Streamworld

No, it's not a new place to visit.  Recently (thanks to Mr B) I have been watching quite a lot of streams. 

Our platform of choice is Twitch, and there are lots of options there.  Like I said, lots of gamers for all types of games - some awesome ones and some not-so-awesome too.  There are some massive streamers out there who EVERYONE has heard of (the likes of Shroud and Ninja) but its fun to watch the smaller guys, who are working themselves to the bone to build up a fan base and entertain people. some of my top picks - in no particular order - would probably be these...

Jimb0 - plays various games and has some brilliant effects that chat can play with

Rovefogle - PUBG gamer who really should be better known than he is 

 ^^^^  this dude is an awesome shot!

RTGameCrowd - Insane guy who loves making his Sims miserable.  Simply hilarious!

Mostly people play games n stream, but there are some other channels too - its a little amazing what people put out there.
There's a whole selection of IRL streams - mostly people chatting/opening new stuff/chilling in front of a webcam...

IRL stream selection 

These guys are streaming breakfast. Yes, breakfast.

 and of course...there's a Bob Ross channel

Bob Ross - the legend!

What you can't really see in the photo above is just how many people were watching when I took that shot......

7pm on a Sunday and 1,725 people are watching a Bob Ross Marathon.  That number in grey is total views.

So next time you're bored of watching the same old TV, or you're looking for some inspiration why not go and have a peek at the wonderful streaming world you probably didn't realise was there.

Barbies newest challenge

Whilst I practice martial arts, it's not the best way to keep fit - especially my art as it relies on being relaxed and soft, not using any strength.  So I'm not very food at keeping fit/working out.  I find gyms unbearably boring and the idea of going for a run makes me stick to the sofa even harder. Swimming is fun, but the problem with public pools is that they are public and have other people in! I will use the pool in the fancy hotels I get to stay in though.

So I thought I needed to try something different....and I did.  Polefit!  If you've not coma across it, it is basically pole dancing for fitness. It's not stripping or lap dancing - I have overheard someone in the lift on my way to class say "there's a lap dance class round here somewhere"

Whist it can look very beautiful and graceful, generally what happens in a pole class is that a group of people get very hot and sweaty whilst some of them manage to pull of elaborate moves whilst others struggle to hoist themselves onto the pole.  This all takes place to a background of loud music (not the 'banging techno' you get in gyms but a mix of random up-tempo songs), the occasional cheer of accomplishment, and a whole heap of giggles and laughter.  

What most people wouldn't realise is the strength that pole dancing requires, both physical and mental! My entire body is sore for days after a class but my strength has already improved massively (I was pretty strong before, but not in the right muscles!) many of the moves also rely on you gripping a metal pole with your skin...to say that it 'nips' it quite an understatement...I have a good pain threshold and I felt sick after hanging from the pole by the inside of my elbow! You also need a bit of mental strength to throw yourself upside down and hang from your legs/hands/limbs, trusting that you won't fall and land on the floor in a heap (although that can happen!).

I would love to post a photo of me looking graceful hanging from a pole but there's no way I'm letting anyone take pictures of me doing it yet! (at least without heavy use of photoshop!)

Most classes are open to men and women so if you fancy a real challenge I really would recommend giving it a try...just don't blame me when you can't walk the next day!

Barbies Forest Addiction

I play quite a lot of computer games - it is generally what I am doing when I'm not at work.  I'm also quite fussy about which games I play.

I'm not very good at first person shooter (FPS) type games (although I do find them fun as well as infuriating) I like co-op versions most but I usually end up shooting my team mates more than any enemies!  Single player FPS are fun too but I have no sense of direction when I'm playing so I find it really frustrating when I get lost or swamped by enemies and continually die at the same point.

I usually prefer strategy or simulation games.  Probably because I can't get lost!   There's been a game lately however that goes against the norm (kinda).  Its called The Forest and is a survival game where you find yourself stranded on an island following a plane crash.  Unlike most survival games there is a big storyline as well as the challenge of simply surviving.  It's quite difficult as the island is not uninhabited... there are 'dudes' everywhere who beat you up at any opportunity.  They are much easier to deal with in a group!

This game has me a little bit hooked...especially as there is a peaceful mode in the single player where you are truly alone (no bad dudes to kill).  That is probably as freaky as having enemies around, its atmospheric and lonely...but somehow still a lot of fun!

Sometimes it bugs...the fire isn't meant to do that

You can hunt food...or sometimes it comes to you and jumps on the fire

You can build a new home

Barbie WIN!

 

A score like that just couldnt be kept quiet!!

Happy 2012

We made it!! Another year successfully completed! (Yes, I know, my mind IS convinced I live in a sims style computer game)

B-Man had a celebratory tub of haribo at Chez Gurn ....

and a game of Vampirology... (I was so excited to see that they provided a purple playing piece specifically for me!)

Happy New Year!

Geeks get desperate

I play quite a lot of games, lots of them are bought, but I'm also a bit of a sucker for flash games too. These come with lovely loading adverts however which I usually blissfully ignore...this one caught my eye however
So...you can now have a virtual dream girlfriend online? Isn't that really scoring low on the desperation level?? I'm sure I've seen similar advertised on many many other sites (although those would surely come under the heading of sex lines?) Looking at the girl in the picture it does seem to be aimed at young teens rather than adults - but I don't believe that would deter some adults (you know the ones who pretend to be young teens anyway).

This is definitely heading for Barbies desperation awards for 2010...

One in a million

Whilst playing Left 4 Dead tonight something weird happened. Whilst looking for a server to play on I stumbled into a lobby that contained a very old friend of mine. You might not think this is unusual but there were over 18000 people playing at that point! I knew he played, but I wasn't sure of his chosen platform, and I'd looked on steam for him but without knowing his username the search was useless. We recognised each other instantly, which is typical of our relationship - we have popped up in each others lives at very random points, usually by total chance. Last time we met in person was when we were both on a trip to Norwich after living away for a time and spotted each other in a packed shopping mall, before then it was a chance meeting in a nightclub after we had lost touch for a couple of years. Seems the only time I come across him is a million to one event!

Good thing is we now have a fourth player for our team who seems to play as often as B-Man, Gurn and me! maybe our long suffered fourth player syndrome is over?

Stuck in a World of Goo

As promised - Maybe a little sooner than you expected eh? - Info on one of my many current addictions...World of Goo.

This is a fantastic indie game made by 2dboy that B-Man gifted to me - He realised its addictive potential maybe and decided he wanted some quiet time - Its a puzzle game where you have to use Goo balls to build structures to achieve the levels goal and continue with the storyline...sounds easy?

Oh no its not.This has to be one of the most infuriatingly brilliant games - you die over and over yet have the constant urge to go back for more punishment of your goo balls splatting against spikes, or being sucked into the wrong tube, or simply collapsing because you forgot to add a vital ball-strut near the base.

Thankfully the developers allow players to skip levels! I'm still spending time going back to those and trying to figure them out.