Video Games Are Bad at Explaining Themselves

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Video games as a genre are extremely poor at explaining themselves. When you buy a new game you’ll often find little or no information regarding the basic systems and mechanics. The industry assumes that their customers are by default familiar with the fundamentals of playing a modern video game. Hence if a game has a tutorial, it is often based around videos rather than detailed verbal instructions. You are are briefly shown a clip of a specific move being successfully undertaken but it is seldom shown in a wider context. The industry also expects the fan community to take on the role of curating and disseminating information about its games. The move away from forums and bespoke websites to Discord highlights this. Discord is a primarily a real time communication tool and not good at maintaining a historical data archive. If you want an answer to a specific gaming question, you’ll more than likely find it on YouTube in a video made by a fellow gamer.

This issue has been highlighted recently as I’ve watched my grandchildren try new games on my computer. They play primarily on their phones or the Nintendo Switch 2. Hence their major frame of reference are interacting with games via a touch screen or a controller. As a result, PC gaming via a keyboard and mouse is quite abstract for them and also physically difficult for their small hands. The problem is further compounded by their often being no viable tutorial directly available in the games they play. My PC having two monitors helps in so far as you can run a video on one screen while playing a game on another but videos are often a lottery. Information is not always up to date and not everyone who creates YouTube content are skilled communicators. Furthermore, although it is useful to have access to online resources, this does explain or justify why a game such as Fall Guys does not have an integral tutorial?

When playing Roblox with my granddaughters, I often ask them how to do a specific task in games such as 99 Nights in the Forest. Sometimes they’ll know and other times they will not. Most of their knowledge comes from “just trying things” which can be a great way to learn but it can leave you with serious gaps in your knowledge. This matter is compounded as I play with them on the PC, which often has different or even additional controls. Online searches have sometime led to all of us finding out something that we previously didn’t know. Discovering information this way can be fun but it can also be very frustrating. I hit a brick wall today trying to figure out exactly how you used the various game passes in Chivalry 2. I eventually found a Reddit post that cogently explained the specific steps required to activate the pass and how you subsequently accessed unlocked gear. Again, isn’t providing such information incumbent on the developers?

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I was going through my bric-a-brac cupboard recently and found the installation disks for several games from the middle 2000s. All had comprehensive manuals. In fact the in-depth instructions that came with the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online where so well written, I chose to play the Lore-master class purely on the strength of the written summary. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (the 2009 version) has an excellent tutorial level dovetailed into the start of the game, where you’re character has to visit the firing range to undertake basic weapons proficiency. It’s an excellent example of seamlessly integrating practical instruction into a game and making it part of the story and overall experience. If you remember such things, it is a stark contrast to how things are done these days. The videos game industry’s casual attitude towards having to explain themselves to their paying customers seems a least, ill considered and at worse, frankly disrespectful.

However, let us end on a positive note. As I was writing this post I collated a list of games that I’ve played over the last twelve months. Most of which were completely new to me at the time. After some consideration, I remembered that those games that made the best effort to school new players in their respective gameplay, were often so called AA titles. Sniper Elite: Resistance has a bespoke level at the start of the game that provides examples of the most essential mechanics and systems. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon integrates a tutorial into the game prologue as you character escapes incarceration. The more I think about it, the biggest offenders for not making any effort to explain themselves are once again, the big triple A game developers. However, the tide of public opinion is beginning to change against this sector of the video game industry. Perhaps this in another potential lesson that can be added to an already lengthy list, that they can learn.

A Lifetime of Learning

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I like learning things. I always have. During my middle school years I thought I was a mediocre student and often I wouldn’t apply myself. According to an old school report this was because I was “too busy indulging in Tomfoolery”. Then I had the positive experience of meeting an exceptional teacher. Their lessons were the highlight of the week as they had an ability to make the subject matter, Classical History, utterly compelling and relevant. The teacher in question also treated us like adults and the class benefitted from only having five pupils. This really brought home to me that a lot of disinterest and underachievement in education is linked to the paucity of some teachers. One bad teacher can undermine the good work that all the others can do. Perhaps it has improved nowadays?

Since leaving school, over forty years ago, I have adopted the philosophy that you are presented with opportunities to learn continuously throughout life and it is incumbent upon you to make a conscious choice whether you choose to do so or not. For me, there is no shame in not knowing something. We all have gaps in our knowledge by default. Hence there is nothing wrong with saying “I don’t know” and asking for an explanation. In fact I think it should be encouraged more. However, I consider wilful ignorance to be an egregious act of self sabotage. Especially in an age where information is so freely available. I also eschew the cultural pushback of recent years against “knowledge” and “expertise” and the resentment that accompanies it. Ignorance and indifference are exalted and seen as a badge of honour.

So what do I like to know, learn about and understand? Pretty much anything. Naturally I have specific subjects and fields that hold more interest to me than others but overall I admire skills and those who have taken the time to acquire expertise in a discipline. Be it a plumber, a telecoms engineer or a heart surgeon. Furthermore, all people know things. Skills, hacks and information that they have acquired during the course of their lives. Knowledge can come from some interesting quarters sometimes. All of which raises a question that I’m frequently asked. “Why do you want to know”? Because I find a lot of things interesting. There is also a value in knowledge. It helps with practical problem solving, it makes you more employable and it offers a degree of protection from the iniquities of life. Knowledge is power, to a degree.

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I read a lot. Books, magazines and online content. If I find myself waiting at a bus stop or travelling, I will fill that time by reading. If I’m listening to a podcast or perusing a website and a phrase or subject comes up that I’m not familiar with, then I’ll look it up. As well as learning in the traditional sense, I like to keep up with popular culture. Which artists are currently in vogue, what TV shows are being talked about and what are the latest internet memes. I find my granddaughters are an invaluable window into this world. Being generation alpha, they are immersed in internet culture. I have learned from them that a lot of what gains traction online has no real meaning. It is often about the fun of someone creating something and participating in it as it spreads. It’s often more about belonging rather than “we do this because [insert reason here]”. I find that a fascinating concept.

Something that comes apparent with age is that learning takes longer. Especially with complex subjects. I listen to a lot of non-fiction audiobooks because the slower pace of narrated content allows me time to absorb information. I can also rewind and listen again to difficult concepts. Philosophical subjects are becoming a struggle of late as I find some too abstract. Similarly I find a lot of theoretical physics very hard to conceptualise. I find that these subjects often take me to the limits of my understanding. I am aware that Carl Sagan argued that all ideas and concepts should be able to be explained to the wider public but I think that some subjects that exist primarily as abstractions are too hard to simplify and convey as a simple metaphor. Fortunately, I am not alone in struggling with certain fields of knowledge.

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I also have an intellectual blind spot when it comes to subjects and concepts that are driven by feelings and other subjective, less tangible factors. Religion, faith and spirituality are immediate examples. I understand the principles but as I’ve never had that personal connection or anything remotely close to what can be described as a religious experience, I find these matters to be nebulous and mainly “thought experiments”. I feel similarly ambivalent towards politics that are founded on feelings rather than specific ideology or policy. I’ll even go so far as to admit to being a little sceptical about professional formal criticism, especially of the arts. Yes there is logical scope to critique such things as technique and presentation. However, aesthetics and how something makes you feel is highly subjective. Are such things knowledge?

Finally, let us address one of the biggest problems that blights our current political and social discourse. Something that learning, knowledge and intellectual rigour has difficulty addressing. The conflation of opinion with fact and personal perspective being seen as universal. There was a time when quashing a factually incorrect or spurious narrative with factually correct information would definitively draw a line under it. Sadly due to cultural change and the internet, we now find ourselves in a position where lies, factual inaccuracies and abject stupidity simply won’t back down. Criticism is seen as a personal attack. Facts and data are oppression and elitism. The reality is that you can’t reason someone out of a position that they haven’t reasoned themselves into. In such times, learning is something that should be embraced, not just out of curiosity but necessity. As Sam Kinison wisely stated “stupid never sleeps”.

Fun or Skill?

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I have written in the past about the video games we cannot play. The ones that require a keen understanding of a game’s mechanics, along with a strong degree of manual dexterity and situational awareness. Being 58 years old, I tend to have neither the co-ordination necessary to succeed or the patience to master such complex skill requirements. With this in mind, I recently watched a YouTube video for Chivalry 2 and thought, that looks like fun. The fact that it showed someone picking up a chicken and throwing it at an opponent is neither here nor there. However, after watching a few more videos I realised that combat in the game was complex and that, as usual, the reality of playing such a game would be different from my expectations. Hence, I came very close to not buying Chivalry 2. However, I eventually decided that I would, so I bought it for just under £10 from an online vendor.

