I found a funny cartoon that sums this up so well!

Yes, I agree, excellent points Mark. I will try to be more reluctant to post things that I wouldn't say to people's faces, and I know I have done that many times. My problem is that I tend to have a shorter temper online than I would in real life, as anyone who has met me can attest. I don't even think the problem would go away without the pseudonyms, although i agree that they make them worse.

I notice that experience makes you able to handle unfair criticism better, because you have a broader view. For instance, when I see a really nasty comment about me on the anonymous student evaluations, I tend to disregard if it's for a course I've taught many times, but take it more to heart if it's one that I felt insecure about. I'm sure if I had written thirty or so books and had seen the gamut of criticism, I'd be much more inclined to disregard a few nasty remarks made in PC Gamer. However, since it's my first effort, I'm pretty insecure about it, and tend to take stuff like that too seriously.

Matt, if you stick your neck out by making your views known in a book then you should be expecting to get some harsh criticism. That is just the way it works. But remember those criticizing often do it from the comfort of their homes, behind their keyboards, not facing you directly nor directing the comments directly at you personally. People criticizing perhaps even don't have the writing skills to write something like you have written, but they are entitled to their opinions. They way opinions are expressed on the internet nowadays can be pretty nasty or unfounded. Because it is so easy to actually get your opinion on the internet the threshold is actually quite low and a lot of crap like "I don't like what he has written about X so the whole d*mn book is just *&^%^" is put out there amongst the more genuine remarks and balanced criticisms. I bet you that if you were standing opposite some of those people writing nasty stuff - they won't have the heart to say it to your face. What sucks is when you yourself are in error and people are bashing you about it - but I guess that is what comes with the territory as well.

I have been guilty of harsh statements on the web myself. Just look at my wining about gametap - I don't seem to appreciate the hard work the gametap folk have put into the service - but I have a right to wine and so I do, but with that comes some responsibility as well. My motto is "don't write stuff about folk that you are not prepared to say to them if you were facing them, and just don't be this anonymous synonym on the web" - the web would be a nicer place and perhaps a more honest place. But that's just me. Matt, I guess you'll just have to tough it up and just face comments written by those anonymous folk like the Thomas86's, ZeInstigator2008's and what have you not.

Editor / Pixelator - Armchair Arcade, Inc.
www.markvergeer.nl

I actually have a few boxed Santa Paravia/Fumaccio games. I think specifically for the TRS-80 Model I and the Panasonic JR-200U. I recall playing a version many, many years ago, but my memory is vague.

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Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.

Man, I haven't heard of any of those games. Can you talk a bit about them?