Newsletter July 2015 Newsletter

[wewo]

wewo?s quote of the month:

"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words."

Plautus courtesy of (http://www.brainyquote.com/)

eGO?s ninth birthday falls one day before Independence Day in the United States. EdgeGamers, a mature gaming community was formed, freeing members from hackers, trolls, and swearing. More importantly the few friends who founded eGO have grown exponentially. We should thank eGO?s founding fathers for having the vision to create a community that could grow to the largest and greatest gaming community in the world. Because of eGO, many of us have formed friendships and relationships that have and will last for years. Happy birthday eGO!

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[link="http://www.edge-gamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286354#post2767963"]BGM is not an acronym for Big Man Gaming[/link]




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[link="http://www.edge-gamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286354#post2768231"]Music: is it all in your head?[/link]



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[link="http://www.edge-gamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286354#post2768235"]You found a friend in NME[/link]


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[link="http://www.edge-gamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286354#post2768238"]Its all about those skins[/link]



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[link="http://www.edge-gamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286354#post2768242"]Garry?s the new guy in town[/link]

This month's newsletter was masterfully edited by whoflungpoo and SuperGlue, and the quality graphics were prepared by Ric.

 

[wewo]

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by SigmaTaurus

Today I am going to talk about music and gaming industries and how they collide, So, we went to the dark pit where CS Leadership lingers and found a wild _MEGA (DL) and a dangerous Medviah (Advisor) to discuss about how music impacts our gameplay. This is what they told us:

ST: In your case guys, do you listen to separate music while playing? And if that?s the case, what games do you prefer to play with the BGM (background music) included in the game?

_MEGA: I tend to not listen to any BGM when playing games that rely more on sound, such as Counter-Strike. I really need to hear the footsteps. However, when playing MMOs such as TERA I tend to prefer using my own BGM over what the game provides. I feel more relaxed because I know I will enjoy music on my playlist because, well.... I picked it!

ST: What music genres do you prefer and, anticipating that they suck, why the heck do you listen to that crap?

_MEGA: It's not like I have anything against the original music in the game. In fact, there are some MMOs, such as AIKA Online, that have great OSTs in my opinion. In MMOs, I find that there are places, usually fantasy-like areas that I really enjoy the BGM. However, when it comes to dungeons I really prefer my own music as it helps me get pumped and excited. As for the genres I listen to, it's a pretty wide range. I have songs from classic rock, such as AC/DC, to various types of electronic dance music to some modern pop, both native and foreign.

Considering that, do you think the gaming industry is focusing enough effort into making top quality BGMs?

_MEGA: I'm a pretty big Legend of Zelda fan and I even got the 25th Anniversary sound track bonus disc from Skyward Sword and haven't regretted it one bit. The music, to me, feels like a modern interpretation of classical styles. A JRPG I have, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, also has a fantastic soundtrack. I may be weird, but to me the right music is very important for a game (The wild _MEGA was successfully tamed, using a BGMball).

Medviah: I personally don't listen to music or the BGM. I'm constantly in TS, so I need to differentiate between in-game and TS.

Would you say that not listening to the BGM because you need to hear could impact in your overall satisfaction of a specific game genre?

Medviah: Since I only play our CS:GO Servers, I need to know who is talking and if it is out-of-game or not. It's not a matter of it impacting my experience or not, I just want to hear what everyone is saying.

Can you remember a game or two that you used to play before Counter Strike that involved an environment where you had to listen to music in order to feel deeply connected to the game?

Medviah: I feel like one of the only games that, actually having the music on helped, was Dark Souls. It made it feel more alive and deadly. Is that next step around the corner going to be dangerous? Is it just my imagination that I just heard foot steps behind me? Dark Souls is one of few that got me more immersed into the game with having it on.

Very interesting. Do you believe that if the CS franchise added something involving BGM people would actually listen to it? That is, of course, putting aside the fact that these games do not have BGM because of the need to use microphones

Medviah: Not really, Counter Strike is very revolved around hearing footsteps, gunshots, reloading, your teammates speaking, etc. I feel like if it was put in place for more casual matches than competitive, perhaps. But as it stands now, there is far too much going on it the "world" of the match to allow for BGM to be on.

