tauriqmoosa asked: Your Diablo post is deservedly getting the attention it needs. It's wonderful to read one of the internet's most eloquent writers express so perfectly the problem of the future of gaming. I dislike the entire franchise, but what particularly worries me is the trouble we single-players have to go through to play single-player games. I live in South Africa where the internet is not only expensive but also terrible: you can imagine then how horrible all of this is to us. Great pity.
That’s a great point, by the way. The fact that the US, Europe and Japan are such huge gaming markets, the industry just kind of tells any other country to eat shit. They don’t consider the internet clusterfuck of countries like Africa and to some extent Australia (their internet has been horrible for years, and is just now starting to get to a respectable speed and availability). I have friends from other countries who would love to play Diablo or WoW with me, but they can’t because their connections suck, and getting a better one means literally getting a second job.
scottwoodrow asked: First time caller, long time listener. I'd like to ask about the writing process as a labor of love. I realize that JDATE is by David Wong (and also that it should not be confused with JDATEdotcom, which, as a Jewish person I've found to be just labor and ironically no love) but you obviously had a large impact on it. What I'm getting at is, with writing being akin to a career, is there joy in the process; do you and Dave recall enjoying the writing, or was it always working towards a goal?
We’ve always written to make each other laugh, and when the net came around, we just kept on doing that. Now, we write with the goal of being funny while on a deadline, which is totally different. But it’s never stopped being fun. Even with a project like my latest, which turned into a 30 hour nightmare, instead of a normal 8 hour writing session. Even the ones that make me want to pull my hair out are still awesome to write.
But it’s one thing that I think a lot of aspiring writers don’t get until they’re actually in a position where they’re being regularly paid for their work. Once the deadline kicks in, it’s an actual job with schedules and strict demands. The mark of a good writer is being able to write through the really shitty parts, just like in a normal job where when you’re having a bad day, you can’t just walk off the line and go back to bed. You stay on the damn line and keep working because that’s what you’re being paid for. Most writers, I think, don’t know that, so when they get into the industry, they tend to not last long. “Holy shit, this is nothing like how I imagined. I think I’ll be a stripper instead.”
If you’re a fan of the JDatE universe, you do not want to miss this. Seriously, I’ve seen some of the stuff we’re giving away, and there are some one-of-a-kind things that you can’t get anywhere else but through the game. Stuff that you will definitely want.
http://www.johndiesattheend.com/updates/?p=1624
manonfire asked: Your article on Diablo III was great. Also, in a time where gaming seems to be over-saturated by multiplayer/online play, it's nice to know that there are still people out there like me who enjoy playing games by themselves. Single player FTW.
There are millions of us out there who just like to sit back by ourselves and play our games without anyone else interfering. You are not alone, brotha.
isawyouagain-and-again-and-again asked: I have to ask, just because I don't trust the vast majority of the rest of the Internet: How is Diablo 3 as a game?
I just beat it, and it’s crazy awesome. The server issues have started to level out, so there isn’t a whole lot to worry about on that end. The gameplay itself is just nuts. It’s one of those games where you’ll want to have the whole day free before you log in. Because you’ll start out thinking, “I’ll play for two hours or so, and then I’ll get some work done.” Then the next time you look at the clock, it’s 5am.
I’m starting Nightmare difficulty when I get up tomorrow.
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nchammer326 asked: That post you made way back about your favorite/least favorite wrestlers has revived my interest in pro wrestling and given me a new perspective and sense of appreciation. Thanks. Anyway, will you be doing more wrestling articles (like the kayfabe one) in the future, and what were some of your favorite wrestling matches?
I do want to do more of those, but it’s a hard sell. Coming up with something interesting for wrestling fans is easy. But coming up with something that catches the interest of people who don’t really care about wrestling — that’s something else entirely. I’ll give it some serious thought, though, because I do love articles on the subject.
6500nightsbookofficialblog asked: Hey, Mr. Cheese! I wanted to tell you how awesome you are for all your kick-ass life advice, which was one of the driving factors in stopping me from comitting suicide, and writing my own book about my own problems. Sorry to brag but 353 pages don't come easy O_O My question is really a compliment: I love your life-advice stuff, but I was glad to see the "Hecklers Getting Destroyed" Column. I love your life advice, but it's good to see a break from that here and there. Thanks for kicking ass! :D
Thanks! And yeah, those “life” type articles, I have to take a break from them from time to time because they’re mentally and emotionally exhausting. It’s nice to just drop back into something silly from time to time.
very-generic-name asked: Will you watch My little pony and if you like it write a column about immersing yourself in Brony culture? The first two episodes are not the strongest though.
Nope!
willgasm asked: How do you hold on to inspiration? I often find myself moved to write while I'm stuck at work (it's pretty mindless and repetitive), so I try to bang out an outline and get as much of the idea on paper as quick as I can. However, when I try to return to these outlines it seems the spark is gone. Any suggestions short of quitting my day job?
Almost every writer in existence (I’m talking about the ones who aren’t doing it as their primary job) makes the mistake of thinking that everything they write has to be inspired, and that there has to be some sort of “spark” like you mentioned. That quite simply isn’t true in the real world of writing. You write because you have to or you don’t get paid. Because you have deadlines to meet. Just like any other job, it’s not always going to be auto-motivating. That’s what separates paid writers from hobbyists and bloggers: the ability to crank out work even when you don’t feel it. What I’d suggest doing is sitting down and making yourself finish those pieces that you don’t have any emotional attachment to. The ones that have “lost the spark.” Because those are the pieces that you deal with most when you write for money full time.