Saturday, October 24, 2009

Among us

I recently started watching Showtime's Dexter. I expected yet another immersive and artistic serial wonderfully free of some -- certainly not all, mind you -- of the constraints placed upon such series by the big networks.

Also, I thought Michael C. Hall was the best part about Six Feet Under.

Anyway, what I wasn't expecting was a fun and frightening take on a theme I encounter over and over not just in the stuff I read and watch, but in my own artistic pursuits -- the extraordinary scattered throughout the mundane.

Like vampires, cylons, the mutants from X-Men or Kung Fu masters in Stephen Chow films, Dexter imagines a world of capable and crazy serial killers around every corner.

The show proves this stuff is fun to think about, even if it concerns murder. It certainly makes the bus ride a little more interesting when you can plan out escape routes and counterattacks just in case the guy next to you is a secret robot assassin or something.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

An open letter to the NSA agent currently monitoring my internet useage

Dear sir or madam,

I know how this looks, but I assure you there is a perfectly rational explanation. You see, while you get your kicks watching us shower or listening to our private telephone conversations or reading the personal email accounts of your significant others, the rest of us like to play games and stuff.

As I mentioned in my gaming blog, I'm currently managing a tabletop role-playing game that is set in a fictional world very much like our own. I did this for a few reasons, which I discuss there, but the biggest advantage to this is an unpredictable aura to the setting and actors that I really enjoy. Sort of like how we can't predict how liberal you lot are going to be with our rights regarding unlawful search and seizure, but without that fascist je ne sais quoi you do so well.

If the group decides to set off in a new direction, or the action takes place in a location I had not anticipated, I can use google maps and bring up an image that can be used for reference or just plain atmosphere. It is particularly fun because not even I can anticipate exactly what is going to happen and I'm ostensibly controlling it.

The first session took place primarily in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, which is likely not terribly interesting to you. However, the upcoming game will likely take place in New York City, a setting with which I am not terribly familiar.

Naturally, I am making use of online resources to plan for this next session. This planning includes finding a home for a fictional financial investment firm in the Wall Street area, but may also require digging up additional maps, historical data and points of interest.

I just wanted to put that out there as a courtesy. Maybe I can save us both some time and effort and you can get back to watching me pee or spying on your grandmothers or whatever.

Love always,
Jay