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(¥ Chocolate stout cake with coffee ganache icing
Diary of astarter novelist
(¥Y How to make class less boring

And more!

Bringing up the ‘V’ word...

» How to introduce your significant other to video games

Brittney MacDonald
Staff Writer

s more and more people
Ase involved in video
games as a hobby, chances are
you either are (or have dated)
a self-professed “gamer.” Asa
gamer myself, I understand
when that special someone
in my life gets caught up in
epically long questlines and
multi-player raids that can take
hours if not days to plan and
execute. Unfortunately, if your
main squeeze has never been
into that scene, they might not
understand your obsession
with grinding levels rather than
them.

Naturally, the best way
to rectify this is to get your
significant other equally as
obsessed with video games as
you are! Or at least obsessed
enough to get off your back
about spending more “quality
time” together, before the next
expansion pack comes out.

Here’s an introductory
list of a few games that might
appeal to men and women just
starting out on their own digital
journey.

League of Legends

This game has its own electronic :

sports league and maintains

a huge following of users. It’s
relatively easy to learn, and can
be adapted to many different

. a)

: play styles due to the numerous
: characters you can play as.

: Another benefit to this game is
: that couples can play together

: almost immediately. It might

: bea bit boring for the more

: experienced player to go back in :

: and play with the noobs, but we
: all must make sacrifices in the
: name of love.

: Destiny

: Now I know what youre

: thinking—why would a first

: person shooter be on this list?
Yes Destiny is competitive,

: but it also has one of the

: best party systems currently

: running. The voice chat is built
: in, rather than working as a

: separate, third party program

: that can lag your game. The
: controls are fairly simple, and
: the majority of enjoyment for
: this game comes from killing
: a bunch of aliens with your
: friends. One downside is that

experience points aren't evenly

: distributed, so any character

: that’s three or move levels above
: their companion will just hog

: everything. If you want to play

: together, you'll either need to

: make a new character, or wait

: till your lover levels up enough

: to join you.

: Beyond: Two Souls

: Personally, I wasn’t too fond

: of this game because of how

: easy it was for anyone familiar
: with a console controller. But

Have an idea for a story? Let us know!
Contact: Sophie Isbister, Life & Style Editor
Mlifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca

www.theotherpress.ca

 

: games, so I just chose both

: because they play relatively the
: same. These are older games

: that have been re-released

: recently. When neither a

: compelling narrative nor the

: possibility of digital dates

: through online play appeals,

: you might as well go with pure
: joy. Both these games are very

: reminiscent of the early console
: games, such as Super Mario

: or Sonic the Hedgehog. So if

: those retro games are the only

: games your boo has played,

: these might be good options

_ : to get them to update their

 

: for that movie buff in your

: life who has never touched a

: video game system, this game
: is perfect. Beyond focusses on
: plot narrative, and acts more

? as an interactive movie than

: anormal video game. But it

: is still very addicting. Throw

: ina couple stellar, computer-

: generated doubles of Willem
: Dafoe and Ellen Page and you
: might have found the perfect
: gateway game. Unfortunately
: this game is single player only,
: so it’s not the best option if you
: want something you can both
: experience together.

Ratchet and Clank/Jak
: and Daxter
: I couldn’t decide between these

: catalogue. Easy to learn and

: filled with comedy, these games
: are just fun, and that appeals to
: everyone.

In truth, there are so many

: different types and genres of

: games out now, it would be

: hard to find someone who

: absolutely hates them all. The

: trick is to know your boyfriend
: or girlfriend and what they

: would like—maybe ask them a
: few questions as to what they’d
: rather not play. Dead Space

: might be your favourite, but

: curb stomping aliens for ammo
: might not be everyone's cup

: of tea. Try and remember that

: they’re trying something new to
: better relate to you, so you can
: at least make an effort to find

: them something they might

: enjoy. Knowing that your lover
: pays attention to you is always

: SCXy.

 

L&S Listed: 10 holiday season dos and don'ts

Sophie Isbister
Life & Style Editor
M lifeandstyle
@theotherpress.ca

 

lot can go wrong over
he holidays. It could be

boredom or overwork, loneliness !

or too much family, or any of

the myriad other things thatcan :

dampen the joy of your well-
deserved break from academia.
Here’s a handy list of dos and
don'ts to make your holiday
spectacular!

1. Don’t find yourself being
trampled at Metrotown on

last-minute shoppers.

: 2. Do try to get your shopping
: done early by utilizing resources

like online shopping (Etsy for that :

: personal touch, and Amazon for
: everyone else) or the numerous
: craft fairs this time of year.

: 3. Don’t bother with your

: neighbour’s Christmas lights.
: Chances are they just havea

: basic string of reds and greens

: adorning their porch, and not
: much else.

: 4. Do hit up the Festival of

: Lights at VanDusen Gardens

: in Vancouver for a beautiful,

: botanical tour of epic

: : proportions. Come for the one
December 24 with the rest of the : million (1!!) lights and stay
: for the Scandinavian Gnome
: performances.

: 5. Don't skate on the sidewalk!

: Make sure during icy or snowy
conditions that someone (your

: landlord, a hunky neighbour)

: is shovelling and salting the

: sidewalk in front of your place.

: If you go home for the holidays,
: offer to do this tedious chore for
: your family.

: 6. Do skate at Robson Square.

: Seriously, nothing is more

: romantic than the free, open-air
: ice rink below Robson Square in
: downtown Vancouver. I mean

: sure, it’s crowded and small, but
: they have apple cider, and the

: city lights will make you feel like
: you're at Rockefeller Centre in

: NYC.

: 7. Don’t gift piles of random

: crap that nobody wants. If

: you give someone a package

: of generic bath salts and body

: washes that you got at Shoppers
: Drug Mart on December 24,

: they’re just going to give it away
: or turf it once an appropriate

: amount of time has passed

(approximately six months, FYT). : Elizabeth Plaza downtown,

: from now until Christmas Eve.
: There’s so much to see and

: enjoy—whatever your religious
: denomination, the seasonal

: sights and sounds will ensure

: that this event becomes a

: holiday tradition for you and
your family.

: 8. Do give an experience! Buy a
: pair of concert tickets to share

: with a friend, or a couple zipline
: passes, or, if you don’t think

: you'll see them on the actual

: day of Christmas, treat them to
Da holiday event and spend some
quality time together.

9. Don’t even think about
: skipping the Vancouver

: Christmas Market this year. Why
: would you even consider missing
: out on over 50 vendors selling

: everything from traditional

: European holiday foods to hand-
: crafted gifts and ornaments?

10. Do bring your family and
: friends to the Vancouver
: Christmas Market at Queen