There seems to be a certain stigma surrounding gaming at the moment. If you're a gamer you become automatically labeled as a 'mouth breathing waste of space' or whatever tag we're currently being labeled as. Oddly enough it's normally other gamers insulting each other this way, but I won't get into that.
My issue is with this stigma. Yes, I game. Yes, I enjoy gaming. It's my life and what exactly do I owe you from it?
I'm fairly active when it comes to sports and hobbies. I work hard at my job and I do better than most at it. I earn a pretty good living and I consider myself fairly fit from the work I do. Yet if I spend a night playing a game rather than spending time in a bar I don't even like - I'm deemed anti-social.
If I spend money on a game which can be free to play I'm deemed a loser. If I enjoy a game and I think I'll get the entertainment out of it I'll happily play a 'freemium' game. I don't understand why people get so mad about it, if it wasn't for people like me these games wouldn't exist in the first place.
Where did strangers get it into their head that they can judge me and my hobbies? Sitting watching TV like a potato having nonsensical narrative spoon fed to you is culturally fine but doing something which is actively engaging and challenging is not?
I was recently hanging out in a cafe after a few hours workout and I was having a pretty good day. The conversation turned to gaming and all of a sudden the group next to us felt the need to share their opinion that gaming was a waste of time.
Now we'd spent at least two hours on the walls and they'd been sitting in the same spot from before we got there. On top of that they were talking about TV shows and movies from what I caught. But yet, gaming was the time sink?
I'd love to know what they considered so important with their time. I don't consider sitting around a cafe for hours on end in any way more rewarding than gaming with my friends.
And on top of that even *if* it wasn't tremendously ironic what gave them the right to judge what I do in my spare time? I'm pretty competitive with pretty much everything I do and that's why I enjoy gaming. I can pit myself against anyone from around the world and I think that's a far better hobby than sitting watching TV. I prefer it and I don't think I should have to explain myself to anyone.
So suck it up folks. Gaming is here to stay and next time your computer breaks down and you can't access Facebook don't come crying to me because I'll be far too busy with my 'waste of time'.
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
My Binweevils Codes
If you're reading this then you're probably a Binweevils player looking for codes or the parent of a Binweevils player wondering what all this is about. Well I'll show you how the code thing works and how you can use them to upgrade your account without paying a penny.
Binweevils has the Bin Tycoon service which costs a monthly fee to upgrade your account and give you items and in game currency each month. And this is great if your kid really likes the game and sticks with it. But let's face it children are fickle so it's generally better to try the game without paying and then upgrade if they stick with it. This is where Binwevils codes come in. You can enter codes for in game rewards which gives you a proper taste of the virtual world before paying for it.
Now these codes come from several different sources. The player can unlock them in game while completing challenges. They can answer questions on the Binweevils blog and they can also get the Binweevils Top Trumps game and the monthly magazine which comes with codes.
Using Codes
Using the codes is easy. Each Weevil (player avatar) can only use each code once but multiple players can use the same codes. The video below shows you exactly how to use each code but it's fairly easy. Go to Lab's Lab (the science centre looking building) and you'll find the 'Mystery Code machine'. From there a player can enter the codes and hit submit. Both the normal codes and the Top Trump codes can be entered here. Each code will give a reward of exp, currency and/or an item.
There are hundreds of codes out there and you can use an unlimited amount on the same account.
In Game Codes
In game codes probably take the longest to get but do involve playing the game. For completing certain games and challenges the player will get rewards and codes they can use. Other players might also give them codes but keep in mind if you use the code you won't be able to use it again after you complete the challenge.
Blog Codes
The official Binweevils blog (which you can see here) frequently has competitions and events which reward a player with a code for the game. Puzzles usually come out at least once a week and if you follow the clues you can unlock new things pretty frequently. Players and unofficial blogs usually post the answers to these puzzles as well if you just want the code without the challenge.
Top Trump Codes
If you haven't heard about them before Top Trump's is a card game which has become fairly popular. The gameplay is pretty basic but fairly fun. You don't need to keep buying booster packs or anything and the Binweevils Top Trumps pack will cost you a few pounds. As well as getting the game itself to play you also get the Top Trumps codes which can be entered in game. Instead of being a word or phrase these are a set of symbols which need to be copied. The rewards are roughly the same as the normal codes.
Card Game
Other than Top Trumps there is also the official Binweevils card game with over 200 cards to collect and play with and each pack comes with a Binweevils code. Most newsagents which carry the magazine stock them and you can also get them online. They're usually under a pound per pack with the starter kit starting at a few pounds.
The problem with the card game is that players tend to want to collect the whole set and because each pack is a random amount of cards so you don't really know what you're getting. It works the same as baseball cards did back in the day which usually results in trading. Other than being a card game it's a good way to get codes for the internet game but you'll usually get a lot of duplicates there as well.
Magazine Codes
The Binweevils magazine comes out once a month and has the normal stuff you would expect from a kids magazine. It has games and comic stories and somewhere in there you'll find a code. The code works exactly the same as the others and the magazine itself is actually pretty good for a kids magazine.
Book Codes
There's about half a dozen story and sticker books for Binweevils each with a code. These codes usually give exclusive codes for special items which you won't find anywhere else. The stories themselves are fairly short but the books are only a few pounds and hey - anything to encourage reading, right?
Old Codes Online
You won't normally find the new codes shared online. I'm not really sure what the legality of that would be considering you're supposed to buy the magazine etc.. for them? But the in game codes are pretty commonly shared inside the game and a lot of fan sites like this one shares the older codes which still work.
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