The Gamer's Quarter

dessgeega · Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:35 pm Post subject: dessgeega needs money badly!

much like the topic says, expenses are accumulating! and i need to save up and buy bus tickets to massachusetts so i can visit the person i like.

so, refer me to places i can type words for that will pay me? like, places you have experience with and can put in a good word with the editor re: me?

cash donations are welcome too. it was my birthday in february, you know!

i'll just be over here eating ketchup from a spoon. okay, i actually have tomato soup and vegan burritos, and lots and lots of peanut butter. but yeah, ketchup sandwiches aren't that bad in a pinch. you know what's really good, though? soft-baked pretzels dipped in tomato soup. you learn this when you can't afford what passes for a real diet.
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sawtooth · . Joined: 02 Nov 2005 Posts: 419

do you have any popcorn/movie theater connections? Popcorn and peanut butter are pretty tasty together (fat+salt+more fat+more salt=mmm yum). I wish I was being more helpful here, but that's all I've got.
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Toto · 4th Man Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 122

You could possibly use your work in the Gamers' Quarter as a journalistic credential, and try to get hired by an online website? It's a long shot, but it could work!
A job of some description in the day-to-day world? Even McDonalds is better than nothing, although that's a bad example, because I'm assuming your a vegetarian/vegan, because you mentioned the fact you have vegan burritos.
Sell some of your games? Rarer ones catch top price, but then again, you seem (to me, from your articles) the kind of person with emotional attachment to their games. Which is wholly understadable.

I've been no help, have I?

dessgeega · Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 3:13 am Post subject:

Lackey · . Joined: 11 Jul 2005 Posts: 1107 Location: Canada

My dad says that in college he made tomato soup with free ketchup and hot water from fast food places and crashed weddings for their buffets.
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| Little bird fighting against a bat sect game |

Mister Toups · Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 6:51 am Post subject:

The Escapist? Next-Gen.biz?
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where were you when nana komatsu got a wii?

purplechair · . Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 378 Location: in my pants

Who funds The Escapist?

And why do I have the urge to stop using words and communicate with intuitive sound?

SuperWes · Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 11:49 am Post subject:

Have you thought about Gamestop? I loved working there. You get to see what people actually buy rather than what everyone on the internet assumes they're buying. It's fun.

-Wes
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dessgeega · Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 12:16 pm Post subject:

i've actually applied for a job at a gamestop, but that's not something i tell people.

i'm trying to put something together for the escapist.
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simplicio · . Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 1091

dessgeega · Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 1:20 pm Post subject:

yeah, pretty much.

i'm very mysterious by the way.
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B coma · . Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 279

simplicio · . Joined: 03 May 2005 Posts: 1091

Makes sense. Most people with enough money to buy a game (read: over age 12) know to avoid Batman games (and they just want Halo and GTA anyway). And the clueless parents/aunts who do so much of the actual purchasing for children just buy established kiddy tie-ins.

Pijaibros · Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 12:23 am Post subject:

Of course, if you ever wander by any place that has set labels under the games (like Target) you will always find that all the licensed fair and sports titles are empty. The stuff you expect people to buy is always there staring at you like a lost puppy.

If you do get an interview from EB\GS make sure to let them know that you only game casually if they ask about it. They are more interested in hiring people who are salesman first and gamers second.

OtakupunkX · . Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 730

xvs07 · . Joined: 22 Sep 2005 Posts: 160

Y'know, you could probably buy a goodly portion of lentils, rice, and other dry goods with what you'd spend on a bottle of ketchup, a loaf of bread, and a can of peanut butter. I remember the kitchen sink post all too well, but I think that if I can cook nourishing, cheap food it probably isn't out of reach for anyone. (I'm basically not allowed in the kitchen if there's anyone else around with even a smidgen of culinary skill.)

