen when I would see a game that piqued my interest, even if I hadn't played it. I stocked my phone full of episodes for a long overseas flight to and from Australia when I had a work assignment there for a month, and the episodes definitely kept me occupied and entertained both on the flights and while I was there.

Most recently I saw that you'd be covering Phoenix Wright and I'm a huge fan of the series and I thought this might be the moment I try to chime in. I'm a Nintendo guy at heart. I grew up playing video games- my dad showed me how to play on his Atari and NES and my mom has stuck fast to the claim that I learned how to read by reading with her (and then on my own) the Super Mario Bros 3. and Mario Mania / Super Mario World Nintendo Players Guides. And now at almost 28, most recently I've been taken in by Super Mario Maker and Xenoblade Chronicles X, though I also do have a group I play Smash 4 with on a semi-regular basis.

Thanks for always providing a good listen and keep on doing the great work you're all doing. It's always great to find a new community of gamers.

[ratsoalbion]

Welcome along!

[skidoosh]

Howdy everyone!

I'm Glyn, been a long-ish time listener. Started about 3-4 months before the release of Dark Souls 2 and just carried on. I've been a gamer and technologist since I was about 4 when my dad got me a BBC Micro (my fathers subliminal future career messaging system) and my uncle used to give me his spectrum, atari, amiga hand downs until I was old enough to start asking for my own. Well 30 years on and I'm still a massive enthusiast.

Really looking forward to the rest of the Zelda series now. I've been a massive fan since A Link to The Past and I'm really looking forward to when you get to Ocarina of Time as that was the last game I played before I joined the army so I've got a pretty special affinity with that game I just don't have with others.

Well, that's me! I've added my gamer tags over at http://caneandrinse.com/forum/viewtopic ... 434#p37434 for anyone looking to do multiplayer stuff!

[ratsoalbion]

Hi Glyn, thanks for the intro. Welcome to the CaR forums.

[JaySevenZero]

A big hello to all the new folks around these parts and thanks for signing up to our friendly community!

[AndrewBrown]

Been putting off writing this for a few months now. Really should have gotten to it sooner.

So my name is Andrew. I came late to podcasts because I honestly thought they were a thing that was briefly popular in 2005 but died off quickly. I've been listening to Cane & Rinse since Volume IV, drawn to its focus on qualitative discussion rather than a bunch of buddies getting together to crack wise and maybe squeeze some games discussion in now and then, as typified many of the other videogame podcasts I listened to. I didn't start getting involved in the community until I learned the podcast would be covering the Zelda series over the course of V5 and V6. I am, as you may gather, a bit of a fan.

I suppose I should both clarify and apologize in advance that my approach to videogames may be a bit more academic than most. Throughout my 20s I played a lot of videogames, but began to drift away from them as I focused more and more on my education. On a whim, I took a summer course at my university, an inaugural course they were test driving called "Video Game Studies." I needed an elective credit and figured it would be an easy A. That class completely changed the trajectory of my final year in college, and I ultimately ended up writing my undergraduate thesis on the construction of the player character in BioShock. I now play videogames as much as before, if not more, but now with more of a mind towards analysis as cultural artifacts and texts instead of simple entertainment.

Now out of school, I'm trying to keep up with my studies in a disinterested job market. I have a website where I post my writing when I have a chance (not nearly as often as I would like), and at the end of March I will be presenting my thesis to the American Culture Association/Popular Culture Association conference in Seattle. I'm just trying to get by for now, but long term I would like to pursue a Master's Degree at a Canadian university, keeping my focus on the study of videogames as texts.

I hope this gives a better idea about where I'm coming from when I talk about videogames. I'm not trying to be pretentious for its own sake; I just think these are terribly important parts of our culture and they're not given the critical eye that they should. I've been drawn to Cane & Rinse over the past year because I see it as one of the few places doing that important work in an accessible way.

Can't wait to see what lies ahead.

[James]

Hi Andrew!

Thanks for introducing yourself. It sounds like you've had a fascinating developing relationship with games. Funnily enough, we (as a site/podcast) have been accused of being pretentious when it comes to our discussions on video games - personally, I see that as something of a triumph. Suffice it to say that you'll fit in well here!

[Hannsford]

Hi guys,

Hanns here, from Germany. I've been binge-listening to the podcast since I discovered it a few weeks ago. I think I came here through the Dark Souls-themed Twin Humanities podcast (after CJ appeared on the show). I remember listening to your Banjo Kazooie episode long ago, though.

I'm hope this doesn't sound weird but I love your awesome accents! The chemistry between you guys and the constant level of quality talk isn't so common in gaming podcasts, I think. Your Fair conversations respect me and my tastes – even when your opinions differ from mine now and then! Looking forward to be a part of your little community . I really Can't wait for your Conker, Bloodborne and Amnesia episodes...I will have to ...

...Just some bits about me:
- huge N64 era Rare fan, proudly wearing that nostalgia jacket!
- music I love: David Bowie, Stoner/Metal, Zappa, King Crimson, VG Soundtracks (mostly 16bit and midi-era)
- PC gaming only at the moment...Steam makes some things possible, though. I need to get my older consoles up and running
- I have a daughter and hope to introduce her to games in a healthy way...Still not sure how but time will tell.

Favourite games of all time:
-Metroid Prime
-Conker's Bad Fur Day
-Dark Souls
-Zelda Majora's Mask

Favourite Mario Kart:
MK: Double Dash (Gamecube)...Yes that one!

[ratsoalbion]

Welcome Hannsford, thanks for signing up and joining in.

[Crowcifer]

If you want to pop down to Japan and want a tour guide I'm in Fukuoka - we're close to Seoul than Tokyo and you can get the ferry from Bussan!

Ha! Sorry for the late reply, Craig, but believe it or not, I took that very ferry shortly after you made your reply. I was utterly charmed by Fukuoka and will certainly be going back some time. I was only day for a weekend, and as such didn't have much time for gaming-related investigation. Anywhere you'd recommend?