7th Day Electric Episode 2! Mark Gets Philosophical About Shmups
Added 2020-08-03 09:26:44 +0000 UTCOk, warning, I was in a darker mindset when I recorded this episode, and since this is a weekly podcast there really is no getting around that ha, so for the new listeners of the patreon, please also check out last week's ep for my usual tone. I'm typically not this bitter ha. I'm sure next weeks' ep will be more of my usual self. Just been feeling a lot of frustration this week.
Comments
Great podcast. I loved the passion. Like dominic said in his comment, the way you talk about shmups borders on the spiritual and I love it.
jacob valenzuela
2024-01-13 18:02:12 +0000 UTCReally appreciate the more unconventional lines of thinking that you went into in this episode, in terms of that intangible quality to shmups, which for me too draws nearer to the spiritual. And I would agree that they have a life of their own, one could even say a soul, which speaks to their enduring quality even amidst a smaller population of gamers. For me, my re-entry into playing shmups primarily is that it does remind me of activities that I partake in: namely, consistent daily meditation practice and martial arts. Since the art I practice in is partner reliant, I appreciate that I'm missing it so much because of the pandemic. Shmups right now are scratching that similar itch despite being largely dissimilar. I'm by no means a great player, and yet it reminds me of my early training days of being a total noob, and having tiny breakthroughs all the time, and that it is offering a mastery of one's self. And the appeal of doing it is often lost on people, and more so for a niche genre like this. So yeah, the climbing a mountain analogy is apt. And I can appreciate what Rogan is saying, for those who don't evaluate the reasons why people spend their time the way they do. The fact that it was so triggering at the time likely speaks to the lack of self-reflection.
Dominic Ng
2020-12-03 21:42:26 +0000 UTCyeah I would love to see that happen! Crimzon Clover is along those lines for sure!
The Electric Underground
2020-08-12 05:51:52 +0000 UTCWell yeah, someone has to push to genre artistically, or it will wither away. Even with the best infrastructure and the nicest community, I don't see a ton of kids ten or fifteen years from now picking up DDP or Battle Garegga if that's all there is.
Martin Wöhrle
2020-08-11 20:12:46 +0000 UTCOh the music comparison is fantastic! Yeah I think comparing it to classical music like you do is more accurate! That's really interesting. So it sounds like we need the john williams of shmups to bring new energy back into the genre ha (if john williams counts as classical music).
The Electric Underground
2020-08-11 15:33:26 +0000 UTCHey Mark, thanks for your ideas on shmups as art! In my view, shmups would compare better to a piece of classical music than to a painting: You have the composer/dev on the one side, and a skilled musician/player on the other. To me, one reason why shmups seem be stuck in a rather small niche is that, like with classical music, most people seem to think that all the important pieces were already written, that not much can grow in the shadow of the towering Cave games. I think this attitude - whether founded or not - is a contributing factor to the devaluation of the genre that you describe.
Martin Wöhrle
2020-08-11 11:13:56 +0000 UTCYeah for sure! Don't worry I'm not going to quit or anything like that, I just might spend less time on discord and more time just focusing on creating content, which is a healthy idea ha. Yeah I think there are a lot of reasons that shmups are worth spending time learning and getting into, it's just a bit more intangible than some people would be willing to understand. Thanks for watching and supporting my dude!
The Electric Underground
2020-08-03 16:07:05 +0000 UTCHey Mark, don't quit what you are doing! Don't let the vocal minority win! Most people who enjoy your content are not that vocal about it. As far as, people saying video games or shmups are a waste of time, that's silly. Everyone needs to find a hobbies that they really enjoy whether it's video games or jujitsu. It makes all the work we do in other parts of our life worth it. It keeps you mentally healthy as well. Shmups can have very meditative qualities. There's so much going on and so much dodging that needs to be done that you focus in on one thing, the game. All the other worries or stresses evaporate in a short amount of time and centering you again after you get that "game over" screen. So not only have you had a fun time, you feel mentally refreshed and ready to take on those worries or stresses. That doesn't sound like a waste of time to me!
Coreo
2020-08-03 15:15:08 +0000 UTC
