My
Square
Eyes

It is something that many, many people seek today. It may be the most important goal in life even! Today, we have so many different tools to make it, but so few actually does. Fame - to be famous - is equal to success, living a good life, being filthy rich and being in love. Yes, the one goal for modern man isn't a relationship built on love, vast riches or even a good job: We want to get famous! If only a little while, if only for a small crowd... But fame is relative and celebrities are only famous in certain groups. So it's hard to say how and when you are famous. To get recognised is no easy task. If there was a list showing how to do it, it would maybe look something like this:

1). Do something extraordinary, because no one ever got famous being ordinary.

2). Know how and where to reach out to others, because it's all about finding the right crowd.

3). Work hard - but don't expect hard work will automatically lead to instant fame.

4). Be persistent - One hit wonders are soon forgotten and the real successful always follow up their success.

5). Do something you KNOW how to do! Find your thing, then exploit it to the best of your ability.

6). Not everyone has the stuff to reach fame. If you've tried over and over again with no result and you feel there is nothing left that you can do, then maybe you should give up or at least take a break and let your ideas mature for some time.

I once wrote a list, similar to this, on how to be an original and it's very reminiscent of this list. The two are closely linked together, since originals often get famous in certain circumstances.

Why is it so important then? Why do we want thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of people to recognise us and to admire us? It certainly brings and enormous feeling of accomplishment and confirmation of our personality: When so many people follow you, then you must have something, right? Something unique.

"I, me, mine" or "Me, Myself and I" are common "sayings" and it is in our nature to seek something splendid for ourselves. Yes, after all, it is only myself I care about, not anyone else and the same thing goes for you too, I assure you. You might care for others and I think Albert Einstein once said that "A life lived for others is the only life worth living" but the truth is that how much you might love another person, in the end it is only you. 

I love video games, I love writing about them, I love making movies and I love editing them but what I want above all is to get recognised for what I do. I want others to compliment me, I want them to be jealous of my talent and I want them to suck up to me and think that they're my best friend. I haven't accomplished that yet but I'm not quitting yet. No, sir. You see, the last but most important thing to do to get famous is to never, NEVER doubt that you have what it takes to get famous.

So when I ask you to take a look at my latest videos on youtube and check out our new review of "Rabbids Go Home", I'm just hoping you're someone important enough to make me either famous or very, very rich.

Travis DG Edna

  The other night when me and my friend Svedlund played a round of Rush in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with a third guy we met through the game, my friend asked him why he speaks so quietly upon which he replies: "My kids are sleeping in the next room". Svedlund was very surprised by the answer and when we talked about it later, he told me it sounded so very old to say that you're keeping your voice down in a Xbox Live chat to not wake your kids up. I started to think about what he said about this video gaming father and the fact that we're not kids anymore. But when did that happen? The way from my childhood, through teenage and up to adulthood seems so short and even if we've changed, we're still the same in the end. We still play video games and avoid growing up too much.

  All those kids growing up in the 70's, 80's and even the early 90's have grown up now. All those who played video games and still play them have gone through school, they have jobs and possibly families now. But they're still gamers and that is fascinating! In the 90's, video games were intended to be played by kids, developed to be enjoyed by 10 year olds (boys) and games meant for older audiences were scarce. The scene has changed now and we actually see games being targeted to adults and by "adults" I mean people from 20 to 80. We have brain training games (Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training), we have games that activate you physically (Wii Fit Plus) and we have intriguing story driven games (Heavy Rain). This evolution of video game market is interesting and very promising for the media of video games! People grow and find new things they like, they need new kinds of games to keep their interest. Having a wider range of video game genres to choose from will also establish video games as a serious part of modern life.

  But I digress. The thing I mostly thought about when my friend and I talked about the third guy's fatherhood was that I might have kids some day. Will I also become a father who, after tucking the kids in at night, goes online and starts killing virtual Russian soldiers a couple of hours before bed (gotta get up early to work the next day)? It's almost scary thinking about it. Becoming that guy is far, far away from where I am now. Today, I turned 23 years old. Nothing worth making a big deal out of but... My own father was 23 when mom first got pregnant with my big sister. That puts this birthday in a new perspective. "Growing up" is a loose term and saying it implies nothing without context. For now, I'm glad being a 23 year old kid-youth-adult-thingy. At least for one more year.

Travis DG Edna

  Finally back on familiar grounds, I had the chance to upload our latest episode of AIE on Youtube. We're still working hard to refine elements of the show to make it more appealing and entertaining and during the next few episodes I believe you will notice some changes that'll make us look a bit more professional and hopefully the pacing will benefit greatly from this. I have several ideas to change and expand the show and it remains to be seen how many of these ideas that makes it in to the show: Not every good idea is good, so to speak,

  Anyway, be sure to take a look at our latest episode and share your opinion with us. We will listen to your critique and, if possible, adapt to what you like and don't like.

