As we look forward to the release of the next PlayStation, what comes next?
The latest PlayStation the PS5 is due for release later this year.
So what do we know about the most anticipated console release in years?
On the 25th anniversary of the original will it revolutionize the way we game?
Only time will tell of course, but the signs are good. The teasers from Sony point to a new machine with a whole bunch of new tech.
Stuff like 4k and HDR TV compatibility will change the game. The graphics are set to leap forward. Things like depth of color and individual rays of light on the screen are going to be possible.
That’s not only going to make games seem more lifelike. It’s also going to give us a feeling of deeper game immersion.
The processors are also going to move the game on. Quicker gaming, quicker loading, and downloading.
Adaptive triggers in the control and what they call a 3d soundscape. Will make us feel like we are in the game.
All sounds good and once again the PlayStation represents a pivotal moment in gaming.
The revolution is here, long live the PlayStation!
Danny took a seat again. He was getting old no doubt about it.
No longer one of the boys, he was the old boy aboard the ship. A life spent at sea meant some days he felt old as well.
Being the old boy has its benefits though, a chance to pass on experience and wisdom. It’s also a chance to take a life a bit easier and let the young boys take up the slack.
Life has been good, sure I have made mistakes and have some regrets. But I would do it all over again. Thought Danny as he sat on watch on the bridge that sunny afternoon.
An eight-hour workday and four hours on a watch is a typical shift length for a deckhand like Danny. Then it’s off to bed for eight hours.
The older you get the smarter you work and so it was for Danny. A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor as the saying goes. Experience and knowledge are like compound interest. It builds up over time.
Knowing all the tricks and tips to make life easier is one of the joys of age.
Danny, after all, was only 18 with 42 years of experience.
Life is what we make it, smooth seas never make a skilled sailor. It’s the challenges and bumps in the road, that we learn from.
Without that life would be boring. We would have few opportunities to learn and life would not be so enjoyable.
Life is meant to be a blast, learn, live fast, and have fun while it lasts.
Still going strong 25 years on, the original PlayStation was a game changer
As the mid-90s came round. Gaming consoles were 10 years old or so.
At the time they were expensive and so were the games. We also had gaming PC alternatives such as the commodore 64 and omega. Then there was also the handheld market.
Sega and Nintendo were the big players in the market. Starting out in the mid-80s they had moved consoles forward. While we can’t deny that they brought gaming to the masses. There was an issue.
You either had a Sega or a Nintendo. Which influenced the games you could buy or play.
There was very little crossover between the two platforms.
In 95 when Sony released the PlayStation, it was a game-changer in many ways.
Sony didn’t make its own games like Sega or Nintendo. They licensed the platform. That meant all games more or less were available on one platform. (Nintendo were the only company who didn’t take advantage)
They worked hard to break the duopoly of the big two. That meant a cheaper console with cheaper games. The whole experience from controls, through graphics and gaming speed, was a huge improvement.
It was a no-brainer, you had to have a PlayStation.
In the longer term, Sega and Nintendo got pushed out of the serious gaming market. Today Sony and Microsoft have a duopoly in the market, so we are back in the same position as we were 25 years ago.
Well not quite.
The new duopoly has at least kept gaming moving forward. The licensing that Sony started for software is normal today. 98% of games can be played on either platform.
The complexity of the consoles and the depth and quality of the games has gone from strength to strength. Now with internet connectivity and streaming. The days of physically buying a game on disc have gone.
One other thing that has remained the same from that first machine 25 years ago is the controls. Which shows you how right that original machine was.
I still have my first PlayStation today and it’s not that different in the way it plays to a PS4. It all feels familiar.
I don’t play it often, but it will come with me on long business trips. Even 25 years later that original console is still great to play and I can’t think of a better compliment for it than that.
That first PlayStation really was a gamechanger. Going forward there is a lot of hype around PS 5 and what it will bring to the table.
Could 2021 be the year we see another huge change in gaming brought forward to us by Sony?
It’s 23 years since GTA 1 changed the gaming world….
Sex, drugs, rock n roll, and robbery.
Normal themes in gaming today. Back in 97 when the first GTA appeared. It was all very shocking.
GTA was shocking and thrilling in equal measure. Here was a game that did 3 things:
It had simple platform graphics and feel to it. That made it simple to play. The helicopter view meant it was fun but not immersive.
All that violence was quite bloodless. This gave the game a fantasy feel.
So many criminal acts, in a platform game. It was something we had never seen before. It also allowed people to fulfill some pretty dark fantasies.
It was also one of the last games which played and looked different between PC and console.
My dad bought it for the PC and I remember how different it was, like nothing we had played before. As a teenager, it was so much fun. My mum, of course, had a quite different opinion!
Playing it later on a PlayStation was a disappointment. The difference between PC and console versions was huge.
Since then, of course, there have been many follow-ups and spin off’s. None though were quite as simple and fun as the original.
None have been quite so controversial either.
The original GTA, made in my home country of Scotland. Changed the gaming landscape and what we thought possible forever.
From simple shoot em up fun, to build them up and shoot em down, how this platform has changed
The shoot ’em up genre has changed over time.
It’s split out into so many different types of games. Today I want to talk about simple platform-based games. Even those have changed over time.
One thing stayed the same though. The popularity of these simple games. Today the world’s most popular game is Fortnite. It’s today’s platform shoot ’em up.
The early console-based games like Sea Harrier or desert strike were all simple rail-based games. A huge jump forward in graphics and gameplay from the arcade stuff we knew like space invaders.
At the time in the mid to late 80’s it was all quite tame stuff (although it seemed shocking at the time). Shooting people and things on a games console was new, and it was bloodless.
That all changed in 93 with the release of the first doom game. First released on MS-DOS for early PC’s. It was mercilessly copied onto floppy disks. Then in 94 it finally made it onto consoles.
The first shoot em up, that dealt in blood and guts. It was hugely popular and moved the genre on. It certainly helped pave the way for the first grand theft auto game which came out in 97, again at first on PC.
Like most genres in modern gaming. It was the release of the PlayStation in 95 that led to the next evolution. The graphics, speed, and processing power of the PlayStation. Took PC based gaming onto a console at an affordable price.
That led to two things happening:
– The gap between PC based and console-based gaming closed. Which pretty much killed off PC based casual gaming for a few years. (At the time a PC was mega expensive, and so were the games)
– Console games, in general, became a much more immersive experience.
What came out of that period were games like call of duty and medal of honor. They pushed the genre forward into new areas and a new depth of experience.
Today, of course, they are a sub-genre of shoot ’em up gaming. To compare what we have today to the early days you would have to look like to something like Fortnite.
That game for me pretty much mixes early platform gaming, early bloodless shoot em up, and today’s immersive world gaming.
Today things have changed and gaming has moved on. Today’s shoot em up is once again bloodless. But its also more immersive than ever.
Its no longer just shoot em up, it’s build them up and shoot em down!
Successful entrepreneurs don’t do what they for money. There is something else that drives them to success.
Their WHY…
If you listen to anyone successful in business. These folks will often say they had a lightbulb moment. Most will say it was that moment where they realized they could never work for anyone.
Others may say, they found a solution to a problem and had to bring it market.
Whatever that WHY might be. Rarely if ever is it money.
They may use money as a way of keeping track of their success later in life, but it’s not the motivation. Which makes sense, when you chase money, rarely if ever doe’s it come to you.
Finding your WHY:
If your thinking of starting out in business yourself, this is a key question to ask yourself.
If the answer is to make billions, you may want to re-think that answer. Chances are that with money as your why, it will be harder to come by.
Entrepreneurship takes real dedication and motivation. It’s much easier to keep going when you are passionate about your reasons for pursuing them.
It could be that your why is to improve lives. It may be educating people, the list is endless.
The important thing to remember is that the journey to success is difficult and long.
Having real inspiration and motivation to keep moving forward is key.
That’s why when you ask most entrepreneur’s they will tell you they rarely do what they do for the money.
They do it for the love of their WHY, whatever it may be.
That call to say you are at risk of losing your job.
Times are tough right now, but there are ways to prepare for coming out on the other side.
That’s what this guide is all about. Making sure you can use the time you have to prepare for the change.
Having been there before, I wanted to share what works for me in the hope that it helps others.
Step 1 Finances:
***These are options available to you. But I’m no financial professional, this is not professional advice. Only options that are available for you to explore with a financial professional. Or the many free to use organizations like the citizen’s advice bureau***
Budget: You are going to have to make some adjustments to your spending habits. Go back through your last 3 months of bank statements and list everything. What doe’s your lifestyle cost you today.
