Articles written by Pete Davison

What is Helium

About me - Pete Davison

Hello, and thanks for dropping by.

To paraphrase Terry Pratchett, I was born in 1981 and am still not dead, and as long as I remain not dead I intend to continue writing.

I write because I can and not for any other reason. To be able to communicate your feelings

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Hobbies & Games > Video Game Trends & Genres Are video games getting better or worse as graphics, sound and gameplay complexity improve?: 1 of 27
This is a question that, at first glance, appears to have an obvious answer."Yes, of course they are. Are you crazy?"The "are you crazy?" is optional, depending on how well you know the person, of course.Let's take a closer look at this issue, however, as there are more factors at work than some people take note of. Firstly, ... More..
Hobbies & Games > Board Games Do board games give educational value as well as family entertainment: 1 of 15
Playing a board game offers everyone the chance to learn something - and not just children, either. Board games nowadays are so diverse that there is likely something out there for everyone to enjoy, whatever their experience level, age or interest in the subject matter. In this article, I am going to discuss some of my favou... More..
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Reviews Downloadable game review: Spirit of Metropolis: 1 of 15
How many puzzle games have we seen over the past few years that involve exactly the same mechanic? Time after time they tell us to slide gems around to match three or more colors in a row in the hope of creating chain reactions that will score lots and lots of lovely points. The concept itself is sound and addictive, but ther... More..
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Reviews Downloadable game review: BrainPipe: 2 of 18
BrainPipe represents the kind of experience you only ever get from independent games - creative, artistic and, above all, weird. Developer Shrapnel Games freely admit that they are no strangers to "weird" but BrainPipe crosses that boundary into full-on insanity.This is entirely intentional, of course. The marketing page for ... More..
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Culture & Community Cliches in video game culture: 1 of 5
As with any form of media, cliches are rife in the world of video game culture, in the sense that sometimes game designers run out of ideas and dip into their Big Fun Barrel of Things We've Seen Before for inspiration. There's a time and a place for the use of said barrel, of course, but it pays to occasionally be aware of ju... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Searching for love: 5 of 24
He had always felt out of place. Clumsy, awkward and out-of-touch, he had always wanted so desperately to be "cool", to be one of those popular guys that people would flock to, that people loved - one of those guys that girls would come up to and spontaneously hug, one of those guys that ended every night out with a gorgeous ... More..
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Reviews Downloadable game review: Eternal Eden, by Blossomsoft: 4 of 19
Japanese RPGs are ten-a-penny on the consoles. In recent years, developers have had to start trying new things to keep the genre a little more fresh - people have long since moved beyond the simplicity of the early Final Fantasy games and we now have titles such as Persona 3 marrying traditional RPG action with "dating-sim" s... More..
Hobbies & Games > Board Games Game reviews: Settlers of Catan: 3 of 10
Board game time with the family was, when I was a child, something of a treat. It was an opportunity for the whole family to get together and spend some quality time at each other's throats in the spirit of friendly competition. The rattle and roll of the dice on the table, the satisfying plastic "click" of moving one of Sorr... More..
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Culture & Community The strongest female video game characters: 4 of 12
Following this first paragraph, this article will not be mentioning Lara Croft because although she is indeed a strong female video game character, there is a rich cast of leading ladies waiting in the sidelines for a mention while Ms Croft constantly hogs all the limelight. So Lara? Get outta here. Thank you.Now that formali... More..
Hobbies & Games > Video Game Reviews The Silent Hill series: 2 of 6
Considered by many to be "the thinking man's Resident Evil", the Silent Hill series represents an as-yet unparalleled experience on the home consoles - the experience of genuine, psychological horror, and not just in the "blood and gore" sense of Resident Evil - there are powerful, emotional forces at work in these games, and... More..