So why did I change my mind? Because I fundamentally do not like the idea of there being a “skills gate”. It probably didn’t help that I watched a video by someone who had obviously spent a lot of time playing Chivalry 2 and they were rather contemptuous of newer players. They didn’t care for gamers that are happy to just potter about in the game and aren’t that fussed about mastering combat. But then again, I’ve no time for the fallacy of the “you’re playing the game wrong” mindset. Nor do I like self appointed gatekeepers. Excelling at a game is fine in itself but is it not an adjunct to playing and having fun? We don’t say to children “here is a sport or a musical instrument that you can learn but don’t bother even trying if you’re not going to strive for total excellence in it”. Society seems to be losing sight of the fact that enjoyment and fun are an integral part of many hobbies and pastimes. Everything doesn’t have to be competitive.

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I regularly encourage my grandchildren to draw and paint. We sit down together and talk while doing something creative. The idea is to simply take pleasure in what you’re doing. No one judges anyone else’s work and you can always find positive comments to make. “That’s interesting, tell me about it” being a good line of enquiry. Children are happy to express themselves creatively and they only stop when someone says something critical or imposes rules on what they’re doing which leaches the fun out of the activity. Its the same with sport. As well as being enjoyable to play sports can teach other valuable social and moral lessons. However, it only takes a coach who takes things too seriously and a leisure activity becomes a chore. As a child I used to enjoy being in the school choir. We were fortunate to have a good musical director who favoured enthusiasm over perfection. Sadly, they retired and their replacement was a perfectionist who drove out at least half of the choir members.

Being skilful in a video game or trying to improve your gameplay is not a bad thing in itself. I have regularly played Battlefield 6 since its release last October and have overtime become nominally better at it. Familiarity with the maps, learning how weapons handle and using simple tactics have all contributed to improving my gameplay and the quality of my overall experience in game. However, all of this has been approached in a casual fashion. I certainly haven’t trained or formally practised and the object of each game played remains to be entertained. Today, I played my first 64 player game in Chivalry 2. I died a lot but it doesn’t matter. I was laughing out loud most of the time due to my incompetence and the absolute mayhem that was happening around me. Occasionally even I could get a kill on a veteran, due to being in the right place at the right time and my random play style. I’m sure it infuriated some players. The thought of which delighted me even more.

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I will always play video games primarily for fun. Any improvement in my gameplay is simply due to increasing familiarity, rather than a concerted effort. If you’re the sort of player that wants to be the best of the best, then that is your prerogative. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking that your gaming philosophy is correct by default. It is just a subjective opinion and as such is simply one of many. There is certainly a debate to be had about how you efficiently match players with comparable skills or whether it is better to just throw everyone together. The problem with this area of discussion is that a definitive answer has still not been reached. However, playing against bots is an interesting halfway house and certainly something I favour when I don’t want the hassle of dealing with people. As for the issue of skill versus fun, they don’t have to be mutually exclusive but I believe that there relationship is asymmetrical and that fun is always the starting point and not vice versa.

The Decline of Windows

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My Windows 11 PC is a cobbled together mess of upgrades, customisations and workarounds. It seems okay at first glance, mainly because my desktop is well organised and I don’t allow too many apps to start on boot up. But beneath this superficial veneer of efficiency and optimisation is a bloated mess. Every Windows update adds yet more spurious features which slows performance and tries to harvest your data. Windows is no longer a user friendly operating system that you buy and use without impediment. It is now a sprawling live service that actively gets in the way of your productivity so that it can make a buck off your inconvenience. There was a time when you could quickly learn its processes and foibles, so you could customise it into the tool you needed. Nowadays I have to continuously use third party tools to get Windows to do many of the things I want, or to access functionality that Microsoft has obtusely decided to restrict.

I have recently stopped using Microsoft Office 365. I had to download a specialist tool to “cleanly uninstall” it from my PC and when it finished running, it still left numerous orphan files and icons. I spent hours trying to remove a rogue blank icon from Control Panel and eventually had to use the Local Group Policy Editor to hide it, rather than delete it. The process is akin to trying to remove Japanese Knotweed from your garden. My latest headache is trying to remove (or hide) data that appears on screen when you click on your account icon on the Windows start menu. Details such as an email address should not be displayed by default, unless superficially requested by the user. This is a prime example of Microsoft trying to do the users thinking for them and pursuing a “one size fits all” approach. I expect to be able to fully customise any aspect of the UI in an operating system. Sadly Windows no longer seems to champions such customer choice.

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This should be a capital offense

Naturally, there are alternative products to Windows and if I were starting totally from scratch, I would certainly embrace some version of Linux and a wealth of other indie production tools. Sadly, both my computer and user habits come with a lot of baggage and requirements. PC gaming is a substantial part of my leisure activities and that means using Windows. I’ve written various scripts to do simple tasks such as change screen resolutions or redesignate the default monitor. I don’t relish having to port these to a Linux environment, as well as dozens of other tweaks I have made. I afraid that I, like many other PC users, have my desktop, folder structures and naming conventions set up “just so”. Hence migrating to a new operating system would be a substantial and labour intensive undertaking. As such, the fear that something catastrophic could happen during such a project is sufficient for me to defer it for the immediate future.

The dream scenario would be to have dual boot PC, where I use Linux to write blog posts, record and edit podcasts and videos as well as browse the internet. Windows would be reserved exclusively for gaming and I would not install anything else beyond possibly Discord or some others means of communicating online. I would also exclusively use Proton Mail so I could manage my emails far more effectively. It would be a spartan but secure PC environment. As a very wise man once said “The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain”. However, for the present the dream scenario and indeed, any deviation from the status quo, are just idle speculation. It’s a shame how a once good product such as Windows has declined into a barely adequate money pit. And more fool you and me, for becoming so dependent on such corporations and products.

The Paranormal

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I’ve had an interest in the paranormal since I was a child. My mother always got books out of the library about ghosts and UFO phenomenon, so in some respects I was influenced by her reading habits. As a child such tales were by default interesting and any potentially scary element naturally made them more enjoyable. However, my father being an academic had taught me to question everything, so I felt fairly evenly equipped when exploring these subjects. Further to this point, over the years I have learned that humans have a very unique perspective on the world. We are hard wired to see patterns, regardless of whether they’re there or not. Our senses can also be fooled and often are. Perhaps the most important aspect of our nature that impacts upon any analysis we make into the paranormal is our penchant for creating stories. Hence unusual experiences can be subconsciously misremembered and “retconned” to form more precise narratives.

My interest in the paranormal is mainly to do with people who have such experiences, rather than the specifics of the experience themselves, which are frequently generic. A lot of people who experience events that they cannot explain are sceptical of such things to begin with and profoundly affected by them afterwards. Humans like the illusion of certainty and can be severely traumatised when something shakes their existing world view. Hence, when listening to tales of the paranormal, I do not immediately distrust what I am told, in so far that I believe that the subjects of such things genuinely feel their experiences are real. More often than not, admitting publicly that you’ve had a paranormal experience is positively detrimental to your life, so fabricating a story is a potential risk. Yes there are individuals who will lie for profit or some other underlying psychological need but I do not assume this to be the case in all instances.

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Ghost Hunters US TV Show

However, the field of paranormal study is fraught with problems. Much of the discourse surrounding the subject is hyperbolic and intentionally designed to be sensational. Books, TV shows and online discourse about the supernatural is intended to grab your attention and first and foremost, driven by the need for ratings and clicks. The paranormal also intersects regularly with religion which is contentious and highly subjective. Sadly at the fringes of the paranormal there are conspiracy theories, “woo” science and those with mental health issues which muddies the waters. The field also attracts a lot of charlatans. Furthermore, the paranormal has had such an influence upon the zeitgeist, that often the existing pop culture tropes born of film, TV and literature impact upon our understanding of the subject and prejudice our opinions. Which is why there was a marked increase in reported UFO siting after the release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1978.

Now that I’ve stated my interest in the paranormal, I guess the most obvious question to ask is do I believe in ghosts. However, before we can even discuss a subject such as “ghosts”, we require a commonly agreed and recognised definition. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be one and so any in-depth discussion can potentially fall at the first hurdle. Which leads me to my wider thoughts on the paranormal. Although I find it a fascinating subject, I feel that it is not really being researched in an appropriate manner. Possibly because research funding is mainly allocated to things that have a commercial application. Hence, those who are active in the field of research are not necessarily the best fit, academically or ethically. Consider Harry Price, Uri Geller and Derek Acorah. Let us also reflect upon the plethora of questionable supernatural TV shows with boisterous Americans incorrectly using scientific equipment and bellowing at alleged ghosts.