Also, have you tried asking around any local or online social networks (OkCupid, Craigslist, and Orkut are the ones that spring to mind) to see if anybody's got an odd job or two you could do? Might not earn you much cash, but if you're flexible about payment people can be surprisingly kind and helpful. For example, I recently hooked up with a gal in Minneapolis via OkCupid who fed me several times and worked numerous hours toward my interstate move in exchange for me doing some work on remodeling her basement. Honestly, if you fall in with the right person, the social network node and the comradery alone can be worth as much or more than straight cash.

dessgeega · Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:08 am Post subject:

yeah, craigslist has some interesting stuff on it.

also, the worst personals ever. but that's beside the point.
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dhex · Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:18 am Post subject:

Pijaibros · Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 9:36 am Post subject:

Wilkes · milky wilkie Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 256

kirkjerk · . Joined: 12 Apr 2006 Posts: 1227

I don't grok Craigslist.

It's very good when you have a particular item you want or want to get rid of, from an apartment to an old toaster

But the way it seems to encourage drive-by-postings (by forgoing any kind of signup, which radically reduces the barrier to entry) makes it kind of cold.

And the way its classified ads are headline only is kind of ok, but even its "discussion forums" force you to click on every article you want to read... (I think "scroll browsing" is massively important for usability and maybe even community forming reasons.)

Or am i missing something? Is there a better way of having conversations there I'm missing? I wish I found it friendlier; it seems like a nice batch of likeminded people sometimes, or at least something that might be useful if I moved to a new urban area that had its own craiglist site....

Scratchmonkey · . Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 1439

It seems to be mainly useful as a online classified ad system. I've done a fair amount of selling and buying and it works pretty well for that. The job listing system is pretty good too.

A friend also uses it for his "dick scams". Basically he posts a message as a buxom young lass out for a good time. When men contact him, he then requires them to provide picture proof of how they "measure up". Then he breaks it off. He says the guys on the SF Bay Area have pretty much caught on to the scam; however, he says that the Texas-based boards are a veritable treasure trove. I think he's got roughly 3 GBs of amateur dick photos at this point.

He also used to psuedo-pimp guys using Craigslist; that's another story though.

dhex · Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:55 pm Post subject:

the internet can be a deadly place for a lonesome young man.
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Fred · . Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Posts: 99 Location: Iowa

How are you supposed to follow that up? I'm a little stunned.

Anyway.

Two of my friends are going to school for English degrees, working on the side for different websites as games journalists. Both have had their current gigs for a couple of years now. Neither of them, to my knowledge, makes any money off of this yet, besides the steady supply of "evaluation copies" of new video games and the free E3 badge once a year. To make money one friend works odd jobs, writing and editing copy for various internal university publications; the other shelves books at the local library and works as a "community manager" for some MMORPG network. SOE, I think.

So yeah, it's hard enough getting started as a journalist these days. Trying to make money as a freelance niche journalist is a triple threat. I really would recommend looking for something locally if at all possible. Check with the local newspaper--the daily here pays a guy to write a video game review for a few bucks every week. As long as you don't smoke monkey crack or anything, you could have luck looking for clerical work through a temp agency; clearly you have sufficient mastery of the English language for work as a typist or copyeditor. It's not the most glamorous, I know, but if it pays the bills for now why not try it?

Sorry, I don't mean to be discouraging. I just see what these two friends of mine are going through, and it seems like they are facing the exact same dilemma as my friends from high school who are going into photography or theatre. In other words, you can totally do it, but for the first few years (or more) you will probably need a day job.

Scratchmonkey · . Joined: 02 Mar 2005 Posts: 1439

OtakupunkX · . Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 730

I got a job at a pizza place yesterday. I'm excited.

friedchicken · . Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 496 Location: Port Land, OR

OtakupunkX · . Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 730

Wolverine · . Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 39

OtakupunkX · . Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 730

Mr. Apol · Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 3:18 pm Post subject:

Wolverine · . Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 39

Mr. Apol · Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2006 7:27 am Post subject:

OtakupunkX · . Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 730

It wasn't technically loading, it was "Waiting...", if I remember correctly. Since I had a rather overactive imagination at that time (I guess I still do, only it worked overtime when I was younger) I just thought it was the time it took Batman to unlock and open the door.

It wasn't just a slight pause either, but around 30 seconds of loading. Compared to SFA2 on SNES (which I remember playing around the same time but I don't remember any loading or anything) 30 seconds is a long time.