#let’s regress so much in society and make it more difficult for people to succeed

[kisshim]

i’m telling you this country is heading in a downward spiral until we’re back in 1935

[sjrresearch]

9 Historical Games We're Thankful for This Thanksgiving

It’s a tradition in many households to gather around the turkey on Thanksgiving Day and list off the things you’re thankful for. Unfortunately, 2020 may make it difficult to think of anything. Unless, of course, you want to thank the video game developers that have provided you a mental escape throughout the year.

Along with my health and the health and safety of my family, I would like to highlight some of the historical games that offered a means of educational entertainment. The teams behind these nine games made it possible to be thankful for a digital experience as they fleshed out historical periods, put the spotlight on notable figures from the past, and twisted the stories of yesteryear to fit within a fictional tale. 

Partisans 1941

The Eastern Front of World War II is a popular location in gaming. If it’s a World War II title, chances are it’s taking place somewhere on the Eastern Front. That makes it incredibly easy for games to get lost in the shuffle. Partisans 1941 is kind of one of those games, and it really doesn’t deserve to be pushed aside.

A blend of stealth action and real-time strategy gaming comes helps tell the story of Russian Partisans that pushed back against the German occupation. Unlike traditional RTS games, Partisans 1941 focuses heavily on guerilla warfare, and players will need to perfect tactical stealth to dismantle the German stronghold. It’s not a perspective of the war we’re used to seeing, but it’s definitely one we’re happy was given the spotlight in 2020.

Hades

Mythology and history often go hand-in-hand, with the former being a piece of a culture’s history. Hades may not have the cadence of a historical game, but there is so much Grecian lore worked in that it’s hard to ignore the work Supergiant Games put into research.

The roguelike RPG puts players in the shoes of Zagreus, the Prince of the Underworld. Equipped with his trusty blade and a host of mystical powers, Zagreus hacks and slashes his way through hordes of enemies - but all it takes is one wrong move for the outnumbered hero to fail. Thankfully, the Gods of Olympus are on his side, providing Zagreus with enhancements to help him on his quest.

Hades features notable names from Greek mythology like Sisyphus, Patroclus, Tartarus, Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and many more. Fans of mythology and mystical lore will definitely want to sink their teeth into Hades.

Panzer Corps 2

Wargaming can be intimidating, but Flashback Games found a way to highlight the complexities of the genre while keeping it user-friendly for newcomers. Panzer Corps 2 is a worthy sequel, putting a strategic spin on World War II utilizing proven gameplay mechanics that work well with the 20th-century conflict.

When it comes to history, Panzer Corps 2 is robust with authentic references to the Second World War. Players have access to more than 1,000 unique units, from expertly recreated vehicles to foot soldiers to lead the charge. The wargame features upwards of 60 scenarios spread across a branching campaign that integrates real moments of the war.

Panzer Corps 2 is a fantastic game to play alone, but the online component allows players to marvel at the history of World War II across ten multiplayer-driven scenarios. Looking for more after your playthrough? Then you’ll enjoy the innovative Scenario Editor that lets you design your own World War II campaign.

Builders of Egypt: Prologue

Ancient Egypt is one of the world’s most fascinating historical civilizations, so any game revolving around the time of Pharaohs and mummies is worth a try. Builders of Egypt: Prologue is a rather intriguing look at the ancient society, with a city-building mechanic that really puts you in control of the Nile Valley.

Every facet of society is in your hands, from the construction of essential buildings to the economy that keeps the individual cities running. Strategy Labs is no stranger to simulation games, but the development team hit it out of the park with this take on Ancient Egypt.

Construct towering pyramids, build roads that connect cities to vital resources, and command ruthless armies as the threat of civil war worsens. From diplomacy to religion, all of Egypt is in your hands.

Medieval Dynasty

Do you have what it takes to survive in a medieval age? Without the benefits of technology and shelter from Mother Nature’s unforgiving temper? Boot up Render Cube’s Medieval Dynasty and see if you have what it takes to forge a path to greatness.

Embark on an adventure that will take you from the very beginning as an inexperienced citizen of a budding village. Battle the elements and anyone that gets in your way, learn new skills to increase your chances of survival and rise to the top of your own dynasty. Medieval Dynasty is less of a historic game and more of a fleshed-out period piece that gives a glimpse of life in the past.

