I have crossed a line...
For me, gaming, be it of the table-top RPG or online MMO variety, has always been nothing more than a hobby and a fun way to kill time.
However, thanks to this heatwave, I have taken one step closer to the Dark Side of being a "hard core" gamer.
You see, since my present abode does not have you would call state-of-the-art central air conditioning, I have needed to do a number of things to keep my room as cool as possible: multiple fans, room darkening shares, and keeping the lights off as much as possible. Of course, having the lights off makes it hard to type when I'm on the computer...
What? No! I can't turn the computer off to keep things cooler! That's just crazy talk! Besides, a big part of the reason to keep the room cooler is not just for my comfort, but to keep my computer from overheating.
So anyway, not being a touch-typist, I've had to keep some lights on in order to use the computer: the monitor doesn't always generate enough light to see the keys by, and I'm prone enough to typos and missed keystrokes in broad-daylight as it is, already. However, lights generate heat, and a lot of it. Even the flourescent light bulbs. Ergo, hit on the idea of an LED illuminated keyboard. When I was looking at what was available, I saw that for an extra $20, I could get a gamers keyboard with variable hues for the keys and programmable macro keys. I figured, "What the heck," and got it.
Since I play Champions Online, it didn't take me long to start setting up the macro keys. It even has one really nice feature that lets you have the macro key be single-press or a toggle, and programmable with a time delay. For one of my characters in CO, this has been a godsend. He has a power that can be refreshed and stack upon itself... provided I remember in the middle of combat and/or flying around to hit the button for it in that very narrow window between when it's done recharging and when the stacks expire (the refresh time is 24 seconds, but the stacks expire in 28) . However, I now have a macro key that, once I press it, will log in that keystroke every 25 seconds (or at the interval of my choosing), and will keep on doing it until I un-toggle it.
Does this make me a "serious" gamer?
Regardless, at least I know I'm still not hardcore: I don't have guild buddies, I don't make plans around online game events, and I do not consume energy drinks to stay awake for gaming, nor to keep me going at work because I was up gaming too late the night before.
All thanks to the heatwave.
However, thanks to this heatwave, I have taken one step closer to the Dark Side of being a "hard core" gamer.
You see, since my present abode does not have you would call state-of-the-art central air conditioning, I have needed to do a number of things to keep my room as cool as possible: multiple fans, room darkening shares, and keeping the lights off as much as possible. Of course, having the lights off makes it hard to type when I'm on the computer...
What? No! I can't turn the computer off to keep things cooler! That's just crazy talk! Besides, a big part of the reason to keep the room cooler is not just for my comfort, but to keep my computer from overheating.
So anyway, not being a touch-typist, I've had to keep some lights on in order to use the computer: the monitor doesn't always generate enough light to see the keys by, and I'm prone enough to typos and missed keystrokes in broad-daylight as it is, already. However, lights generate heat, and a lot of it. Even the flourescent light bulbs. Ergo, hit on the idea of an LED illuminated keyboard. When I was looking at what was available, I saw that for an extra $20, I could get a gamers keyboard with variable hues for the keys and programmable macro keys. I figured, "What the heck," and got it.
Since I play Champions Online, it didn't take me long to start setting up the macro keys. It even has one really nice feature that lets you have the macro key be single-press or a toggle, and programmable with a time delay. For one of my characters in CO, this has been a godsend. He has a power that can be refreshed and stack upon itself... provided I remember in the middle of combat and/or flying around to hit the button for it in that very narrow window between when it's done recharging and when the stacks expire (the refresh time is 24 seconds, but the stacks expire in 28) . However, I now have a macro key that, once I press it, will log in that keystroke every 25 seconds (or at the interval of my choosing), and will keep on doing it until I un-toggle it.
Does this make me a "serious" gamer?
Regardless, at least I know I'm still not hardcore: I don't have guild buddies, I don't make plans around online game events, and I do not consume energy drinks to stay awake for gaming, nor to keep me going at work because I was up gaming too late the night before.
All thanks to the heatwave.