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Alleged Spiritual Medium Derek Acorah

I was asked once, because I lean towards scepticism why do I find the paranormal so compelling. To which I replied “because of the human element”. I also went on to add, that it is possible that what is broadly labelled as the paranormal is actually something else that has been incorrectly observed and documented. It is not unreasonable to consider that as human knowledge advances, we may eventually be able to validate these things but within a scientific framework, establishing them as part of the universe. What I don’t care for is the deliberate setting of alleged paranormal activity into some separate and distinct category. It smacks of trying to appropriate something, take ownership of it and keep it free of any scrutiny. Something that exists but only on the terms that you dictate. That is a little too similar to the culture of conspiracy theories for my liking.

As you can see, I don’t see the paranormal is simple terms. I think there is a lot to unpack and it is a subject that has numerous layers to it. These can be scientific, spiritual, psychological, sociological and cultural. Due to the sprawling nature and complexity of many of these elements it makes it exceedingly hard to determine the facts of a case and process them. Which is why I often choose not to. I am a fan of the Uncanny podcast with Danny Robins and am going to see the live version of the show at the Churchill Theatre in March. For me the biggest appeal of Uncanny are the stories and the people telling them. I don’t expect a definitive answer to be given at the end of each episode and often all I can do in response to such stories is recognise that I cannot explain them. Once again, I would like to see a third option added to standard binary stance on the paranormal. I think that “there is insufficient data to draw any definitive conclusion” is a perfectly valid position and should be encouraged more.

Where I Live

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I have lived in Sidcup, in South East London, for most of my life. The first two schools that I went to were local and within 15 minutes walking distance. My Doctor’s Surgery and Dentist are only a few streets away, as is the barbershop that I’ve frequented since 1970. I now have my haircut by the son of the original barber. My point being that Sidcup has everything that residents immediately need. There’s a local hospital, good public transport networks and a broad range of shopping and restaurant facilities. It also has several parks with lakes, sport facilities and children’s play areas. It is a microcosm of the concept of suburbia with its residents commuting into Central London or out into Kent for work. People move here to raise families and end up staying. My parents lived here for 62 years.

Because Sidcup is a relatively affluent area, it enjoys the associated benefits. It has a low crime rate and is considered safe by its residents. The schools are well rated and an important factor in people moving here. Healthcare provision, especially in light of an ageing population, is good. Public services such as policing, local government and sanitation are broadly well run. Council tax (IE local taxation) is not excessively high by national standards and competently managed. Politically Sidcup is right leaning, as is the Borough that it is part of. The local MP is a member of the Conservative party. No surprises there. Politics is often linked to the socioeconomic nature of an area. Setting aside the political landscape of the area, Sidcup is considered a desirable area to live. I make no bones about the fact that I like living here and think myself fortunate to do so.

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Sidcup originated as a tiny hamlet on the road from Maidstone to London. The name is thought to be derived from Cetecopp meaning “seat-shaped or flat-topped hill”. The name first appears in records around 1254. According to the antiquarian Edward Hasted, “Thomas de Sedcopp was owner of this estate in the 35th year of king Henry VI. (circa 1450s). Today Sidcup has a population of 15,500 and has become part of the wider urban sprawl of Greater London. However, it hasn’t lost its character. Many of the public buildings date back to the 18th century. My local pub, Ye Olde Black Horse, has been at its present location in one form or another since 1692. Moving on to more recent times, there are several blocks of flats in the area that were built in the 1920s in an Art Deco style. Sidcup can also claim to have some notable residents. Musicians John Paul Jones and Kate Bush both were born and raised locally. The author Neville Shute also resided here for many years.

Although I am broadly content to live here, Sidcup does suffer from a growing issue that impacts upon all parts of London. During the course of my lifetime things have become increasingly more busy. The population has grown steadily, yet the resources and facilities to accommodate such change have not kept pace. Many homes in the area have replaced their front gardens with drives for off street parking, as most households now own at least two vehicles. Road repair is poor, with the local Council struggling to deal with potholes and maintain trees and grass verges. Street lighting is another issue, with the illuminations being notably dimmer due to cost. These are minor things but they’re all symptomatic of London’s journey to becoming a megacity. As a result the streets are continuously busy late into the night and there is little respite from the ambient noise.

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With this in mind, I am once again thinking about whether it is time to move out of the capital and relocate to somewhere more sedate. Noise and nuisance are things that distress me, however I have to temper such feelings against the benefits of living somewhere like Sidcup, which I enjoy. Can a comparable location be found elsewhere? Plus the fact that my immediate family lives here is also a major factor in any decision. So moving is not something we would do rashly. Yet the New Year seems to be a time when this subject rears its head, so I will ponder such things over the next few weeks. It remains to be seen if anything tangible will come of such musings. There is often a marked difference between where you would like to live and where they can afford to so. Also there is that old adage to consider, “better the devil you know”.

The Cost of Blogging in 2026

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 I was speaking to someone recently about hobbies (fortunately it wasn’t Simon Quinlank) and I mentioned that I have maintained a blog for over a 19 years. When I talked about the ongoing cost they were most surprised, as they had assumed that blogging was something that could be done for free. I guess we’ve become so accustomed to the provision of free online services such as email, that this a reasonable assumption. I pointed out that although it is indeed possible to blog for free using Blogger, it was not the optimal approach, especially if you want to maintain some degree of control over your writing. Naturally, the next question they asked was how much do I spend and I gave them a ballpark figure. All of which reminded me that I wrote a post on this very subject a few years ago. So I’ve decided to revisit the subject and see how much it currently costs to maintain Contains Moderate Peril.

At the time of writing, I have just renewed my yearly domain name registration as well as ownership privacy protection. If anyone conducts a WHOIS search regarding my domain, it shows the address of the domain host, in this case GoDaddy, instead of my own personal details. The yearly cost of these two services is currently £45.58 which is a far cry from the days of $10.00 domain registrations which were the norm when I started blogging. The other cost associated with the running of Contains Moderate Peril is the subscription to the hosting company, Squarespace. This billed in dollars and works out at £11.79 per month when converted into pounds. Through the miracle of mathematics these services add up to a total cost of £187.06 for the year. This breaks down to £15.59 per month for the pleasure of writing and sharing my thoughts online, so I can add to the ongoing white noise of the internet.

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When I last wrote about the cost of content creation, I was still producing a podcast so included those costs in my formula. I also added the cost of subscribing to Office 365 and maintaining to hosted email accounts into my calculations as they were part of the production process. However, as this post is specifically about blogging, I’ve just focused on those costs. Whether they’re expensive is ultimately subjective. For me, the cost is comparable to that of a streaming service or an MMORPG subscription. However, I do worry about the ongoing issue of digital poverty. The internet has become a predominantly a commercial entity over the last 25 years. If you can’t pay, you’re effectively excluded and that doesn’t seem right to me. One can argue that Facebook is an alternative but that comes with its own cost. It’s all food for thought and possibly another blog post. Should everyone have the opportunity to express themselves online?

Honest Playlist

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The Guardian news website have a recurring feature in their “culture” section called Honest Playlist where they ask various celebrities about their music listening habits. There are a dozen or so stock questions that they use to grill their guest, although they don’t always use the same ones. I think it makes for interesting reading so its a column that I often visit. As I haven’t published a post based upon an internet questionnaire for a while, I thought I poach this particular line of questioning and have a crack at it myself. I have chosen the ten questions that I think are the best and by that I mean, they have the most scope for interesting answers. I didn’t include the one about karaoke because it’s not something I especially like. Each to their own. Feel free to similarly purloin this set of questions and write your own responses. I’m always fascinated by these sort of things.

The first song I remember hearing

My mother had a record collection that she regularly played when I was growing up. A lot of the music was from her youth, so it was predominantly artists from the fifties. Hence, I have distinct memories of listening to Connie Francis, Michael Holiday and Nina & Frederik. However, during the early seventies she took a liking to Abba, so I became aware of their work. My sister used to watch Top of the Pops, the weekly UK music chart show, so I have some distinct memories of bands from the Glam Rock era. I specifically remember I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am) by Gary Glitter, as it incurred outrage from my father. That particular song got a lot of traction in the school playground which made it stand out. It’s a banging tune but sadly tarnished by the crimes associated with its singer.

