At the conclusion of Awkward Mixture's
first year, I spent a week reflecting on the blog's successes and
failures. I began on Monday with a reflection on video games
reviewed here.
Like last year, let's reassess my goal:
three, one-thousand word articles a week. One-hundred and fifty six,
for the exceptionally fastidious. This year was not my year: I
didn't come close. On Awkward Mixture in 2017 there were
thirty-seven video game articles, twenty short stories, and seventeen
political articles, plus these three reflections, totaling
seventy-seven. Going into 2018, I'm reaffirming my plan to continue
writing, even if I'm unable to write three articles a week.
On the other hand, even though there
were fewer articles, page views are up, peaking in November 2017.
Articles from last year are still drawing in eyes, especially two
articles: Europa
Universalis 3 versus 4: Sometimes Simpler, Occasionally More Complex,
and Just As Fun and Building
the Best Army in Mount and Blade Warband: Archers and Conclusion.
As 2016's #2 and #3 in page-views,
they've risen to 1 and 2, both doubling the next closest article, and
commonly in top 5 for each month. If I had to speculate, I'd assume
their abundance in views is due to the popularity of their games, and
the essential, yet simple, question each answer. Is EU 3 or 4
better? What's the best army in Mount and Blade?
There are two other surprise contenders
from 2016, which have entered the top 10 overall, though they weren't
in the top 10 for 2016. The first, A
Love Of Life, is a short story inspired by Daniel Quinn's
Ishmael, while the other is The
Value of Culture, undoubtedly useful as the culture war in the
United States spins on.
Enough reflection on 2016, onward to
2017's top 10.
Readers Choice Awards: The top ten
articles on Awkward Mixture determined by page-views:
In 2016, seven of the top ten were video game articles. 2017
copied its predecessor, with eight of ten video games filling top
slots. Don't worry, I have other ephemera afterwards. We're going
to step quickly here, since I rehashed most of these articles
yesterday.
The article with the most views this
year, was one I was most ambivalent about. Brigador:
Up Armored Edition fired a few rounds of run into the crowd,
and then ran itself out. Every tank, hovercraft, and combat suit
seemed the same, regardless of the weapons installed on it, and the
enemies it fought. So how did it reach number one in views?
Probably, because the developers were gracious enough to read and
reply to my review on Steam. I also received some trollish and
tasteless comments about how I review games on Steam (I only post my
conclusion on Steam reviews, and reserve the entire review for
Awkward Mixture viewers).
While the number one review earned a
polite reply from the developers, the second acquired my first
retweet, by the developer himself. Technobabylon
is an adventure cyberpunk game which greatly exceeded my
expectations.
Articles number three
and four
cataloged my adoration for all things Dota, 2, particularly the pro
scene, and my attempts to judge the teams in the run up to the
International 7 in Seattle. Readers can expect similar articles as
the Dota 2 scene solidifies into 2018.
Surprisingly, XCOM®
2 is number 5, and
though it frustrated me at the time for being decidedly untactical,
and wiping my save, ultimately I recommended it with reservations.
More surprisingly, Space
Tactics secured number 6. Oh god, did you click that link?!?
Don't! Just move on to the next one, this game is too miserable to
speak further of: Worst game of 2017!
Another game I didn't much enjoy,
Dungeon
of the Endless, earned a seventh place finish, and to repeat
myself about it, would only copy what the game does with its stale
mechanics. With these last three articles making the top 10 I'm
starting to suspect you readers enjoy reveling in my agony rather
than my enjoyment.
Finally, in eighth place is one of our
two political articles. A
Humble Opinion is an obvious reference, which many have made
before, to A Modest Proposal. Is the United States being brought
down by the wealthy and privileged, or is it a secret conspiracy by
comedians and teachers to make it seem this way?
Taxes are on everyone's mind, as the
Republican raiding of the public coffers for the wealthy concludes.
Just as relevant, allowing states to offer massive giveaways for
corporate gain. Can we End
the Race to the Bottom?
Finally, I wrote three articles on
Dishonored,
and the second seems to have garnered enough attention to secure a
final spot.
Political Idea's Proposed:
That's out of the way. Before we
take a look at my favorite short stories of 2017, I want to redeclare
a list of audacious and outrageous political proposals I made this
year (and one or two from last year):
My favorite: we should elect the
president
by lot, like the Ancient Greeks. Why shouldn't the citizens
shoulder the burden they've let slide onto the gut of the wealthy and
powerful? (And seriously, can it get any worse?)
Everyone's panicking about the lack of
consensus. My proposal: the Supreme Court should seat eight or ten
Justices, who can only make decisions with a 5-3
or 6-4 decision. It would allow lesser justices more
authority, and prevent the Supreme Court from being the ultimate
arbiter for every political and societal question, as it has become.
Taxes are, as I mentioned earlier, an
issue, unless you're living under a rock, and you can't get out to
work. My proposal: instead of the Republican plan, eliminate most
deductions, and expand the brackets
to 34 instead of the seven they are now.
Over the past couple decades the
Supreme Court has enabled a corrupt government run bought by wealthy
donors. Instead of electing officials by lot, another proposal:
citizens can only donate $29
a year to political candidates or parties.
Money, of course, is important. To say
otherwise is disingenuous. And states are giving too much away to
entice corporations to set up shop. The National government, using
the commerce
clause, needs to prohibit states from competing with each
other, offering debilitating incentives which prevent them from
providing for their citizens.
Best Three Short Stories Might Have
Missed:
I wish short stories received more
attention, and they aren't going anywhere. Take a minute to reread
my three favorites.
First, there's The
Redemption of an Orator: what I imagine might have been a scene
in the adolescence of Socrates.
Often times, my short stories ends up
as a solo voice, and The
Purpose Project uses this perspective to illuminate a vast
historical viewpoint. The tone was an attempt at both personal
empathy and broad isolation across an immense swathe of time.
Sometimes my short stories reflect
political ideas, and Four
Voices Vying for Veracity attempts, along with Don't
Mistake the Times, to do exactly that. Is it a weakness?
Sometimes one must follow when inspiration strikes.
In Conclusion:
Those a compilation of top 10s,
favorites short stories, and political ideas. If you had an article
which particularly piqued your interest, I'd be glad to hear about
it. Feel free to post in the comments.
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