I agree with you, so we could conclude that in some cases, the involvement of the user with the game is achieved with many other factors aside of the music. There is a game that I can relate to as one of the most impressive BGM's ever put into, the game is Remember Me, which was produced as a Movie, like The Last Of Us. Have you played it?

Medviah: I have played neither of those games.

You totally should, if you want to hear a very well-produced and composed BGM. For the sake of this talk, of course. Finally, my friend, if you had the chance to add some sort of BGM to Counter Strike, what type of music would you add?

Medviah: So I would say something like Darkest Dungeons BGM. It just has that feeling of dread and brief respite, which I think would be great for a shooter.

(Suddenly, a Rovlved appears out of the bushes, which after an extensive analysis proved to be the wild _MEGA)

Rovlved: I think it really depends on the game. I know some games have fantastic BGM that I could listen to forever. I just picked up Child of Light during the steam summer sale and the first thing that caught my attention was the music. I am even tempted to leave the game running just so I can have it playing.

And who the hell ARE YOU, punk? To interrupt my interview with such classy and accurate comment? Oh, its Mega-licious, you naughty boy.
(ST used Closure with Medviah. It's super effective!)

ST: Guys this has been very enlightening, especially for a couple of kids (jk). Thank you very much for your time.

What do you guys think about this?

Read ya' later
SigmaTaurus

[LINK="http://www.edge-gamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286354"]return to front page[/LINK]

 

[wewo]

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by SigmaTaurus

Who the heck needs TeamSpeak 3, with a bunch of voices telling you how much of a noob you are, when you can totally rock your gaming listening to your favorite gigs, right?

According to Psychology Today (LINK);

Some studies suggest that music and sound effects enhance performance. For instance, Tafalla (2007) found that male gamers scored almost twice as many points while playing the first-person shooter game DOOM with the sound on (chilling music, weaponfire, screams, and labored breathing) compared to those playing with the sound off.


Sometimes the results are more complex. Cassidy and MacDonald (2009) tested people playing a driving game with car sound effects alone or with car sound effects plus different kinds of music. People playing with music that had been shown to be ?highly arousing? (in previous research) drove the fastest?but also made the greatest number of mistakes, such as hitting barriers or knocking over road cones!
​

While some of us enjoy the sweet sound of everyone else's miraculous voices making Yo' Mamma jokes while playing Counter Strike, some of us would rather listen to mandatory Death Metal in order to focus on that bad-ass Boss Battle, with or without taking into consideration that the BGM (background music) is brutal enough.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uARMdTfMKc[/ame]

Yes, the song is about someone having a hell of a time in the bathroom, after Taco Day at work.

Like the chorus goes: "What the hell did I just eaaaaaaaaaaaat...*Groans and growls*"

Or not, whatever.

Regardless of what you listen to, you are probably one of those guys or girls who have to have music or your gaming experience is just not the same. And that's my case.

Music is so important in a game that without some sounds on the back, everything turns into a Macbeth rehearsal, where everyone dies...of boredom!

The studies we consulted for this article also show that not only is very important to have sounds and music that can relate to what you are doing (for example, slaying a monster while in a dark corner of a full moon night in a dump of a city), you also need music and sounds that do not contrast with what your eyes are seeing (for example, while playing Slenderman you start listening to J. Bieber or something worse).

Yes the example is kinda exaggerated but the principle remains the same, both senses, sight and hearing must remain connected in order to send the same data to the brain.

Game experiences started with 8-bit sounds that resembled my nephews playing the keyboard with their noses, and now they have full set orchestras playing tracks so involved that you just want to listen to them for the sake of it.

Or Death Metal. Again, it's mandatory sometimes.

Since there is a very complex discussion about this, we went and talked with some Leaders to hear their opinions, but to read them, please check the MTL article for this month.