Once you have worked that out, start cutting. Anything that’s not essential can go. This will give you a baseline of what it will cost you to live each month.
Be realistic, the more detail, time, and effort you put in here. The less stress you will have when your final day of employment comes around.
Severance: Once you know what it’s going to cost you to live, it’s important to know what you are getting in severance. You can tie this with any savings into your budget. This gives you an idea of how long you can sustain yourself.
You should also take some financial advice on your severance. You may need to pay tax on it and there may be ways to limit that.
Debt: This may be one of your highest expenses. Especially if you have a mortgage to take of. The good news is that there are several options here.
How many repayments do you have left on each debt? You may find that you only have a few payments left, you can factor that into your living costs going forward.
You are still employed today, so you may be able to re-finance and get a better deal with lower repayments.
If your payments are high but the amount to be repaid is low. It may make sense to pay that off with savings, allowing you to lower your living costs.
You may be able to get a payment holiday for up to 3 months on your debt. This is a last-ditch option because all it does it push your debt further down the road with higher repayments. Because the interest you missed paid back later on.
Cars, if you have a car or cars on a car loan, you may be able to return the car and walk away from the commitment. That can save you a fortune each month. After that, you can downgrade to a cheap secondhand option.
*** These are all valid options. But you should check the effect on your credit rating and financial position. Using an independent financial advisor before for advice***
Step 2 Job Options:
The job market might be crowded, but that’s not a disaster. Once you have your finances ready, you can accept a job with lower pay.
It’s easier to find work when you are already working, and it’s also a lot easier to pay the bills.
My personal choice is that if I will take any job I need to pay the bills and work for myself at the same time.
Getting ready for the job market is again all about the preparation.
Resume: You are going to need to stand out in the crowd. Use a template that’s simple and clear. Don’t focus too much on the details of your past job roles.
Focus on the skills you had to apply, the lessons you learned, and the highlights of what you achieved. If your severance package includes time with a resume or career coach, then take it.
You may also find coaches willing to help you on LinkedIn, for free or a very low rate.
Interview prep: This one is important. Sitting in front of people talking about yourself is not natural. Unless of course, you are a narcissist.
Getting your presentation down. Having a story about yourself and your career to present is important. Practicing question and answer with someone is important.
If you feel comfortable and confident in being interviewed. Then, you will come across as comfortable and confident. This is a big positive for you in those situations.
The backup plan: Especially if the job market is crowded, having a backup plan is important.
It could be that the backup plan is to move to another area where there is a need for people with your skills. Also, most of us have skills that we could use to make money for ourselves.
It could be anything from buying and selling, to driving or home decoration as examples. Anything that you can make money from.
In the current job market, I know quite a few people who have had to use their back up plan. They are making as much or more money than they did in their previous job.
Final thoughts
Losing a job and the security it gives us can be an upsetting and daunting experience.
But with some preparation and planning. It’s possible to turn that negative into a positive.
It’s hard to adapt to a new reality. But with some planning and a positive attitude, we can keep going through the hardest of times.
Take advantage of the time you get between notice and final severance. Use every tool your given and take good independent financial advice!
How casual gaming culture has changed since the 80’s
This will show my age, but I started gaming in the late ’80s with a Sega mega drive.
Gaming culture was very different from what it is now, especially for kids and teens.
There was generally one T.V in the house so gaming was on our parent’s schedule.
The games were also different. Even the most advanced platform games were basic by today’s mobile app standards. They were also for the time extremely expensive.
The first big change probably came in the mid-’90s with the PlayStation. A console that was cheaper with far better games and graphics. Those games were also cheaper.
The real change in gaming culture around this time was that we could afford a T.V in the bedroom.
Cheaper consumer electronics opened up gaming for us for the first time. No longer chained down by our parent’s schedule we could games when we wanted.
The gaming experience itself changed. The graphics improved, the games became harder and as a result, became much more immersive.
Fast forward to today and it’s changing again. The latest consoles blurring the line between console and computer. Games like fortnight and Minecraft. Are changing things again with their format and immersive universe.
In the last 35 years or so there has been a huge development in gaming consoles themselves and gaming as a hobby. Where we will be in another 10 or 15 years who know, but I’m excited to take the journey and see where it takes us.
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