The first single I bought

I never really bought singles during my teenage years. By the time I started being interested in music I owned a stereo radio/cassette player or “boombox” as they’re know in common parlance. Hence I tended to buy albums on tape. If I wanted a copy of songs currently in the chart, I would record them from the radio on a Sunday afternoon when the Top 40 records were broadcast on BBC Radio 1. My sister bought a lot of singles. Our tastes were not identical but there were bands and artists we both liked. I remember she bought a copy of Can’t Stand Losing You by The Police and it had a very striking sleeve. It featured a guy hanging himself by standing on a block of ice in front of a heater. It was also a white vinyl version which probably makes it quite a rarity these days.

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The first song I fell in love with

This is a difficult question to answer because I was enamoured with various bands and artists while a teenager. It comes with the territory, or least it did back then. Music being a key influence and social marker. I would go through cycles of becoming obsessed with a song and then playing it to death and then moving on to another. That being said, there is one particular song like this that I never quite became bored with and fell out of love with. When I first heard The Stranglers’ cover version of Walk on By I was greatly surprised how a piece of soulful, easy listening could be re-imagined in such a radically different way. The emotional theme of a lost love were still there but it was underpinned by a heavy, brooding bass line that makes it something far more imposing. Even sinister. One music journalist described it as a “psycho singing karaoke”. The album version with the 3 minute plus musical break is my preferred version.

The song I inexplicably know every lyric to

This one is easy. Seven Nation Army by White Stripes. My son played this song a lot. When he decided to learn to play the violin, this is the song he chose to perform. So I learned the lyrics through “musical osmosis”. It’s a good song, although at the time my son’s repeated playing of it really got on my nerves.

The best song to play at a party

The best song to play at a party is highly subjective and also extremely contextual. It depends on the party and who is there etc. I’d prefer to turn this question around. What are the worst songs to play at a party. Songs that as soon as you hear them you know that the party has taken a turn for the worse. With that in mind I would place Sweat Caroline by Neil Diamond at the top of this list. I fucking hate it. When I think of this song I immediately think of Dad dancing at weddings and drunken karaoke. If it ever gets played at a social event it is an immediate cue for me to withdraw.

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The song that changed my life

I won’t go so far as to say a song changed my life but I can certainly name one that made me think very seriously. The song in question being Low Self Opinion by the Rollins Band, from the 1992 album The End of Silence. Henry Rollins is an interesting character and has a knack of articulating feelings that many of us have over the course of our lives. The words are honest and certainly gave me pause for thought at a time in my life when I was uncertain of where I was going. The song contributed to a degree of self reflection, that then lead to decisions that took life in a more positive direction. Who ever said that songs were trivial?

The song that make me cry

I Remember You, specifically the Slim Whitman version, as it reminds me of my late Mother. It brings back fond memories but there’s always a tinge of sadness when being reminded of a parent who is no longer with us.

The song I can no longer listen to

Until recently I’d have said all of the songs associated with the animated film The Lion King. Mainly because when my son was growing up, this film was watched virtually every day for a year so it all got somewhat wearing. However, I recently went to see the stage production and found that the songs were still very good and that the intervening years had been kind.

The song I secretly like, but tell everybody I hate

I can’t really answer this one as I don’t see the point in lying about something like this. You either like a song or not. Why the deception? Is it all about looking cool or something? The thing is I’m 58 and not 18, so I such things aren’t really a factor any more. By default I am uncool.

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The song I want played at my funeral

So What by the Anti-Nowhere League. It is concise and offensive. Its point is to highlight the utter irrelevance, pomposity and futility of bragging rights and its associated culture. Apparently this song is popular among UK Special Forces. Ignore the Metallica cover version as they chickened out and have sanitised the lyrics.

British Optical Association Museum

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There is no shortage of interesting and good quality museums in London. In many respects tourists and visitors are spoilt for choice. More often than not, it is the most well known institutions such as the British Museum or Victoria and Albert Museum that gain the most attention. However, there are many hidden gems to discover if you take the time to look further. A prime example being The British Optical Association Museum which I had the pleasure of visiting today. The museum’s function is to promote the optometry profession and raise public awareness of its past and ongoing role within society. The museum has a well conserved collection of exhibits and provides a venue for presentations, learning and research services. There is also an excellent tour hosted by museum curator Neil Handley (PhD, AMA, FRSA) in which he gives a concise, interesting and at times a witty overview of the history of optometry in the UK and its current role.

The British Optical Association Museum is located in a charming Georgian house, on Craven Street, just off the Strand in Central London. The building is a striking mix of old and new, containing rooms filled with period character but with modern illumination and a clean contemporary aesthetic. The tour begins immediately in the hall of the building, featuring a display on how the optometry profession has been perceived and portrayed over the years. It features various items such advertising signage as well as more esoteric items such as a Playmobil opticians set, to a “visually impaired” Barbie doll. There is also a display dedicated to Harry Potter featuring various sets of glasses used on the feature films. The success of the films made glasses fashionable and desirable among young people and set a trend for retro frames. Apparently this particular display attracts a great deal of visitors, hence it being moved to the lobby.

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Downstairs, the majority of the museum’s collection is housed within two rooms. The Giles Room contains sight-testing equipment, ophthalmic lenses, examples of the symbolism of the eye, ocular anatomy models and contact lenses. The Sutcliffe Room exhibits antique spectacles and other vision aids, including sunglasses and monocles. There are also other examples of visual equipment such as spyglasses, opera glasses, telescopes, microscopes and cameras. A display of celebrity eye and sunglasses proved especially popular. The display cases are mainly made of glass and the rooms are well lit. Many of these interesting artifacts and exhibits require to be put in context, which is provided by curator Neil Handley as visitors peruse the display. Neil explains what is on display, giving factual information, anecdotes and pop culture asides. His tour is informative but far from dry, making the point how eye tests and wearing glasses are an integral aspect of everyday life and our culture.

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The British Optical Association continues to represent the UK optometry profession at multiple levels, providing clinical guidelines for those in the profession and consulting at government level. The British Optical Association Museum does a very good job of explaining the associations work in layman’s terms. The museum also has a strong message about eye care, as curator Neil Handley states in his tour. Your eyes are organs and as such are vulnerable to disease. Therefore they should feature in your healthcare regime. Hence the importance of having your eyes tested regularly. Overall, the British Optical Association Museum offers an engaging and thought provoking tour. It is also a source of interest for historical building aficionado’s and even has the bonus appeal of having its own resident ghost (allegedly). If you are looking for a less mainstream museum and happy to explore more niche interests, then the British Optical Association Museum will prove very rewarding.

Fighting the Cost of Living

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Our household is currently trying to reduce our monthly overheads in response to the ever increasing cost of living. April is not that far away and a great many service providers will increase their rates and tariff as the new financial year begins. Then there is the ongoing effects, both direct and indirect, of inflation to consider. Although the UK inflation rate is dropping, currently sitting at 3.4% in December 2025, food inflation remains higher at 4.5%. Being based in the UK, salaries and billed services tend to be administered monthly. You get paid usually at the end of the months and bills can turn up at any point, depending upon when you started a service. Any payments coming from central government, such as state pension or other benefits, are paid every 4 weeks. This means that there are 13 payments in a year. I thought it pertinent to clarify this point as other countries, such as the USA, favour a fortnightly financial cycle. Hence as a household we work around a monthly budget.

Broadly speaking, our monthly outgoings breakdown as follows. I would assume that this is fairly universal. Council tax which funds the local authority and the services they provide. Then there are utilities such as gas, electric, water, mobile phone and internet. Most people have travel expenditure or the cost of running a car. Then there are groceries. Perhaps the biggest monthly expenditure for most people these days is paying for housing. Be it a mortgage or rent. Some of these things have very little scope to be reduced as customers have very little agency in the markets that govern them. Hence mortgages, rent and local taxation tend to increase steadily and can only be addressed by an increase in income or by moving. Travel, car and utility costs do have scope to be reduced. There are alternative vendors and a culture of changing service providers and securing the best deal. However, that only works if the vendors operate in your area.