Equipment and buildings offer an authentic feel as you try to survive night after night. Medieval Dynasty is an RPG game at its core, forcing players to beef up their character and tend to the very basic needs of the everyman. There’s plenty to do as you expand your dynasty, so expect to sink plenty of hours in this open-world adventure.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

After catering its past two games to RPG fans, Ubisoft opted to return to the roots of the Assassin’s Creed series with Valhalla. In fact, some may say it regressed a bit with an experience that’s brutal, violent, and bloody. Quite frankly, it embodies the ruthlessness we’ve come to associate with Vikings, but there’s another layer to Assassin’s Creed that brings everything down to reality.

Yes, Valhalla works in a bit of mysticism, but the story is still very human. As Eivor, players guide their people from an unforgiving Norway to England, where they’ll struggle to erect a safe place to call home. The storytelling is ripe with historical authenticity with figures like King Alfred the Great of Wessex and Ivar the Boneless, a real Viking ruler that took part in the actual invasion of England. 

Valhalla could use a little polish, but the overall experience brings back memories of the series’ earlier entries and is definitely a worthy addition.

Through the Darkest of Times

Most World War II games take place during the conflict. Through the Darkest of Times takes players to a few years before Germany invaded Poland, as Adolf Hitler rises to power. Beneath the new chancellor, residents of Germany had to find ways to survive. You either joined Hitler’s cause, perished at the hands of his followers, or, if you were brave enough, took part in an underground resistance.

Through the Darkest of Times allows you to live out the third scenario as the leader of a small resistance. You can’t take the Nazi regime head-on, so you’ll have to plan small-but-significant attacks that will help topple Hitler’s forces. Share vital information, inspire an uprising, and sabotage the regime in this simulation strategy. 

Across four chapters, you’ll face difficult decisions that will undoubtedly get your followers killed while gaining ground against the Nazis. Can you stand to make those sacrifices and carry the weight of your choices? Find out in this interactive experience that plays out in a unique expressionist style.

Crusader Kings III

Crusader Kings III took the year by storm, putting players in the role of a royal or noble house member. The series has always been known for its historical roots, and the third entry further solidifies them as you guide your people across generations, securing the sanctity of your dynasty. 

Will you be a kind king that watches over his people or a ruthless ruler with a thirst for expansion and riches? With an army at your disposal, how you rule is completely up to you. But be sure that your people are actually on your side. Even the most violent of kings have detractors waiting to put your head on a pike.

Crusader Kings III captures the essence of ruling a kingdom, integrating touches of history in how its scenarios play out. There is no guaranteed victory in this RPG strategy game, so be prepared for every outcome on your quest for power.

Desperados III

Rounding out the long-running Desperados is this prequel, which sets up the relationships of the Wild West RTS series. Surviving in the Old West means knowing when to run ‘n gun and when to stick to the shadows. In Desperados III, that’s the only way to make it to the end!

Employing tactics that vary from stealth takedowns to long-range stun attacks, players guide the titular Desperados on a quest for redemption. Players are tasked with reading the map and planning the best method of attack. Using the skills and abilities of the four very different characters is sometimes the only way to succeed.

The game takes place in beautifully rendered environments that look to have been ripped right out of Wild West history.

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At SJR Research, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse SJR Research’s service on our site at SJR Research.

[20qs20somethings]

Chase, 28

1. Can you use three to five words to describe our generation?  Misunderstood, Neglected, Ambitious, Narrow-Minded, Active

2. What’s your relationship with social media like? It’s love hate I think like most people. I perfectly curate my life on it and I know that everyone else perfectly curates their life to be a perfect museum exhibit and it can be nerve wracking. I tend to be funny on social media as a way of dealing with things and I get a lot of my validation strangely from people liking and giving me positive comments on my posts because it means I’ve impacted them or made them laugh. 

3. Where has our generation failed and where have we succeeded? I think our generation and the generation that follows us has succeeded in understanding groups of people en masse in ways that earlier generations have and cannot. I think one place where the generation fails is the reaction individuals have when they meet people or interact with people who have a different viewpoint, a more traditional viewpoint on some things, or lack the capacity and experience to fully understand social justice or what the issue may be. I think millennials tend to overreact instead of trying to have a conversation that’s productive and able to bring the person they’re talking to closer to their viewpoint or at least to a mutual understanding.

