And there was a time and a place for things, and neither of which are now or here ...

I have recently begun playing this game. And I have also begun thinking about groups I would like to join.

I don't know where my obsession with the supernatural (not a real obsession, if I'm honest, more like a passing one that fuels my creativity in ways unimaginable) comes from these days. Sitting in my office, at night, listening to Akira Yamaoka's "Theme Of Laura" from Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams (you really owe it to yourself to watch that trailer) always seems to wake up that creepy stirring in my heart.

I love horror. Good, old-fashioned, Victorian-era ghost stories, 70's-era slasher films, modern-day J-Horror, and of course, good, old-fashioned, American-style frightfests.

I remember reading a quote by Richard Matheson saying that though he didn't believe in the stuff himself, it never prevented him from writing about it. I guess horror and science fiction holds so many possibilities to expand on one's imagination and move out of a comfort zone that it's hard to not want to partake in the genre.

Scary stuff is good. Very good. The world is full of horrific violence and tragedies, yet, so many look to entertainment as a form of escapism, which is what entertainment, literature, film, whatever, that's what it's for. To provide an escape.

Horror movies and stories are always pooped on by everyone for being base and low-brow, however; I never felt that way. I always wore my badge of honor for horror flicks and stories.

Horror movies are blamed for violence every day in our society. I say boo to that. Unhinged individuals committing murders are no more influenced by pop culture than government officials influenced by classic war films.

The frustrations of game development, chapter 1: Knee Deep In Singapore ...

Just recently, a video game I worked on, Avalis Dungeon, was released on the XBOX 360. Gamers have given it a solid 4/5 rating, whereas on-line reviews and word has not been kind. Totally understandable, the game is interesting, has great artwork, but overall, it's the first entry to a larger story, so I fully understand why people may be frustrated by the lack of character and overall story development.

Or whatever.

That said, I receive the analytics from the dude who hired me, a very level-headed Frenchman named Louis. Every day, I pour over the sales results of the game I was lucky enough to work on, and while the game itself seems to be selling pretty well (priced at 240 Microsoft points, the equivelent of three actual dollars) with one notable country not purchasing more than one copy.

Singapore. How is this possible? Anime-inspired graphics, an over-the-top, highly sexualized story and characters not selling in a country known for cleanliness and censorship?

Certainly this is an abberation.

One sale in Singapore. I salute you, one man who plays Avalis Dungeon. I salute you, mightily. Thank you for buying our game. You may not even be a man. You may be a woman. Still, thank you for buying our game. Spread the word. I get ten percent of the game's sales.