A Potpourri of Updates

Dreams of diligent writing keep getting dashed (say that several times fast) by reality that gets busier the older children get despite their growing self-sufficiency...because now they want to be involved in more and, of course, they should be in order to have that broadened horizon which should serve them well for that inevitable day they grow to the point of being able to build their own lives. Family is priority and, really, I cannot complain since 1) I signed up for it by marrying a lady who always wanted to be a mother [whom I love enough to grant that wish] and 2) it really is wonderful seeing the potential, helping nurture it, and contemplating with excitement what it could lead to years down the road. But even if that was not quite the case, parenthood is a real God-given calling of which the bare minimum stipulation should be to provide the best start to life one is able in all aspects.

But that is not at the expense of other aspects of life. Though the natural inclination is to prioritize the children (because they can be so needy), the correct order has always been to rather prioritize a healthy marriage. Work is that one thing most of us do out of necessity, but volunteer service can be a balance to it and I have increased my involvement in such recently. Ergo, the blog got bumped several notches for calendar year 2025, but my family and I are as healthy as ever.

Which leaves yet another owing of a new post that will touch briefly on different topics.

What We Are Against

Following the Independence Day flash flooding tragedy here in Texas, the face of evil has appeared on full display in the form of talking heads seeking cheap political hits by pointing fingers. The inclination to rationalize tragedy is natural & understandable, and even well-meaning individuals approaching from a spiritual perspective have fallen to it from time to time (say what you will about the late Reverend Jerry Falwell associating the 9/11 attacks with God's judgment of those who embrace homosexuality), yet it is easy enough to tell the difference when the intention is something not so noble. That people out there would proclaim the deaths of so many children were somehow deserved due to some offense against an ideologically-based bend only exposes how human depravity is still very much alive in segments of our own society, and ought to highlight why adherents to such beliefs must actively be denied power over other people's lives if we are to build a brighter future for our children, communities & nation.

Muzzling Sound, Not Rights

Huzzah & hurrah together! The recent Big Bill that squeaked through Congress may not have been very Beautiful (especially after the Senatorial revisions), but a real gem that was included [albeit touch-and-go for a time] was the essence of the Hearing Protection Act. As of the beginning of 2026, America's 250th anniversary, silencers and so-called short-barreled rifles will no longer be subject to the $200 registration tax first imposed nearly a century ago. Pending legal review (a lawsuit has been filed to deal with this), registration of such tools would still be required by law; not ideal, but alleviation of the cost alone is such a tremendous burden-lifting that it is already prompting significant reconsiderations for the future of my personal armory.

A Matter of Values

After over a year of heavy-hearted consideration, combined with a lack of reversing course on their part (despite plenty of other companies doing so after the Woke fad wore off), the time has arrived for Yours Truly to retire from Sega fandom. I had been looking forward to showcasing my console collection from Master System to Saturn (all complete in the box), but circumstances weigh that they would instead be better converted to their collectible cash value so that they will not have to be moved to a new place. In fact that was its own feedback loop: the biggest reason I have not dug them out to play over the years is because there is too little room in my family's present dwelling to viably do so.

While other game companies like Apogee I grew to forgive (by observing that they ceased putting up a rainbow-colored logo on their X account every June), Sega persisted on the broad path of darkness and has betrayed my loyalty [and my heart] for the last time (the frivolous doses of sexually-deviant innuendo in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which I was only able to watch recently, further proved what I already feared). Yet love must die hard: for the record I will always appreciate, and continue to reflect and write upon, the classic gaming legacy left before getting sullied by sinful sociopolitical agenda. I WILL NOT discontinue playing, enjoying, or writing about the great contributions to culture made by Sega over the decades, gaming or otherwise. My hardcore fan collecting and consideration of recent & future titles comes to an end, but [in ways that do not involve giving my own money to Sega] I shall continue to avail myself of the defining and otherwise significant titles of my generation...in a somewhat narrower perspective that shall be involving greater dependence on emulation (due to the actual vintage hardware being given up), but in certain ways that could be a better thing.

Future Projects

I am not cut out to be a prolific writer (at least not so long as I remain distracted by having to work every day), so I make announcements more for my own accountability than anything else. Other sites I have followed for a long time (Hardcore Gaming 101, Sega-16) began with regular content typically bite-size [or blog-size], eventually growing to the point that head proprietors and/or content managers compiled their information into actual published books. I have purchased and enjoyed these works covering the history of companies and/or franchises I am a fan of, whether officially commissioned or the lower-key effort of those who appreciate these game makers at least as much as I do.

There is a topic or two I could be passionate enough about to hit the grind writing professionally. First is militaria & militia loadout considerations, but I accept upfront that this has already been written of so much that the most I could contribute is sorting some particular details: not a cost-effective undertaking. Gaming history is the other, and I would take inspiration from styles already published while seeking that ground which has not yet been tread.

The most revolutionary days of id Software as well as the troubled history of its heir-apparent Ion Storm are covered well in Masters of Doom as well as John Romero's recent recollection Doom Guy (Apogee's involvement with id is also covered, but I plan to pick up a copy of Shareware Heroes at some point in hope that it goes into more detail about them and other such companies like Epic Megagames), while LucasArts had its official history Rogue Leaders (now an expensive collectible) and there is a recent semi-professional fan effort called LucasArts Chronicles. Yet there is one company that, the more I delve into their diversity of efforts both produced and published, the more I appreciate the impact they made even though they ultimately became of a victim of trying to be too much to too many: MicroProse. To be fair there is one book that came close to a comprehensive and/or official history: A Life in Computer Games, Sid Meier's memoirs of his individual development involvement up to Civilization VI, obviously includes great detail of the roots and growth of MicroProse until his final departure in 1997.

Yet when Firaxis Games was founded MicroProse already had a portfolio expanding well beyond Meier's influence, and even before then other developers were helming the key projects in the company's niche of military simulations and branching paths (like graphic adventures) while Meier took his time focusing on his own preferred projects such as C.P.U. Bach. Ergo, there is a wealth of history his one book could not cover because none of it involved Meier at all, meaning there remains room for a dedicated fan (or a team of them) to write THE book on MicroProse. This would strictly be a passion project, and as I am no journalist I cannot promise how professional (as opposed to merely academic) such a work would be, but I have contemplated it long enough to be confident to make this announcement.

First step: return to the roots of this blog and re-explore in detail the beginning that led to HellCat Ace...