I was home reasonably early yesterday, about 15 minutes before the working day would’ve finished in the office. I’d spent the afternoon in a very casual meeting with a very pleasant client I’ve known for years, so I left the office at 2 after getting a load done in the morning. In some ways it went to show that this whole 9 to 5 business is a fucking sham. I reckon I could get the whole weeks work done in a couple of days, which makes me feel bloody miserable if I’m honest. It’s not like I’m going to get this wasted time back is it? Whatever happened to the 4 days week that’s what I want to know. It’s been banded about for years; it’d save both time and energy and give us all a break from the ridiculousness of unnecessary travel and time wastage. One would’ve thought with all this technology we’d have done the 4 days week and would now be looking at 3 maximum with half the workforce working from home. Something isn’t right here… the only people that stand to lose out if the UK workforce shorten their hours or do away with the office entirely are the transport companies. This would be good for the environment though, but, oh. Hang on. Oil. Surely it’s not about oil is it?
I spent yesterday evening away from the clutches of booze, instead Swineshead and I went on yet another killing spree in GT Auto. The game is a masterpiece. As it stands ‘games’ don’t receive the same accolade as other forms of visual entertainment, movies, theatre, art even. I put this down to snobbery. Some of the detail in GT Auto is frankly astonishing. For example, on Sunday following the slaughter of dozens of homeless people on the beach, I sat and watched workmen repair a road for 5 minutes. They actually made fucking progress, that was until I killed every last one of them, stole their lorry and drove it through a playground.
The amount of work involved in the games realisation is staggering, it’s not just the mind blowing graphics and physical feel of piloting the game -the sheer vastness combined with an attention to minutiae- it’s the script, the plot, the sheer bloody audacity of it. And on top of everything, it manages to have its tongue firmly planted in its cheek yet still maintain it’s grim reality with a wicked sense of humour to boot. That’s quite a tough brief to balance; yet it carries it off perfectly. I’d go as far to say that it’s genius.
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:14 pm
just to tie the two themes together – of all the 9-5 jobs i’ve done, working for a console games company was the least soulcrushing. wonderful people, amazing creative buzz about the place with all these geeks, artists, musicians, animators and engineers bouncing around the place.
agree about the paucity of leisure time. the utopian promises of the technological and industrial revolutions have been stolen and turned into something profoundly awful. hearing the phrase “work ethic” makes me want to start making letterbombs on my weekends. basically it’s all a fucking lie. cheers!
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:15 pm
I have lots of lovely time. I work four days and have even more time by not playing naughty computer games. I use the extra time to polish my smugness.
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:15 pm
How perfectly apt, Jon R. You’ve rested my case for me
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Christ, GTA IV? Move on, Piqued, that bugger’s old hat! And it’s showing its age something chronic – the people are all blobby … Blobby! If you want a game that looks fucking amazing, take a look at the upcoming Red Dead Redemption, you behind-the-times old fart from off of the olden days when GTA IV came out.
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:14 pm
I know of this NC, in fact SH and I discussed it months ago
You are sooooooooooooooo 2009, yeah
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I was the one wot alerted Swineshead to the above game, ME. Get with the programme, grandad. You know NOTHING about new things until you’re informed of them third-hand from Swineshead after he’s spoken to me – THE NEW THINGS TRAILBLAZER.
February 3rd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I think we can settle this quite easily, NC
Coooeeee, Swineshead…
February 3rd, 2010 at 2:23 pm
*is Switzerland*
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:32 pm
There you go, NC
*wins*
February 6th, 2010 at 11:00 am
I have the e-mails to prove it. You cunt.