  No that I'm back in Sweden and have access to Internet 24/7 I will of course update the website more often and make more videos and such. I also plan on writing a few reviews, after finally getting my hands on some of last years (!) greatest games. Pata already reviewed Dragon Age: Origins, the bastard, but I have now played the game for over 100 hours and have discovered what a great game it is! Truly, one of my absolute greatest gaming experience in years. One thing bad about the game is the glitches that cut out the sound in conversations some times. I also discovered a very strange glitch, trying to put on Noble cloths on one of the main characters, the cloths turned yellow and you could read the words "DO NOT USE" written on the front and the back of the dress. Very odd.

  I have yet to played the game as a mage but I will do this as soon as I'm done collecting some of the harder Achievements from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Needless to say, the game is an experience no role-playing gamer should miss. I guess I should recommend the PC version, which has superior control possibilities. I myself played it on my Xbox but I found it a bit difficult to manage the team during combat so I mostly played it like a action-adventure game, controlling only the main character.

  What else is new? Oh, it's 2010 now! Looking forward from here, it seems that 2010 might be yet another great year for video gamers. The question is if it can top last year, it won't be easy. Come to think of it, we've had some of video games most important years in history just during these last years of the 21st Century. What year do you regard as the best/greatest/most important? I leave you with this question. You can answer the new "Flavour of the Month" to let us know.

Travis DG Edna

  Oh! I was also told to tell you that Aegidrom won't be writing new posts on the website for a while. Both he and Pata is graduating from high school this summer so they're pretty much buried in schoolwork from this point until they graduate. After that, however, I hope they'll be more involved here. We will still make videos though, don't fret.

  I barely had time to unpack my Xbox 360 in our new flat on Grange Loan, Edinburgh, before my (now ex) girlfriend told me we had to talk and I knew what the talk would be about. Now, I planning my voyage home. Ironical, I think. All things that has a beginning, has an end. The question is not if but when. And possibly, for the mournful, why. It lasted nearly a year now, as the new decennium begins, my relationship has ended. It's rather fitting, in a way. I will not be beaten down by it. Instead, I'll look forward, I'll make me a better self this year and I will pursue personal goals that I put aside when I fell in love.

  I will, for example, put more effort in making videos of all kinds and I will try to learn about film-making and editing and develop my sense and skills in the art of filming. This will be my primary  point of interest but I will also try to develop my other skills such as writing and painting. However, the painting part will mostly consist of me doodling stickmen on a white paper-sheet. I will also move to a new location where I can flourish and be by myself for a while. No duties to anyone but myself. Ah, that's my preferred way of life. Also, this will of course mean A LOT OF VIDEO GAMES, YEAAAUUUH! Seriously, I will play more, write more and make more movies. This will eventually lead up to either: A). A career within a Video Game Magazine. B). A career within the film-making business. C). Both of the above. I'll enjoy either but C is the choice I'm hoping for.

 You may think I'm taking this break-up business a bit too good, you may even say I'm totally emotionless about it. That wouldn't be completely true but not completely false either. When my mum got to hear about it, she called me and was upset on the phone and she cried. I wonder what she'd say if she found out that I was having a good time playing Texas Hold 'Em on my Xbox 360 right before she called. How's that for recovery? Now, I'm going back to the apartment to play some "Rabbids Go Home"  against my ex. She'll regret she ever met me! *subtle smirk*

It's time to say howdy to your favourite undersea peanut, Aegidrom. To this day I've been letting Travis and Pata get all the fun posting action here on MSE, while I am pushing myself harder, better, faster and stronger in terms of homework. I haven't been able to post anything due to lack of time! But now things are getting a little out of hand, as five posts already shines on this wonderful page, without my name under 'em. Heck, I still haven't got any time, but I'm posting anyway.

So, christmas time is here once again. Time to spend it all on wonderful video games, right? WRONG! The line must be drawn here! We can't let our money run out by buying games to other people, we must make them buy games for us! Make your wish list big this year, and get as many pre-orders as you can on next year's games. We got sequels to Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, Mafia and Starcraft coming up; we got a new Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear Solid and Metroid approaching; we'll get the third Rock Band, Skate and World of Warcraft expansion set next year; plus I am greatly excited about Alan Wake, a game I think Pata will love.

Of course christmas is about much more than video games (it's hard to imagine) and I think we all need to keep in mind that christmases are getting greener and greener (that's bad). Try to keep your consumption to a minimum and we'll get ourselves a jollier earth, ey mate? Do you know what I do when I don't buy games for christmas? I listen to good music. Now, I know everyone is all jittery about Spotify, but personally the app annoys me with the constant ads. So I'll just go ahead and promote what I'm using: Grooveshark. It's free of charge, free of audio commercials, free of apps, free of invites... It is great, and you should check out this playlist to change that sceptic frown into an awesome smile.