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At the end of last summer, we signed up to a fixed cost tariff from our energy provider. This is the second year that we have done this and it has proven financially prudent. It was unusually hot in the UK throughout June, July and August in 2025, hence we used a lot more power than usual trying to keep the temperature in the house equitable. The tariff meant that we weren’t hit by excessive costs for our three months of increased power usage. Other providers increased their base costs to capitalise on the heatwave. We have also given thought to having solar panels installed on the roof. We’re fortunately based in a warmer part of the UK and there are several schemes available at present that have favourable terms. However, our heating systems is still gas based and therefore wouldn’t benefit from such an undertaking. We could replace the heating system but that is sizeable capital investment. However, there are grants to help make such transitions.

Perhaps the areas with the greatest scope for financial savings are from services such as internet provisions, mobile phone tariffs and streaming platforms. We’re shortly moving to a new ISP and maintaining an identical service for half of our current cost. Both Mrs P and I have moved to SIM only phone contracts, electing to get off the expensive, yet pointless upgrade treadmill. We have also cancelled or replaced some streaming services. I am also trying to eliminate the costs associated with certain software services like Office 365. All of these sorts of saving can initially appear quite small and possibly inconsequential. However, once you add them to a spreadsheet and see the accumulative savings, they prove their worth. Exactly the same can be said with regard to supermarket loyalty cards and their respective members discounts. We no longer shop exclusively at just one supermarket but will go to specific stores to get deals on frequently used products.

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There is one other area of potential financial savings that can be addressed but is often neglected due to customer apathy and fear that it may all go wrong. That is changing bank accounts, credit cards or moving your savings. It never ceases to amaze me how some folk will chase a deal online or in the actual stores but are quite content to let their wages stagnate in a current account with little or no benefits, or who miss out on higher interest rates by not moving their savings around. Legacy banks are no longer the best default options and there are now plenty of new online only institutions that are trying to increase their market share. The incentives on offer are not just purely money based. Many banks offer “freebies” such as subscriptions to services such as Netflix and Spotify. Plus transferring an outstanding credit card balance to a new providers can still yield substantial benefit. I guess people treat their banking differently from other services, when it really isn’t.

However, I don’t advocate turning cost savings into an all consuming ideology. For example, I will from time to time buy “reduced” label items in the supermarket but I have no intention of living exclusively that way. Some brands have a cost that simply doesn’t fluctuate and don’t have an immediate lower cost equivalent. For example, I won’t eat cheap biscuits from pound stores just to save a few pennies. I’d rather have some good quality indulgences from certain stores, than a larger quantity of inferior products, from a discount outlets. Like many things in life, looking for a deal needs to be tempered with common sense. Another essential tip is to visit websites that collate information on the best deals available, such as Uswitch in the UK. Or to follow people like Martin Lewis on social media, who have made consumer advice their career. Making savings to your monthly expenditure is no longer an optional extra but an imperative. Good luck in your pursuit of a good deal.

Into the Uncanny by Danny Robins (2023)

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Last August I listened to The Battersea Poltergeist podcast by Danny Robins and was subsequently introduced to his other production Uncanny. Both are investigations into alleged supernatural events but unlike other shows of this kind, these are far better researched, produced and most importantly even handed. Danny makes a great deal of effort to try and keep a foot in each camp; team believer and team sceptic. Overall these podcast work as they genuinely appeal to multiple audiences and they are not excessively hyperbolic or credulous. A lot of this comes down to Danny’s personality which is upbeat and relatable. Perhaps his greatest strength is being a sympathetic ear to those recounting their experiences. He lightens the mood from time to time with humour when required. He also liberally litters the proceedings with pop culture references. However, he will probe and ask pointed questions but does so in a non-accusatory manner.

These podcasts have proven so popular, Uncanny made the transition to television. Therefore a book version does not come as a great surprise. What does though is the fact that the format of the podcast works so well in prose. Into the Uncanny takes three cases and explores them in detail, featuring all the eye witness testimony and historical facts you’d expect. Danny often cross references them with other cases as a means to explaining such phenomenon as “stone tape theory” and “poltergeist focus”. He also references his own life experiences and how they played a part in him now working in this field. The first case investigated is of such a magnitude, it is subsequently a plot thread throughout the entire book, culminating in visiting the actual site of the supernatural incidents in the final chapters. The style is designed to make the reader feel that they’re accompanying Danny Robins on his investigations and it works very well.

What stands out in Into the Uncanny is the way Danny approaches and interacts with those recounting their experiences. The majority of whom come across as regular people struggling to come to terms with what they have seen and felt. Many of which have never previously spoken to anyone about these matters out of genuine fear that they would suffer negative consequences. One such individual, a now retired Policeman, recounts how his career was blighted as a response to his very measured report of the incident he experienced. Hence Into the Uncanny does not perpetuate the stereotype that most people who have stories of the supernatural are members of the “lunatic fringe”. Most of the stories in the book are steeped in sadness and regret. There are families that have never spoken to each other for decades about a shared incident and more often than not, people have been greatly troubled by their world view being turned upside down.

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Into the Uncanny is not afraid to explore multiple theories and ideas regarding the supernatural. In a bold move, one of the three main stories investigated in the book is in fact about an encounter with a UFO, rather than a ghost. Yet the parallels between these two incidents are strong. The psychological trauma being the underlying similarity. As for explanations, Into the Uncanny goes beyond the standard tropes of established supernatural lore. Magnetic fields, theoretical physics and psychological conditions are all posited and explored. Danny recounts a personal anecdote about a smoke detector that provides an object lesson in the perils of assumption and not verifying information yourself. This habit of providing both the pros and cons to being both sceptical and open to belief serve the book well. It gives the impression of a balanced investigation, rather than having a desired position and then retrofitting the data to validate it.

I listened to the audiobook version of Into the Uncanny and it is embellished with some ambient music and sound effects, making it a lot more like a podcast episode. However, I recently thumbed through a print copy of the book in a shop and the text version similarly maintains the same quality, albeit sans the sound effects. Overall, Into the Uncanny is a very engaging continuation of the Uncanny podcast and TV show format. Often explorations of the supernatural treat the subject as a sideshow attraction. The presenters are loud and confrontational. Into the Uncanny is a very British undertaking. It is calm, considered and when required, self-deprecating. Does it reach any definitive conclusions? No. Previously, when reviewing The Battersea Poltergeist, I considered this approach to be cakeism. However, here author Danny Robins muses upon this point himself and concludes that their can’t be a final answer in such a broad field. I concur but remain entertained.

Projects and Problem Cascades

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As the New Year is still young, I have embarked upon several new projects that I’ve been planning since Autumn last year. These undertakings have gone beyond the planning stage and are currently being implemented. The fun thing about the phrase “implemented” in this context is that it implies that it is by far the easiest and most straightforward part of the process. The initial brainstorming of ideas has been completed. A cogent and detailed plan has been written. The costing of materials and time required have been determined. These are the hard parts. All that remains is to “just do it”. It should be a piece of piss (a British phrase indicating that something is easy). It virtually “implements” itself. However, that is a load of bollocks. Because there is always scope for something to go wrong. It may well start as something minor and innocuous but it all too often ends in a “problem cascade”.

In early 2025 I experimented with recording video game footage, editing it and uploading it to YouTube. Initially I thought it would be a straightforward process. All I needed was some video capture and editing software along with the time to learn the basics of the process. I did eventually upload two videos to YouTube but I wasn’t entirely happy with them. The main problem was that at every stage of the production process there were factors that impacted upon the results. For example, OBS requires a great deal of fine tuning and a lot of that is dependent upon your PC and its respective hardware. Hence you have to make changes, record some video content and then appraise it to see if it is adequate. If not, it’s a case of rinse and repeat. Hence there is great deal of time spent fine tuning your set up and effectively just experimenting. It isn’t the most efficient of processes.

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Last year I bought Corel VideoStudio 2023 for video editing. It proved adequate but took a while to figure out. As I haven’t used it for 10 months I am currently struggling to recall what I have previously learned. During that time I have also changed monitors, which means that several videos I created for branding, are now in different resolution to any new video content that I may record. This can be addressed when editing future videos but it has added another layer of complexity to the process. As a result I have also purchased Movavi Video Suite 2026 to see if this software is a little more intuitive or will automatically address problems like this one, without manual intervention. However, the software kept on freezing upon launch and it took two hours of troubleshooting before I determined that it was due to a conflict with my Action! screen capture software, that launches on Windows start up.