4. Who or what is your biggest motivator in life? Internal ambition to succeed. Something intrinsic that was fostered by my mother. Even though my parents are divorced, I grew up in a very loving environment before and after in which they supported my brother and I. So I think that helped foster a really great sense of wanting to accomplish things and I was sort of the golden child of my church and school which does lend itself to a lot of self imposed stress so though that motivates me, i think it hinders me in a lot of ways too because I don’t handle those failures well. 

5. Do you believe in love? Yeah, I believe in different types of love. Platonic love, the people that bring joy to your life. Familial love, I very much love my family. Romantic love, I have not particularly had that experience, but I’ve had a lot of unrequited love. So I do believe in love, I believe it is a powerful and sometimes destructive force. 

6. What’s something you think people assume of you based on your internet persona? That I have my life together. That I’m a happy person naturally, that I have nothing but successes when in reality, I have constant internal doubt and I’m very self conscious about things and sometimes I sprinkle posts with a little bit of that. Maybe some people pick up on it, maybe some people have. But I think the major misconception that people really buy into my social media persona is who I am. Some of it is me, but it is perfectly curated for maximum likes.

7. What’s one thing you want people to know about you? That I live in a state of conflicted feelings. I was born and raised in Kentucky in a very pretty conservative place. I never felt regressed or oppressed. I grew up in church and I never had a reason like some other millennials, in particular gay millennials, have to sort of reject religion because the best people I ever knew that cared for me the most was my church family so I never fully rejected that or those values that have shifted my viewpoints and philosophies and theological perceptions of religion. 

At the same time, I live in an urban environment that is diverse in thought, religion, I’m part of an LGBTQ community that doesn’t accept that I’ve held on to a lot of things I grew up with. Add that to the fact that I’m a moderate republican operative and it’s not great for the dating life. It also creates conflict because I don’t know exactly where I fit into the LGBT community. There are people who support it and there are those who lay into me, particularly now that Donald Trump is President. For some reason, even though I didn't vote for him, they think I have to own him, own his policies, and his presidency which I do not. 

8. Fill in the blank: “Happiness is _______” Ephemeral for me. I’m not naturally happy and I have to work very hard for that. I think happiness requires a base of contentment and if you’re not content with things, you can’t build off of that into feeling fully happy and in a happy mood. I’d say ephemeral because it’s in this fast paced, ever changing dynamic of the society that we live in. It’s easy for something to come and knock you out of a good, happy state.

9. Do you think you’re represented in things you consume in media? (TV, Movies, Books, etc.) Well I identify in several different ways. I think LGBT, yeah there’s always going to be complaints that there isn’t enough positive representation in media, but in comparison to 10 years ago, it’s only growing and stories are being told. As someone from Appalachia, no. I think if you look at a lot of shows on television, you don’t have those Roseanne’s anymore, you don’t have shows that focus on a blue collar perspective anymore. On the whole, I would say yeah, I am a white male so I am well represented. 

10. Who or what brings you the greatest joy in your life? Moment’s where I’m with people that I enjoy, doing something I enjoy, laughing, making them laugh and having a bonding moment whether with family or friends that people enjoy engaging in.

11. How did you feel after November 8th? I was very conflicted. I like, most people had resigned myself that Hillary was going to win and I was more comfortable with her in a leadership position than the person that was the nominee of my own party. I am not a Donald Trump republican and in many ways, the party, and what he represents is diametrically opposed to many of the ideas that I came into my political own believing. I was very conflicted, I was happy we retained congress, sad that one of my favorite members lost her reelection campaign. 

I’ve still been conflicted this whole time because there’s this sensible part of me that feels like I’m being told that I have to participate in the public flogging of the President, his supporters, and his ideas to be considered a kind compassionate human being. On the other side, the political, professional side of me is like, “I can’t do that because is that disloyal to party?” I have my conversations with my own friends about what he’s doing wrong with pretty much everything. But there is a pressure to feel like I have to own him and his policies.

12. What are your thoughts on marriage? I’d like to be married. I think marriage is a covenant, a promise that you make to another person and to God that you will become one unit, one individual. Do I think you need to be married to be happy? No, but I think that’s up to everyone. I think marriage is very important, it’s important to find the right person and to develop techniques to solve your problems and work through issues. I sometimes wonder, it’s been very difficult for me to find people to date or fall in love with and see myself getting married with. I almost wonder if that’s because I’m supposed to be waiting to find the right person that’s going to be able to have that same concept of marriage.

13. What do you want out of this life? That happiness that I said was ephemeral. I want to be content I want to recognize my blessings because I sometimes forget that.

