Update time!

OK, Back from holiday to Turkey, and I need to write before I get too lazy. So let me give you guys an update on a few things about me and gaming...

Turkey

About the whole CRT and LCD monitor thing I mentioned about in the previous post. I did a little research and it turns out that LCD PC monitors are out there in Turkey, but they're fairly small. According to someone who I meet in Turkey, LCD monitors larger than 17 inches are rare to find in homes and offices because they're very expensive, so if you're Turkish, and you want a 21 inch screen, chances are you'll hunt down a CRT screen, which is quite impressive considering you can't find them anywhere in the western world any more. Maybe Turkey should make an industry for CRT monitors for MAME cabs and arcades!

Whilst I was there though, when I was in Antalya, one of the biggest cities in Turkey, I found a few of these "PlayStation Cafes". Think of it like a Cyber Cafe, or a PC Bang, but you replace the monitors and PCs with a few wall mounted TVs with PS3s attached to them. Sounds like a good idea, unless you go into a bad one. Like I did... The one I went into was hardly decorated, brick wall, concrete floor, a table for a cash desk, and those white plastic chairs you find EVERYWHERE! But what's worse it that you cant just "have a look" inside a PlayStation Cafe, you have to buy something. As I was watching some guys play Pro Evolution Soccer, I had this disgruntled clerk thrust a warm can of Pepsi in my face and told me that I had to pay for it, and I had to pay 7 Turkish Lira for it, which is about £2.75! Damn expensive! Rather than cause a problem, I purchased it anyway and left, Turkey is just one of those countries whereby some places you have to buy something when you enter a shop or cafe, it's just how they make money...

Me in my the British IBM shirt!

the British IBM

So yeah... the British IBM had a gig in Cambridge, and it was pretty good. Bit of a shame that the other bands were a bit naff, maybe they were trying to make the British IBM even more awesome. Plus there were a few laughs between tracks such as bar-codes and why I shouldn't win any more prizes. Plus I got to listen to their new track, so it was all awesome!

Steam Early Access

Here's a cool service, Steam has introduced something called "Early Access" where by you can play games before they get released. Think of it like playing a game's Beta. But unlike Beta testing where you're only playing about 60% or so of the game, you get to play the whole game, but you can put you're own input into the game's final development, such as how to make the game better, or point out any bugs in the game. Think of it like playing gold release games before they're technically gold.