Downtime Dilly-Dally #1: Introduction and Spelunky

For every Magic addict, there comes an occasional (and quite horrible!) moment when he or she has to stop slinging spells. While I would recommend using this time to prepare and eat healthy meals, to sleep, to exercise, and to work for money to continue drafting, I don’t expect this advice to be taken seriously. No one can be engaged in healthy self-improvement all hours of the day, just as no one can play Magic every waking minute! After all, sometimes you finish a DE or draft round early, and you’re waiting for everyone else while twiddling your thumbs. You could double-queue, but that’s rude and costs money.

This is an even more severe problem during MTGO downtime, when it’s not even possible to jump into the tournament practice room for a quick game or two. If you’re anything like me (wallowing in filth in your underwear by your computer), it won’t be possible to go outside without attracting disgusted glances from passers-by, or without burning to a crisp in the sun.

So what’s there to do during your MTGO downtime?

Play video games. (Obviously)

In this series I aim to show off (and provide quasi-reviews) of video games that are quick to pick up and put down, affordable, and exciting. I have in mind games such as The Binding of Isaac, Duels of the Planeswalkers, FTL: Faster Than Light, Rogue Legacy, and whatever else you may suggest in the comments section that I try out. For each game, I’ll play it for several weeks (and continue to do so if people enjoy watching and engaging with it) in a ‘Let’s Play’ format before focusing on a different game. The first game is Mossmouth’s rogue-like precision platformer Spelunky HD.

There are two versions of the game, a free version available online, and a version available for purchase on XBLA and Steam (for PC) with additional features, a graphics update, etc. I’ll be playing the latter of these two for you with commentary (and lots of frustrated cursing).

In the first video below, I try my best to explain the game while playing, including what it’s about, what to do, how it works, etc. After that, my commentary becomes less focused on education than on sharing my thought process at any given point, expressing my gameplay-related concerns, and talking about out-of-context things that interest me. This game is ultra-difficult, so there will be lots of dying, sometimes only a little progress, and plenty of risky decisions. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it!

After the videos below, I’ll continue updating my Spelunky series on our Youtube channel. If you haven’t subscribed, you may be interested to do so to keep track of our video updates and watch more of my dilly-dallying during MTGO downtime. You’ll only find the rest of my Spelunky series on Youtube. Here’s a link to that Youtube playlist, and here’s a link to the front page of our Youtube channel.

 

Remember to check out our Youtube channel for more of this series.

You can find me on Twitter at @ajgoldman or @MTGOAcademy
or email me at aj@mtgoacademy.com.