14. What would you say is your biggest character flaw? There’s quite a few. I think it’s definitely being self conscious to the point of over compensation. So I want people to like me I want to be a people pleaser and I try to do that on social media and if somebody says something to me that makes me think that they don’t like me or they're upset with me, it sticks with me for weeks. Again, I overcompensate by trying to be the fun guy at the party so that everyone will like me. Impatience as well in my career and my romantic life. 

15. How do you want to be remembered? As someone who made people laugh. As someone who hopefully made people feel good about themselves, who was kind. Someone who was creative, thoughtful, and I do hope my memory lasts beyond my death through some accomplishment, even if its a footnote of a footnote in history books.

16. What are qualities that you value? Kindness, compassion, good humor, hard work, thoughtfulness

17. How would you describe what it’s like to navigate your 20s? Exhausting. I think it’s a time when you want to have fun, especially if you’re single. But it’s also a time where you want to be serious and further your career and those can be difficult things to balance. It’s a chaotic time. I think that’s true for many generations. The 20s is when a generation is in that time period, is when they’re most judged by older generations because they’re trying to adjust, adapt, and figure their shit out. It’s unfair for baby boomers who have bankrupted America to be like “millennials are lazy.” Bitch, you bought things you can’t pay for. 

18. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far? I’m in the process of learning how to not let stress and anxiety overpower me. That everything will be fine and turn out right if I don’t meet my goals and I struggle with that on a daily basis and how to cope with those emotions. Beyond that, I think trying to learn patience and realizing that patience is needed. 

I think everyone thinks that when they come out of college that they’re going to hit the ground running that you’re gonna go one hurdle after another. I think it’s really interesting because after college is the first time when you have an open ended life. Up until that point, there’s always something on the horizon when you finish high school, you know the next year you’re going to college, you know you’ll do an internship, you’ll know you go back to school. When you’re out of college, you’re like know what? There’s no natural thing coming at me from the horizon except age and I’ve got to go out and figure it out and that can be daunting for people.

19. What are you scared of? Being alone. Not finding love to not find someone I love and care for. 

20. What is the best piece of advice you want to leave the world with? Just smile more, laugh more, because at the end of the day that’s what’s gonna make your day worth it, it’s those happy moments.

[christology101]

Between a rock and hard place?  Not so much...

The Lord calls us to much more than we fulfill, attempt, or dream.  Inside all of us we know this simple truth: the model stands before us, yet we excuse ourselves away, under, and around it. Christ stands before us, gave His life for our sins, past and future, and sacrificed Himself becoming human to live among us and provide it all for us and also in shedding His blood to cleanse us.  Every moment of His life provides examples, macrocosmic and microcosmic, in how we should treat others, comport ourselves and live together – love being the key to everything.  

