Someone must be allocating points to my Luck Stat and I'm not sure why (as, personally, I think it's a waste of hard-earned points and avoid doing so at all costs) but keep up the good work!!!
(The Gaming Gods have blessed me or RNG has been tweaked in my favour, either is fine with me, but...) Recently, I have had the opportunity to partake in a number of Closed Betas. *goofy school boy grim*
A Closed Beta (for you un-indoctrinated) is defined as: A program or version of software that has not yet been introduced to the public but is released to a select few to test, examine and report problems they may experience so that errors can be fixed before the final release. Essentially, (and I type this with fluttering heart, jittery fingers and controlled excitement) I get to play a videogame before its official release date!!! That's right readers. Your friendly, neighbourhood gamer (i.e. T.A.G aka Me) has suddenly become... a Beta Tester!!! (Child-like JOY ensues)
 |
The whole thing started out with a regular bout of me scouring the web (as is my habit) for any and everything game related. My sessions usually play out like this: read about the new games coming out, find out the latest tournament winners, watch the recent combo videos, peek at the bit of gear/tech that I would love to have, update my "games to be played" list, look up the answer to an in-game puzzle that's giving me issues and then visit Kotaku to close out the session. (Luckily) I ran into a link that lead to an article offering the chance to beta test Gigantic, a random game I had never heard of (which is a feat, in and of itself). On a whim (and with slight irritation as to how this game had eluded me) I clicked said link and I was taken to the Sign Up page. I read the teaser text they had (hooray for teaser text), realized it was a MOBA (which explained why it wasn't on my radar) and signed up for the beta test anyway, even though it wasn't a game type that I fancy.
I remember having 2 distinct thoughts as I entered the relevant info into the application form.
Distinct Thought #1. Looking at the artwork and thinking "That's an imaginative character model" while I secretly marveled at the technique and palette used by the artist. (I can't draw to save my life. Even my stick men don't come out well. So, I have always been jealous of artists. I envy their dexterous transfer of thought to reality and their ability to impress me with minimum effort on their part. Their most menial task eclipses my best attempt and I'm left in awe as I ask "how do they do that?")
Distinct Thought #2. Clicking sign up and thinking "This will never ever ever happen" while I secretly hoped beyond hope that it would happen because it would be astronomically cool. (I went online, did some research and then tried to calculate the probability and/or odds of me actually being chosen as one of the select few. They were not in my favour, not in the least. They bordered on impossible but I held on to my ember of "maybe, just maybe"
To make a long story short, I got into the Closed Beta for Gigantic! I played through the tutorial stage, feeling like a boss, as I deftly dispatched my opponents while skillfully dodging their in-coming attacks. I played a few matches against some CPU controlled enemies, did swimmingly well and bolstered my confidence for the impending battle that would come when I took my first dive into the deep end of the gaming pool; the world of MOBAs.
I played, I sucked, I lost!!!
Needless to say, this is specifically the reason why I don't fancy these sort of games. I'm not very good at them (along with Strategy Games e.g. Valkyrie Chronicle, Tactics Ogre, Xcom and FPS e.g. Call of Duty, Halo, Crysis) and as such I tend to shy away from them. This, further lends itself to the fact that I'm no good at them since it becomes a vicious cycle of: I suck, so I don't play, so I suck, so I don't play, ad infinitum.
Not too long afterwards, I made a point of casually adding "signing up for all the betas I can find" to my regular browsing sessions and this has lead to me being a part of a number of closed betas that have happened over the last couple months. (Unbeknownst to them, I also sign up some of my fellow gamer bros from Select Start Gaming but I haven't heard them saying anything about access. So I assume they haven't been privy to bouts of luck comparable to my own.)
You readers know that I like evidence. You also know that I have evidence to corroborate my rambling. If you have been following the T.A.G Instagram (and you should) you can skip this section but if not, then please bask in the photographic evidence of my closed beta accomplishments thus far. *proud smile* So without further ado T.A.G presents: (in no particular chronological order [mainly because I don't do well with chronology. I can remember, with detail, what happened but not when it happened]) My Betas!!!
Street Fighter V https://www.instagram.com/p/9PVK-4FmWL/
Tom Clancy's The Division https://www.instagram.com/p/BBDx-SRlmX6/
"Dude, why didn't you just post the photos instead of links to the photos? You trying to drive traffic to your follower-less Instagram page? Trolololol"
The short answer... Nope!
The not so short answer... I didn't save the photos (in fact I did but deleted them soon after since I was running low on phone memory) and Instagram won't allow me to copy them for some strange reason. So I'm forced to use links. Sorry if that's not the answer you were expecting Mr. Troll but it's the truth. Deal with it!
(I'm well aware that I don't need to explain myself to that guy up there [the one no one likes] but I like to have people [as trollish as they may be] understand me even if they're being internet trolls.)
Anywho, (which is my uber cool way of getting back to the topic at hand after being sidetracked for/by whatever reason) I must say I deem myself privileged for being able to take part in, what I consider, a momentous occasion. I mean, how many people (and by people I mean persons NOT employed as Beta Testers) can say they have had access to 1 Closed Beta, much less being involved in 5? (I'm hoping the answer to my rhetorical question doesn't present itself because it would render my point moot, defeating the purpose and forcing me to find other pertinent points to back up my statement. Until that time arrives, and I hope it never does, I'll just run with the current status of "no answer given [because you have no idea what the answer to the posed question is]" and/or "no answer needed [because you recognize I'm trying to make a point and not necessarily expecting an answer]")
Also, I should make mention that my joy comes from a place of humility. I am contented with the chance(s) given to me and humbly take pleasure in carrying out the tasks expected. I would never desecrate the sanctity of my posts by taking an "elitist" or "entitled" approach as any other lucky gamer could have had "my" spot and I'm happy that I was chosen. Far be it from me to think that I deserve a place among the select especially since the final say is totally in the hands of the selectors. (Thank you whoever you are, even if you're some algorithm programmed to select a random identifier from a set)
I can see myself (hopefully in the near future) fulfilling the role of a beta tester on a regular basis. I'd love to and I issue a mandate to any and every publisher, producer, developer and beta testing organization or institution out there. If given the opportunity to beta test officially, I would make you proud. My enthusiasm would be limitless and no work load would be too strenuous to undertake. Trust me!!! *suggestive wink* Who wouldn't love to run through simulated instances, discovering glitches and bug, testing the limits of the physics engine, mapping boundaries, noting texture degradation and listening out for audio issues (essentially, sit around a play videogames all day)? Until then, I'll just stick to my day job. All the while waiting patiently for "The Call".
*phone rings*
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this T.A.G?"
"Yesir!"
"Yes Sir!"