I also dusted off my Yeti X microphone this week and made some test audio recordings via Audacity, to see what the sound quality was like. Again it required a lot of fine tuning as I had to set the microphone to an appropriate “pickup pattern”. Cardioid is the best for recording a single voice and is recommended for solo podcasts. Next I needed to find an optimal distance between myself and the microphone, so it recorded my voice at an acceptable level. The microphone also had to be positioned so I could access my keyboard and monitors while using it. The final results were good but I did waste some time troubleshooting a humming noise that was present on the recordings, before I realised it was the sound of the washer/dryer in the kitchen being picked up. Once again, an unforeseen factor can derail your progress and send you down a proverbial Rabbit hole.

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Mind you, it hasn’t all been a continuous struggle. I installed a piece of software recently called Custom Resolution Utility that allows you to create custom screen resolutions for your monitor and add them to the drop down list in Windows. It worked immediately without any fine tuning. I often find that utilities written by the public and shared on GitHub are far better supported, have better instructions and have superior quality control than a lot of commercial software. As for projects, I guess it is in their nature that there will always be problems and areas where you simply have to experiment to get optimal results. But I do find it frustrating that so much software these days feels only 80% completed and that technical support is often a case of “troubleshoot it yourself”. It is not a business model we’d accept for other products, where we expect things to work straight out of the box. However, that enough complaining from me. I’ve got some projects to “implement” and they’re not going to do it themselves.

Changing Software

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This time last year I made a decision to replace Microsoft Office or Office 365 as it is currently known. Mainly because I only use Outlook out of the entire suite of software. This project stalled because I couldn't easily import my existing email archive into Mozilla Thunderbird. Hence the status quo has been perpetuated. However, there is an ongoing cost associated with this software as well as some wider considerations about ethics and privacy which is why I have returned to this matter. Although this time I wish to replace not only Office 365 but all the other "production tools" I use to write and browse the internet. I have managed to make some progress towards this goal but it has been hard to adapt. Mainly because I had everything set up to my liking. Although alternatives are available, they're never exactly alike and require a lot of fine tuning to be deemed satisfactory.

Web Browser

I have used Chrome for years and until fairly recently it has served my needs adequately. However, whether it is due to the various extensions I have installed or some inherent software flaws, I’ve found that several websites that I use regularly do not perform well with Chrome. These problems usually occur when attempting to buy and item or service. As this is not a trivial issue, I decided to try Vivaldi as my default web browser and so far, I have been happy with the results. It performs well, can be easily customised and it even managed to import all my existing Chrome extensions. I’ve had no issues when banking online, or ordering from Amazon or other retailers. Plus Vivaldi is weighted towards user privacy. Something that I am becoming increasingly interested in.

Search Engine

Over the last 6 months or so, I have noticed a decline in the quality and relevance of search results when using Google. There are too many paid or sponsored links which are an impediment to obtaining relevant data quickly. Although Google has taken steps to highlight sponsored search results recently, I would like a means to block them entirely. However, I am not sure if this can be easily done. Having researched the matter all alternative search engines show adverts and sponsored results. It just seems to be an integral part of all search engine business models these days. Perhaps a browser extension may offer a solution. I am currently testing one called “Unsponsored” to see if it does the job.

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Office Suite

I stopped using Office 365 (bar Outlook) along time ago preferring the simplicity and immediacy of Google Drive. In the past I had a requirement to be able to access my documents across multiple locations, so Google’s solution was of use to me. However, I now tend to do the majority of my writing at home, so a stand alone solution is now more convenient. With this in mind I installed LibreOffice and it serves all my needs with regard to writing blog posts. I have a convenient shortcut on my taskbar which launches a blank document set to a formatting style of my choice. It does not suffer from an excess of functionality and provides an efficient means to write my blog posts.

Email

Finally I have returned once again to replacing Outlook. Or at least the current iteration that is part of Office 365. I have a copy of Outlook 2021 and a license key, so I can theoretically downgrade to this older version and dispense with the monthly subscription. In the past my main concern regarding changing email clients has been being able to import all my existing emails. However, I can always just export all the old data as a .pst files and keep it as an archive. This then allows me to choose from a variety of alternate email clients as I am effectively starting from scratch. This raises the prospect of using Mozilla Thunderbird once again. Or I may even use Vivaldi as it offers integrated email support. I shall investigate this further in the next few days.

Some people may question my concerns over changing software and which service providers I deal with. Broadly speaking, for those who use the internet casually, using the most obvious and commonest tools is probably the most convenient option. However, I think there are cogent reasons to be concerned about becoming dependent upon specific free tools provided by predominantly US companies with an ever increasing monopoly on such services. I like my data to be a secure and private as possible. I also want to deal with companies that are vaguely ethical. I certainly feel that consumer legislation is better represented in Europe than elsewhere in the world. If this ongoing project works, I would also like to say goodbye to Windows as an operating system, although that has much bigger ramifications. In the meantime, I shall continue to make changes until I find an optimal solution. I am a firm believer in the old adage that it is the dog that wags the tail and not vice versa.

Thoughts on Blogging Part 24

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Spring Cleaning Contains Moderate Peril

Today I started the slow process of auditing every post that has been published on Contains Moderate Peril since 1st August 2016. The goal is to correct any obvious typos and replace all existing images with larger ones. The Squarespace software upgrade I applied to the website at the end of last year has finally allowed me to establish a standard format that I am happy with. Hence the ongoing audit is the perfect opportunity to apply these style rules to all posts. There are also some technical issues and matters regarding functionality that need to be addressed. I need to determine how to embed YouTube videos in such a way that they automatically scale to fit whatever device is viewing them. Another area which needs improving is the website search facility. This needs refinement so that enquiries can be more specific. Older posts also need to be more accessible, although I am still researching how best to achieve this.

Deleting Existing Content?

When I started writing this blog, it was specifically about my hobbies and interests. Initially, my scope of writing was confined to subjects such as films, TV, video games and other associated or adjacent aspects of popular culture. Over the years, I have found myself writing about an increasingly wide range of subjects. Hence you’ll find posts about supermarkets, holidays and even UK slang. Although I have enjoyed this immensely a lot of these posts have fallen on stoney ground. There has been no interest according to the website statistics and the conspicuous lack of reader comments. As a result I am actively considering removing a lot of this content so that the overall remit for Contains Moderate Peril is more clear and concise. I haven’t made up my mind yet about how far I should take this process. Does anyone have any views on this? Yes, I’m talking to you, dear reader(s).

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“So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish”

Over the years I’ve written a couple of posts about long term and respected members of the blogging community stepping back from their respective roles and retiring. There are still plenty of people who fall into the category of being “part of the furniture”; constantly active in the background, posting material that is engaging and an invaluable resource. However, life and circumstances change and therefore from time to time, someone feels the need to hang up their spurs. Recently, FibroJedi announced that they were no longer able to continue to produce and maintain the online guides for LOTRO (and other games) that they have been stalwartly producing for so many years. This was a decision made on health grounds. Under such circumstances the most prudent thing that the community can do is wish them the best and offer our heartfelt thanks for such a prodigious contribution to our shared fandom.

Der Tiger AKA The Tank (2025)

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On the Eastern Front in 1943, a German Tiger tank crew led by Lieutenant Philip Gerkens (David Schütter) is sent on a mission to rescue the missing officer Paul von Hardenburg (Tilman Strauss) from a top-secret bunker that is at risk of falling into enemy hands. As they make their way through an eerie no-man’s land, they have to avoid Russian armoured vehicles that seem to be aware of their mission. They also encounter a German unit taking punitive action against a peasant village, in reprisal for partisan activity in the area. The youngest crew member, Michel (Yoran Leicher), talks of the land being home to ghosts and spirits. As the tank penetrates further into contested territory the crew become increasingly disturbed by the uncanny nature of their mission and begin to fall prey to their own inner fears.

If you watch Der Tiger AKA The Tank expecting to see a film similar to Fury, then you’ll possibly be disappointed. This is not a traditional war film and it doesn’t take long for the story to stray out of one genre and into another. Perhaps the marketing for this film should have been more specific and indicated that it wasn’t just the wartime story of a Tiger tank crew but something a little more “horror adjacent”. That being said, there is much to like about the film and its production. It is beautifully shot by cinematographer, Carlo Jelavic, who imbues a great deal of atmosphere with evocative lighting. The visual effects both physical and CGI are well realised with the Tiger tank being very plausible. The central performances by the actors portraying the five man crew members are strong. Plus, it is always interesting to see WWII from a perspective other than the Allies.