 The utter failure of [people who call themselves] Christians to BE a sign of Jesus Christ, to so poorly even make the attempt at being the salt, the light, and the sign, causes them the try to legislate and enact laws, rules, regulations to compensate for their failures.  Then they blame idiotic things like “dropping prayer in school” or the most pathetic recent claims like “the war on Christmas” and other pitiful failings when the real failure is in the communal and individual mirror.  Being a sign doesn’t mean running around evangelizing, throwing a NOTW sticker on your car, or leaving a bible out on the table.  It doesn’t mean going to church every Sunday, although this is part of the equation.  It means being obedient, acting more like sheep and less like wolves spiritually, and it means KNOWING and LIVING our place as opposed to trying to usurp God’s judgment, plan, and Word.  Any and all attempts to build a “Christian” nation, community, series of laws, rules… is the most disturbing anti-Christian behavior and simply demonstrates to any and all unbelievers and non-believers that these Christians cannot handle the world and need to control people, to push their sense of morality on others in order to try to right their lives and control other peoples lives, thus removing free will and lowering the standards for their own role modeling and vision as a sign of Christ.  It’s easier to pass it over to some rules, to the State, to political parties and groups than to actually take responsibility for yourself, your role as an actual sign of Christ and His Word.  Good deeds don’t do it, certainly not in and of themselves.  It’s a mindset, temperament, and role in society.  It removes hate, fear, and any attempts to put self before others.  Look, is this easy?  Heck no. Is it easier to turn it over to the State to do, to try through rules, moralizing, legislation, and grandiose statements, sermons, and TV and internet shows and to free ourselves from responsibility and our actual roles?  Yup. Let the rules, State, evangelists, and political and religious action groups build bridges to God.  Yah, like He cannot if He wants to and would not design them and place them here, but why didn’t He?  Hunh?  Do you think you know enough of His plans, His ideas and Him from front to end to say this is the way?  Can you judge His word, His model, and say, “Yes, let our rules, our legal systems, and our links and pressures of strong moralizing, political powers, principalities, systems, thrones and dominions run the show and link us to God.”  Is there any suggestion anywhere that we are to build an earthly link to God and that is somehow going to a) help/guide others to God and b) help us get closer to an understanding and relationship to God. Again, please, please, don’t cherry-pick some quotes from the Bible.  Look at the WHOLE picture, beginning to end, and tell me this is the vision, the Way, the Word.  Is it? Or is it more?  Tougher?  More related to our roles in the world, our calling, and our model [yes, I know we cannot reach Him, but heck, we don’t even try and we pervert His actual life and messages to build our desires, pride, wants, greed… in this world, so let’s just shut that off right now]?  In our heart of hearts, in the Spirit within us, we know the answer.  We just don’t want to hear it, and so we turn to easy solutions, easy and visible manifestations of our so-called Christian ways and means, wash our hands of it all, and turn into the world and LIVE IN IT with all our might.  We play, toss a glance, “bless you”, “have a blessed day” and other statements, turn on the TV, computer, or sporting event, fill our lives with distortions, distractions and worldly things, and feel fully engorged and satisfied, having turned it all over to legalism at best and disturbing moralizing and punishments, draconian laws, rules, and legislation, and placing our judgments before God. Oh, and we’ll see you in church on Sunday, unless we are in Vegas, the cottage, or…  well, you know.  

 By the way, this is why all theocracies fail.  They may succeed in bringing order to potential chaos, to bringing rules and control, but they utterly fail on a religious, philosophical and more importantly on a spiritual level.  Where is the challenge, other than obedience?  Where is the spiritual and personal decision, related deeply to an actual faith in God as opposed to a faith in an earthly leader or system, no matter how “divinely inspired”?  Faith, real faith in an actual God, spiritual expansion and development, recognizing the will and allowing it to finds its way through models not rules, moralizing, and systems, these are vital for us in our human journey through the world and out of it to the next.  Reliance on someone or some thing else for our journey reeks of failure and lack of any spiritual faith, acceptance, and realization.  

 People may be forced to attend church, act and dress in certain ways, and they may act and play the part.  Heck, in some places, they may even strap a suicide vest on and blow infidels to hell on their spiritual quest, but it is empty of real purpose, of real faith in God. In relies on a faith on man, man’s inventions, systems, interpretations, rules, commands, and the State, whatever and wherever that may be.  Others will play the role in public but rebel in other places – squeezing their way out and through tighter and tighter repression and regression, as is purely natural for ALL species, and particularly for ours.  Still many more will NEVER know or understand their lack of faith and misdirected faith.  They believe that if they do what their pastor, imam, rabbi or whomever tells them, they will be fine.  If they simply obey some rules, do “good” deeds or “righteous deeds” they will be okay. This is NOT true in any of the major religions.  Not in the slightest.  Each calls for a deeply personal faith, attachment, growth, and none absolves you of you sins, communal and individual, by way of an intermediary or “because someone said…”.  The actual calling, the role, is MUCH greater, MUCH more difficult than this. It is, for all, the narrow gate through which few will enter – will being the operative word.  

 In part, this explains why the “stern moralizer” represents, for me, the person of least faith, the person least related to his or her religion.  In Christianity, this person demonstrates the least Christ-like behavior, for he would press, push, and force/enforce strong and stern morality in the face of the world, would punish, like Sadducees and Pharisees, anyone not obeying the legal traditions, rules, and moral codes set up by X or Y.  Oh ye of little faith, who rely on moralizing, force, coercion, weak or overtly perverted messages of the Scriptures [cherry-picking, politicizing, moralizing with its use].  These people offend me to the deepest fiber of my being, and their weakness of understanding, their lack of true and real faith, distress and unnerve me.  These folks would take attendance at church, watch you for sins, watch others, and all the while miss the LOG in their own eye and life.  

 Christians are called to a much more difficult task and role than mere moralizing, evangelizing, or politicizing.  In its essence it is very simple, but in its practice it remains the MOST difficult aspect of the Christian life, much more difficult than most can bear.