Merry Christmas now everybody!

Regards,

Aegi. 

  Today has been a busy day. I and Stella are moving out of our shared apartment, to our own little flat and I have travelled by bus to and fro, carrying heavy backpacks and various bags with all our belongings. We decided it was best if one person did all the "moving" since we'd save money if we bought one day-ticket. Stella stayed at home and made all the other arrangement.

  To be perfectly honest, I'm glad I got away from cleaning the old place, because every  bus-travel meant Zelda-time for me! I beat a temple and explored the vast world of Hyrule by train. I enjoy "Spirit Tracks" over "Phantom Hourglass". It is as many reviews have pointed out: They've looked at the old game and weeded out all the slow downs and made it smoother, more streamlined. Or should I say "Steamlined"? Sorry, but I really enjoy the new train-feature in the game! It's so much fun riding around and pull the whistle of the locomotive. Speaking of trains, this is the second really great game on the Nintendo DS that has trains in it, this year. Yeah, Professor Layton, and now Link. Peculiar fashion.

  But I'm getting off track here (haha). Living in a shared apartment have means that a lot of things comes for free. We had Internet from day one, all the furniture and kitchenware. Not to mention the fact that our flatmate took care of all the bills and things like that. In that way, many things will change. Starting tomorrow, we won't have Internet, we won't have a really big LCD-screen, hooked up to a computer and we won't have a guy taking care of all the bills and garbage-disposal. No, all that, we have to sort out ourselves. Personally, I think that the Internet-issue will have to be dealt with first and I have already begun to look at some alternatives. Until then, I'll have to visit the nearby library to check my e-mail and keep this website updated.

  Another thing happened today, of the more sad nature. Stella and I were working on a new short film, one which I have been anticipating for some time since it would mark our first try at making something more dark and serious. However, due to artistic differences, the project has been put on ice. It is sad and the short film had a lot going for it, being based on a novel by Sylvia Plath (The Bell Jar). But don't be afraid! I have many ideas of my own and as soon as we've safely moved into our new place, I will begin production! Be patient and you will be rewarded.

That's all for this time! I'll try to keep you updated as often as I can but from now on, it'll be more difficult. 

Regards,

Travis

  It took me two days, a lot of reading through beginners html-guides and some arguing with my brother regarding design choices but I think that, finally, this site is ready to be launched! I'm sure there's still work to be done, I'm sure those who look will find flaws and I'm sure that you can do better but this is as good a web-site by me will ever get. Well, at least that's how I feel right now. This url has been in my mind for a long time and, hopefully, it'll develop to the place I imagined it would be. A place for me and my friends, a place to talk about that which I have loved since I was a little kid: Video Games!

  The idea for this started many years ago, as I tried to get into reviewing video games. I gathered some friends to join a non-profit organisation to be able to do this and we named our group "Square Eyes". Everything was candy dandy, it seemed, but something was missing. Something called "Commitment". No body really had any interest and at the time I didn't know exactly how and what to do. The only thing I did know was that I had to express my passion for video games somehow. Today, several years later, I have the knowledge, the capability and the right friends to do this. "My Square Eyes" will be our way, our knowledge and love for the subject will be our vessel and we're following a map with no boundaries. Hopefully, there won't be any nasty edges to fall over.

Please, if you have read this and feel the same way we do about interactive entertainment, join us for the ride.

Regards,

Travis DG Edna

  Growing up during the 90's, I was a victim of all the great toys and video games that was launched at the kids by big American and Japanese companies. Great Disney shows, Turtles, the NES and it's predecessor were some of the treats that I think many of today's young people are jealous of. Sure, they have great toys, more advanced video games and cartoon show that no grown up would ever understand but they know, just as we do, that they have missed out and no crazy-loud show on TV can ever change that.

  One thing that is true for both generations is that the parents haven't changed. As a kid, my parents would often tell me not to sit too close to the telly, or my eyes would get square. Of course, I replied and accused them of lying. But sometimes, after playing a lot of video games, I would go into the bathroom and look into the mirror and sometimes I could swear that my eyes looked a bit more square!

  Today, I don't think parents use exactly that "threat" to get kids away from the TV or computer screen but they do try, surely with some new, sly lie. This site is for you, who know what I'm talking about. Or for you, who have a taste for great games. Or for you, who are tired of the younger generation going crazy of a sugar overdose. Or for you, who are one of those kids and want to prove me wrong. Go ahead, try. Anything goes at "My Square Eyes". See you around!

Regards,

Travis DG Edna