Voidware Gaming: Blossoming in the Wild Midwest

Voidware Gaming Logo

Something is happening in the Midwest that has never been done before: an indie gaming company is on the rise. As someone who was raised in a smaller city in South Dakota, I would never imagined being able to take part in something as ambitious and undertaking as an indie game company. Granted, there are thousands of gaming companies that are started on a daily basis, but there is a difference in seeing one in the making in front of my very eyes. 

Dakota State University, located in the small town of Madison, SD, has given birth to the one and only game design program in the Midwest area. Hundreds of games have been created on this campus, and I've gotten to play test and review many of them, but to actually see a company spring up from this is extraordinary. Voidware Gaming, created by Matt Nelles and co-founded by Patrick (BizKit) Annett, is undertaking a feat worthy of praise. They are giving life to a company that will be taking in fellow students from Dakota State University, whether they have graduated with a degree or even if they are not in the game design program (obviously, as they took me as a reviewer).

Voidware Gaming is kicking down the doors that have barred South Dakota from being a game producing area and more. So many new paths are being beaten down for indie game designers and those that are simply interested in taking part of a new endeavor. 

Getting Inked: Human Art

The aftereffects of being inked.

When people hear the term "getting inked", they imagine endless hours of sitting in a chair and having someone sitting over you with an ink gun. Well, they aren't wrong. As someone who has been inked and will continue to do so until the day I die, I can say that with one tattoo, I've already let go of 4+ hours of my life.

Some (mostly my parents and family) have asked me how I expect to get a job if I'm covered in ink. Back in their day, just to give you a feel for old their thinking is, having tattoos in any professional field was a disgrace and was highly frowned upon. Today's society still thinks that tattoos are for punks, rebels, or whatever term you prefer, but are those of us who are inked destined to be penniless and flipping burgers? Most certainly not.

Today, more professional fields are allowing their employees and associates to have artwork on their bodies, as long as it is appropriate. Because that's all tattoos are--human artwork. They are a form of expression--a freedom of "speech". No one has the right to be turned down for a corporate job just because they have a tattoo of their grandparents' death dates on their shoulder. Most jobs require that you wear long sleeves and formal attire as is.

Everyone has the right to express themselves, because we are only human. So before you frown and point your fingers at all those "punks", remember that they too are allowed to express themselves in whatever fashion they deem fit.

Also, if you live in the Black Hills area or plan on going to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this year--check out Richard at the Tattoo Cellar in Sturgis, SD. He's the bomb.