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Yet despite so many good elements, director Dennis Gansel, plays his hand too early in the proceedings tipping off astute viewers as to where the film is really heading. To discuss this in-depth would be a spoiler so I shall not go into further detail. As for those who miss this clue, they run the risk of being disappointed in the climax of the third act when the plot takes a radical change. It’s odd that such a clumsy clue was given and I wonder if it was something imposed upon the production by Amazon Studios. Some streaming companies have a policy to accommodate viewers whose attention is divided between watching TV and their smartphone. Whether that is the case here, remains to be seen. However if it is, then it is a sad indictment of contemporary audiences.

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As it stands, Der Tiger is a well made exploration not only of the horrors of war but of being lost in grief. The action scenes are tense and well handled, including an interesting encounter with a Soviet SU-100 tank destroyer. The replica Tiger I is in fact a modified T-55 chassis with an aluminium shell built over it. Overall it is very convincing. The story  follows a three act arc, starting as a WWII drama, then transitioning into a homage to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The third act is bold and its credibility ultimately comes down to whether the viewer wishes to maintain their suspension of disbelief and go with the story or not. Some critics have compared Der Tiger with the 2012 Russian film, White Tiger. I would argue that is not a fair comparison because the latter makes it clear that it is a parable right from the start. I enjoyed Der Tiger but recognise that it may not be for everyone.

More Screen Capture Software

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Last summer I wrote a post about my experiences using various screen capture software. At the time I was using Bandicam which suited all my needs. I had configured the software to launch at Windows start-up and had a hotkey assigned to capture images from my primary monitor. Hence I could quickly grab a screenshot from my desktop or when playing a game. However, this changed in November 2025, when I bought two new monitors. Both of which supported HDR (High Dynamic Range). Although they provide superior picture quality, HDR has a knock-on effect on Bandicam. Screen capture images and video look over exposed. Hence I had to stop using the software and find an alternative. Fortunately the same company has been developing an alternative product with HDR support; Bandi Camera. So I swapped to this software. The screenshots were far better but the functionality of the app was lacking.

The main problem I have found with Bandi Camera is that to use it effectively you have to use a series of hotkeys. First it has to be maximised from the system tray and then you need to select which monitor you wish to take images of. Finally you have to choose whether you wish to capture a specific portion of the screen or the active window. It all works well but the process does not lend itself to “grabbing a screenshot on the fly”. I prefer just pressing a single key and not having to worry about anything else. Another issue is that the software takes two images when you take a screenshot. One in .jpg format and the other in .avif (or .jxr). I have no need for these more advanced formats. However, as there is not an excess of screen capture software with HDR support available at present, I have got by using Bandi Camera. It has the benefit of being free of charge at present.

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Recently while perusing software online, I discovered Action! This is a screen recorder, primarily designed to be an alternative to software such as OBR and XSplit. Not only does it record video footage of your desktop or game, it also can take screenshots. It is also notable that it supports HDR. So I purchased Action! for £20, which is a reasonable price for a single user lifetime license. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the software was to configure and how straightforward the user interface is. Most importantly, I can take a screenshot of a specific monitor by pressing a single hotkey. Effectively I have returned to the functionality that Bandicam gave me, only this time I have HDR support. So far the quality of the screen captures has been fine, apart from those taken from Roblox. However, as that is not a major source of my video game blogging, I can live with this minor issue.

I have also spent some time experimenting with the screen recorder option, capturing video footage of various video games. Action! is certainly less complex than OBS and once properly configured to record HDR content, the results are good. However, there are a few bugs. If I set the software to capture an active game, most of the time it does so without any issues. However, when recording The Lord of the Rings Online, if I turned off the screen recorder HUD, a black box would still appear in the top right corner of the screen. This bug seems unique to LOTRO as it hasn’t occurred with any other game. I fixed the issue by selecting the screen instead of the game, as the source of the recording. Minor glitches notwithstanding, Action! Handles screenshots well, so as that is my primary requirement, I’ll continue to use it.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon - Magic and Spellcasting

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I decided to pursue a magic and spellcasting build in the RPG Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon after the story prologue. During the opening section of the game, the player is presented with a sufficient range of weapons to determine which type suits them best, although you can change at any time during the game. For me, casting spells feels right and is fun. Plus I have fond memories of the magic system in Two Worlds II and Skyrim. So once I started playing through the first zone, I started putting attribute and skill points into the appropriate trees to bolster my spells strengths and frequency. I also chose gear that would bolster those statistics further. The results have been surprising, as magic and spellcasting is not presented in the usual “glass cannon” style you find in some other RPGs. Here it offers  robust DPS output and with the right gear and spell combination, a strong degree of survivability.

Magic in Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon consists of the following. Spells that can be cast which cause damage or drain health. Cubes which are chargeable magical artefacts that enhance existing magic attacks or provide an additional one. Wands that players can use to enhance spellcasting, manage mana and provide defensive options such as parrying and blocking a melee weapon. There are 6 types of spells available in the game. Summoning, healing, projectile, ray, channeled, and area of effect. Players can equip up to 2 spells simultaneously on their loadout and can hotswap between 4 loadouts. There are 55 spells available in the game. Cubes are charge-based equipment that collect energy through actions such as attacking an enemy, spending mana, or spellcasting. Once fully charged a cube can activate its effect. If 2 spells are equipped, instead of a spell and a wand or shield, the player will have to rely on dodging incoming attacks, instead of parrying and blocking.

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Most spells can be cast in two different ways. Light cast and heavy cast. Light cast is faster, uses less mana but deals less damage and has no bonus or crit related effects. Heavy cast is more powerful but costlier in terms of mana and takes longer to cast. Their respective use and benefits are situational, depending on which enemies you’re facing and what their respective weakness is. The main resource to cast spells is mana which is the blue bar on the UI, between health (red) and stamina (green). Each time players cast a spell, mana is spent and the blue bar is reduced accordingly. Channelled spells, keep spending mana while they’re being used. Mana regenerates slowly over time, both while in or out of combat. Spirituality is the main stat for spellcasting and magic. Points spent on it increase spell power, mana and its regeneration. The more spirituality players have, the more efficiently they use mana (IE the cost of spellcasting).

To use magic and spellcasting effectively in Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon a player has to manage their use and regeneration of mana. All of which is dependent upon how they spend skill and attribute points and what gear they wear. If done correctly the right armour set, coupled with appropriate skills will regenerate mana upon enemy kills or critical hits. Thus the player should seek a build that uses mana and regenerates it, allowing the player to sustain prolonged attacks. For example the Waning Moon Set is a specialized armour set that provides continuous mana regeneration and is particularly effective when your mana is low. The set effect increases mana regeneration by 1% and boosts this by 50% when your mana is below 25%. The spell Soul Salvage is a spell that when targeted at your active summon (IE an AI companion you have summoned to help you), dismisses them and restores 75% of the mana cost used for the initial summoning, based on their current health.

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Some players favour melee combat and the experience of fights being up close and personal. I prefer stealth, ranged attacks and the ability to move quickly, find cover or dodge. Magic and spellcasting is the perfect fit for such a strategy in Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon. I am currently in the second zone of the game and have a build that allows me to take on two to three mobs simultaneously. Ranged attacks using lightning and ice projectiles are particularly effective on standard landscape enemies. I tend to use a wand when fighting melee bosses, as I can parry and block, exhausting their stamina. Then as they pause to recuperate, I can hit them hard with a ranged or AoE attack. Or I can summon multiple AI companions if I run low on stamina during a fight and they can act as temporary “meat shields”. All of which makes combat very satisfying, as there are always options depending on the situation.

Treasure Island (1990)

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Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel has been adapted for cinema and television numerous times. Perhaps the most well known is the 1950 Disney version, starring Robert Newton as Long John Silver. His eye rolling performance and exaggerated West Country accent is credited with popularising the stereotypical form of “pirate speech" that has become the pop culture default. Although an enjoyable film, it does gloss over the more sinister aspects of both the source text and history, perpetuating the myth that pirates are just loveable scoundrels. Many subsequent adaptations have fallen into the same trap to a greater or lesser degree. However, that is not the case with the 1990 version of Treasure island, which was made for the TNT cable network and released theatrically outside of the US. This darker and notably more violent adaptation closely follows the source text and is widely considered the most faithful to the book.

