65.) TotalBiscuit has Passed Away

       While at work, both a friend and co-worker of mine informed me that YouTube personality John Bain who went by the name "TotalBiscuit" has passed away due to cancer. He was someone I highly admired and looked up to. His videos inspired me to go forth with this blog and not be afraid to speak on important issues and successes surrounding both the game industry and gaming culture. John was by far one of my favorite game critics and consumer advocates; covering a wide range of subjects including video game mods, loot-boxes and indie games. He wasn't afraid to speak against unethical business practices in the gaming industry whether or not people agreed with his opinions. His video on modern military shooters was a personal favorite of mine.

       Another video I was very fond of was back in 2013, where he compared first-person shooters at that particular time in comparison to older games in the genre.

       TotalBiscuit advocated how we can actually learn from 'old' games of the past. He mentioned how game levels had very complex designs. Today, often in single-player first-person shooter games, arrows constantly point and tell players where to go. Its one thing if players are lost in a map and they are given the option of using a compass or an arrow to give them some idea of where to go, instead of blatantly telling or forcing them. Players are forced down a narrow path towards their next objective with little to no decision making. Why are there no alternate paths for players to choose from towards the same objective? Personally, this has made my experience with many fps titles less fun. 

       The expectations for players to actually figure things out and think for themselves has been removed in so many first-person shooter games. Instead of constantly being told and forced where to go, players were expected to figure out how to navigate around things. Getting lost in a maze was fun! Finding Easter-eggs such as hidden rooms and secret paths was fun! Figuring out how to defeat enemies and challenging bosses  was fun because it gave me a sense of accomplishment. Players weren't solely left to always gunning down everything. They made decisions while fighting enemies and had to get creative and think on their feet. 

       What initially drew me to his YouTube channel were his The "WTF Is...?" series. They were essentially first looks at new video games and many independent game developers credited him for jump-starting their games. Back in 2011, "WTF Is... - Duty Calls was I think the very first video of his I watched which covered a game developed by Epic/ People Can Fly, created as a Call of Duty parody.

       His reviews in my humble opinion helped me to make informed decisions as a game consumer and to have some idea about what I was getting into before spending money on particular games. The video game world has experienced a tremendous loss. Rest in peace John Peter Bain; you are greatly missed.