Read ya' later
Sigmataurus.

[LINK="http://www.edge-gamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286354"]return to front page[/LINK]

 

[wewo]

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by wewo

The NME program needs more friends. We previously reported on the NME program: It assigns present eGO members to new recruits in their Division to befriend them, game with them, and help to smoothly integrate them into eGO. I recently spoke to PSC Advisor Scientisto about the status of the NME program.

While the program is proving to be a great success, the PSC needs more members to sign up. Right now there are approximately 36 members tutoring recruits, with three to four recruits assigned to each member. The PSC would like to be able to assign fewer recruits to each NME represntative. Scientisto explains that this will allow the members to bond better with the recruit and also enjoy their online gaming experience.

Currently, the Divisions that are in more urgent need of NME representatives are CS and OP:X. Everyone can use another friend, so contact Scientisto, or any PSC leadership member, if you are interested in meeting and grooming new members. The NME program is open to every eGO member, regardless of rank. It is a great opportunity to help out your division and the community.

[LINK="http://www.edge-gamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286354"]return to front page[/LINK]

 

[wewo]

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by flamelauncher11

Hello, and welcome to the monthly EdgeGamers Newsletter. It is I, flamelauncher11, covering the latest and greatest in Counter-Strike. Let?s dive in!

Want to play Trouble in Terrorist Town, but don?t own Garry?s Mod? Head on into CS:GO and check out EdgeGamers? newest Trouble in Terrorist Town server featuring maps from the Garry?s Mod version. The server information can be found here.

Now, about those skins. CS:GO may be popular for its competitive gameplay and variety of weapons, but it is even more reknown for the hundreds of skins, qualities, and even skin patterns for all of the weapons. The most expensive CS:GO skins have sold for thousands of dollars through Paypal, Steam Wallet, Bitcoin, and even on eBay. Usually the higher the price of the skin, the rarer it is. Skins such as the AWP | Dragon Lore and just about any knife skin are very hard to unbox and typically aren?t seen in casual servers. Many skins feature Stattrak technology, which is a way of tracking the amount of kills made in the entire game with that specific weapon. Kills are only counted when the weapon is in the hands of its owner and can be seen on a little digital display, or etched into the knife?s blade. Stattrak weapons tend to be more valuable than their bare counterparts. Some, such as the Stattrak M4A4 | Howl, are even harder to find and people pay ridiculous amounts of money for them. OPSkins is a safe and reliable source for purchasing skins with Paypal, rather than using the Steam marketplace, with reports showing that some skins have sold for more than $1,000. Some skins are as cheap as a penny; it all comes down to condition, collection, and rarity.

Anyways, thanks for tuning into the July Newsletter. Summer is here and the sun is out, so stay indoors, grab a drink and push for Global Elite! This is flamelauncher11 once again, signing off.

[LINK="http://www.edge-gamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286354"]return to front page[/LINK]

 

[wewo]

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by SigmaTaurus

Garry's Mod Division is so young within EdgeGamers and yet its members and leadership are working their butts off to make people feel proud.

For example:

- They established a personalized thread for server crashes
- Trouble in Terrorist Town (one of our servers) started at a global ranking position higher than #1,292 and now is on #795 +/-. That's a freaking lot of places taken over in a short period of time.
- Event nights are held on a regular basis, on par with the longer established divisions and a key component to long term success.
- They make a bad-ass Venti Caramel Macchiato with a taste of Vanilla. Wait, that's Starbucks.


Right now, it seems there is nothing much to be said about GMod, but if things don't improve soon, I will be forced to start making stories up to fill my articles quota! That was a joke. Show your support to Gmod and go play on their servers once in a while. Prop Hunt is SO FUN. You can have a very good and healthy laugh playing it. For real.

Read ya' later, while drinking my unnecessarily expensive mainstream brand coffee.
Sigma Taurus

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[armypoilce]

Good news letter :}

 

[RipplyTiger151]

Good stuff!

 

[SassyTz]

Good news letter :}

I'll say :w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t: