DBNGamers D-9 sees Apex Interactive at the top of its game

This past Friday evening saw several of Durban’s most passionate gamers congregating at Waxy’s Restaurant in Westville for our ninth meet-up considering that the inaugural DBNGamers gathering last December.

It turned out a fairly chilly evening by Durban standards therefore you could tell that there had been some nasty flu bugs available in the intermittent coughing that rattled around the venue through the entire evening.

Our guests for your evening were Alexia and Quinton from Apex Interactive and Celestial Games owner Travis Bulford. Apex and Celestial had previously signed a distribution deal for that developer’s upcoming release Toxic Bunny HD, that may launch at rAge next month. Much more about this later!


In true Durban style, the event was very laid-back on the get-go. We spent a long time catching up with our friends through the DBNGamers community and also with our El33tonline colleagues before Alexia from Apex accepted takes place to take us with the company’s software and hardware line-up for the rest of 12 months. Several of the titles we were treated to trailers for included WRC 3, Of Orcs and Men, Sniper 2: Ghost Warrior and also the Testament of Sherlock Holmes. WRC 3 as well as Orcs and Men were two games that stood out to my opinion personally, but fans of action titles definitely shouldn’t miss Sniper 2: Ghost Warrior which launches the following month on dualshock 3 ps3 controller , Xbox 360 console and PC.

Alexia also showed us trailers for most with the awesome gaming accessories that Apex distributes. These include Turtle Beach headsets, Ferrari audio equipment and Gioteck gaming peripherals. A few of the Gioteck accessories served like a great reminder you can customise your console gaming experience as you think acceptable. In particular, should you choose Xbox 360 console controller towards PS3 one then simply select a wireless ps3 controller from the Gioteck range with a similar layout and shape to the 360’s gamepad.


Next on the agenda would have been a presentation by Travis from Celestial when he shared some fascinating information about his current project Toxic Bunny HD. The main Toxic Bunny was released on PC back in 1996 and compiled impressive sales worldwide for a title conceived and made by fellow South Africans. Travis showed us how far the graphics have fallen with this remake - not simply at a resolution perspective but also when it comes to redrawn assets and even more complex effects. You can tell that he is enthusiastic about the area development scene, evidenced with the undeniable fact that Celestial and Apex are encouraging South African artists and developers to submit material that can potentially be featured from the final game. Travis kept us entertained throughout his presentation with some other anecdotes (most of which involved coffee) and I first was thoroughly absorbed in what he previously to convey!

Travis’ talk was and then a wonderful period of giveaways that saw Toy Zone vouchers, Gioteck accessories as well as Apex-sponsored T-shirts and games being won by way of high percentage of attendees. A large appreciate it to Apex for handing out so many awesome prizes on the night - your generosity didn’t go unnoticed!

After the last prize ended up being won event organiser Pieter introduced a wii remote controller console plus some gaming ensued within the ‘big screen’ (i.e. the projector). Dead Island was the very first title that a few of the DBNGamers crowd took for the spin, and then Trials Evolution. Some head-to-head races followed and I’m not sure how much time into the night these continued as I left after a couple of rounds ended up played.

It was truly awesome to fulfill program the DBNGamers community yet again and on account of everyone who chose to make this event possible. Thanks must also head over to Apex Interactive and Travis for travelling right down to Durban to pay the evening around - we really enjoyed having you at DBNGamers D-9!

Advice from an addict: fighting the backlog

Gaming is usually a time-consuming hobby. A meaty dualshock 3 ps3 controller take upwards of 60 hours, which dwarves the commitment necessary for a relatively small three-hour movie, or perhaps a 12-episode show on tv. But individuals are busy – no more will we possess the luxury of empty summers or homework-less nights. What exactly is balance the requirements of our lives with your desire to play games?

Lets hope my few but hopefully loyal readers will forgive this brief but contextually necessary autobiographical interlude:
I've recently turned into a full-time graduate student, over being a full-time graduate assistant and Ka Leo editor. While We've up to now had time to control my workload while still sleeping a minimum of five hours an evening, I will be in school six days a week and have absolutely no substantial time to play video games anymore.
I got myself the much-anticipated “The past Story” (which definitely needs a Ka Leo review) and that i haven’t even opened it. My backlog of unplayed and unfinished games grows monthly, while my directory completed games happens to be stagnant.

I’ve always found that gaming is – to my opinion – more vital over a mere hobby. A short while ago, I tried an experiment to view the length of time I possibly could go without playing one particular game. It had been probably the most unpleasant two months of my well being. I became – in line with my sister – an extremely irritable and angry person with every single day that passed by. I actually do need games to work like a normal human being, in a way. A couple of hours in the gaming world and I believe it is simpler to tolerate the stresses on the real one.
And i also don’t think I’m alone with this – games do perform the duties of to reduce stress and tension outlet for many people. Cutting games out entirely is not the answer, but neither is neglecting your studies and social lives at the expense of your fix. So what can we do? I have compiled some suggestions to assist you to keep sanity and your habit.

1. Reserve a couple of minutes daily and play something – anything.
Modern games are intended with on-the-go players in mind. The many current handheld systems – particularly the PS Vita and 3DS, and to a lesser wireless ps3 controller extent the iOS and mobile platforms – allow you to pause games for the fly. Portable games can also be normally beautifully made with mission-based gameplay or extremely forgiving save systems. If all you've got time for is a quarter-hour, grab a handheld and go. Play on the bus, or play as part of your room before going to bed – that little bit of time helps.  But hey, if all you need time for is Bejeweled, then play Bejeweled. It might still have you feeling better. (I participate in the original Puzzle Quest, so at least it seems like I’m thinking more than I'd with regular Bejeweled.)

2. Don’t fret to partition a couple of hours for relaxing.
We are able to easily delude ourselves into thinking that we've got little time to be doing anything besides our work. This may be true sometimes – it also isn’t healthy in any way. Relaxation and time for it to recharge is as crucial that you a normal mental state as sleep. Tell yourself you will have a 2-hour block for doing offers at least soon – so take action. Don’t make excuses. If you have to schedule in relaxation just like an assignment, then undertake it. It’s that important. Burning out will ruin you more ultimately than the usual few hours’ break now would.

3. Play games; don’t just learn about them.
This is my great weakness – sometimes I recently spend wii remote controller forever reading about games as opposed to actually playing about them. There’s nothing more frustrating than taunting yourself that way. Rather then worrying overly much with what cool games will probably be coming out sometime soon, focus on everything you curently have. Many of the important should you, much like me, buy a lot of games then not have time and energy to play them. Checking up on release dates and reading reviews shouldn’t be considered a time-consuming process, so don’t attempt to use that as an alternative for actual gaming.
Could it be hard? Yes. But finding the time to unwind is equally as essential as making the effort to figure. Don’t squander your spare minutes by lurking Facebook and reading lame memes. Enjoy your games. And assuming I manage to take my very own advice now, please look forward to overview of “The final Story” in the near future.