Ageing pirate Captain Bones, takes lodging in the Admiral Benbow inn, owned by Jim Hawkins and his widowed mother. One night, Bone’s former crew mates Black Dog and Blind Pew arrive and an altercation breaks out. As more pirates attack the inn, the local Magistrate Dr. Livesey and the local militia drive them off. Bones gives Jim the key to his chest and dies. When Jim searches the chest he finds some papers which he and Dr. Livesey then take to Squire Trelawney. He realises that one is a treasure map belonging to the notorious pirate Captain Flint. Trelawney charters the ship Hispaniola and hires Captain Smollett. He then employs a one-legged publican Long John Silver the as ships cook. Silver then convinces Trelawney to hire his friends as crew. However, both Silver and the men are former associates of Captain Flint and plan to take the treasure.

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Written and directed by Fraser C. Heston Treasure Island boasts a notable cast with the likes of Christopher Lee (Blind Pew), Oliver Reed (Billy Bones), Richard Johnson (Squire Trelawney) and Julian Glover (Doctor Livesey). However the focus of this gritty adaptation is Charlton Heston as Long John Silver and Christian Bale as Jim Hawkins. Heston plays Silver as a cold, cunning and dangerous rogue, who pivots between charm and violence. Bale excels as a quick witted “Jim lad”, who is the equal of many of his seniors. The film eschews the cosy “odd couple” interpretation of prior adaptations. Both Silver and Hawkins are pragmatic in their own way and see much of themselves in each other. The production makes excellent use of locations in Devon and Cornwall in the UK, as well as Jamaica, capturing the atmosphere of the times well.

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The 1950 Disney production of Treasure Island was not only instrumental in creating the modern contemporary stereotypical depiction of pirates but it also neutered the inherent violence and unpleasantness associated with such a lifestyle. That is not the case here. The crew of the Hispaniola are depicted as scurvy degenerates and it doesn’t take long for them to lapse into violence. Although not excessively graphic there are various stabbings, people being run through with cutlesses and the judicious use of the swivel gun in the final battle scene. All of which is concisely staged by veteran UK stunt co-ordinator Peter Diamond and shot by second unit director Joe Canutt. The proceedings are further bolstered by a traditional folk inspired score by Paddy Maloney and performed by his band The Chieftains. It has an appropriate nautical style without lapsing into cliche.

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By following the source text closely, presenting the story within an accurate representation of the period and filling the cast with character actors of note, Treasure Island avoids the puerile and re-establishes the story as an adult, action adventure. Pirates are not jolly, fun characters as they seem to be presented in contemporary pop culture. They are thieves, murderers and worse. Director Fraser C. Heston in many ways set a benchmark as to how you effectively adapt a classic book and make it palatable for modern audiences, without denigrating the material. Sadly, few filmmakers have learned this lesson, instead often deviating from the source text and pandering to modern sensibilities. Mercifully, none of those mistakes are made here. Hence Treasure Island is highly recommended both as an entertaining film and a blue print as to how you adapt classic literature.

Warhammer: Dark Omen - Available from GOG

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I originally bought Warhammer: Dark Omen in the summer of 1998. I played a demo copy via a magazine cover disc, which was a common means of promotion and marketing back then. Although I was at that point, unfamiliar with the Warhammer Universe, I found this game to be an excellent point of entry. The story did an excellent job of introducing players to “The Old World”, the political and power structure and major characters. I instantly liked both the aesthetic and the lore. Warhammer: Dark Omen was also the first real-time tactical wargame that I played and I spent numerous hours playing through the campaign. Overall, the game was a critical success, particularly on PC, but it struggled commercially upon its initial release and didn’t quite find the audience that it deserved. However, it has achieved status as a “cult classic” among gamers, leading to a recent re-release on GOG in late 2025. 

Technically, Warhammer: Dark Omen is a sequel to Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat, although it is not at all necessary to have played the first game. Warhammer: Dark Omen provides a variety of battles that are played in real time. The Warhammer fantasy setting affords players a mixture of medieval warfare with fantasy elements. Hence players deploy units prior to a battle based upon what enemy units they can see and the anticipation of reinforcements. To win you must kill or rout all enemy units. If your forces are similarly routed or destroyed the battle is lost. while losing if all their units are killed/routed from the battlefield. Units include infantry, archers, cavalry and cannon along with more exotic forces such as Dwarf Warriors, Mercenary Ogres and various Wizards. Losses can be replaced (purchased) between battles and units can use magic items to use to help them in battle.

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The game maps are 3D with units depicted via animated sprites. The player can issue various commands to units throughout battles, instructing them to move, engage specific enemies or use a magical item. It is important to move the in-game camera around the map and examine the terrain from multiple angles both prior and during the battles. Line of sight is extremely important especially for archers and cannon. The enemy attacks in waves and can sometimes set ambushes. Therefore it is important to zoom the view out from time to time and take stock of the battlefield. If a friendly unit is completely wiped out in a battle it is absent from the rest of the campaign. Therefore, battles need to be fought strategically and not rushed and it is prudent to ensure that your core units are not lost. However, throughout the main story, additional guest units may join you for a while and subsequently leave.

The main story that drives the campaign in Warhammer: Dark Omen is fairly straightforward. Due to an alignment of planets, a powerful supernatural entity, The Dread King, has returned to the world and raised an undead army. Morgan Bernhardt, commander of the “Grudgebringer” mercenaries is tasked by Emperor Karl Franz in investigating and eliminating this threat to The Empire. As the “Grudgebringer” mercenaries journey south they fight various battles in key locations, often with local allies. There are a handful of cutscenes during the course of the story with the majority of the dialogue being delivered by animated talking heads in portraits frames, set against a background reflecting the current location. It is all relatively low key, as you’d expect from a game of this age but the voice acting is solid. There is also a very atmospheric soundtrack by Mark Knight. It should also be noted that this game is hard. You cannot vary the difficulty which is taxing at times.

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Last year, Warhammer: Dark Omen received over 15,000 votes on the GOG Dreamlist, leading to an official re-release with 4K and widescreen support in December 2025. It should be noted that the game may require some fine tuning to run how you like it on your PC. There is an excellent guide to this process over at Dark Omen Fansite Portal. All things considered this 28 year old game runs well thanks to GOG and I for one am very pleased to see it make a return. It is not just a case of nostalgia, although that is a factor. Warhammer: Dark Omen is a good real-time tactical wargame that is accessible and compelling. Unlike modern games it is not cluttered with an excess of systems and mechanics, instead focusing on providing straightforward battle scenarios where the player succeeds through thinking and measured action, rather than bluffing their way through. Sometimes less is indeed more.

Classic Movie Themes: Escape from the Planet of the Apes

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The Planet of the Apes movie franchise took a radical change of course with its third entry in the series. The first two films were set in the future and benefited from high production values to help realise a post apocalyptic earth. However, due to a substantial reduction of budget, Escape from the Planet of the Apes uses a time travel plot device to bring the ape protagonists to present day Los Angeles (1971 in this case). The result is a film with a much smaller narrative scope. However, although it lacks the science fiction spectacle of its predecessors, it features an interesting satirical exploration of celebrity culture and ponders what it is like to be deemed an enemy of the state. As ever, Roddy McDowell and Kim Hunter provide exceptional lead performances as the Chimpanzees Cornelius and Zira. Escape from the Planet of the Apes also captures the pop culture vibe of seventies America.

The soundtrack for Escape from the Planet of the Apes, marked the return of composer Jerry Goldsmith, whose score for Planet of the Ape had been nominated for an Oscar. On this occasion Goldsmith shifts from the stark, avant-garde style of the first film, to a lighter, more upbeat seventies sound, reflecting the film’s comedic and romantic elements. However, Goldsmith still maintains his signature use of unconventional percussion, brass, and innovative orchestral techniques. The result is a unique, fun and charming score which despite being very much of the time, does a great deal to bolster the unfolding drama. The title theme stands out with its unusual time signature and rhythmic bassline, played by the legendary session musician Carol Kaye. Goldsmith also uses both sitar and steel drums adding to the quirky character of the piece.

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Despite the lighter tone of Jerry Goldsmith’s soundtrack, Escape from the Planet of the Apes is a very bleak film with respect to its ending, which features infanticide. Musically, unlike the oppressive dread of the Planet of the Ape, the score for this film embraces the musical informality of the early seventies. The cue “Shopping Spree” captures the romantic interactions between Cornelius and Zira, incorporating charming piano melodies. While tracks such as “The Hunt” offer moments of suspense and are written in a more traditional idiom. However, the main title theme for the film remains the stand out track and is presented here for your enjoyment. It remains a prime example of the inherent versatility of composer Jerry Goldsmith who on this occasion goes for a more pop infused approach to his writing. The result is a charismatic soundtrack that captures the essence of the film and the mood of the time.