The Playing With Swords FAQ

Every so often I like to host public gameplay sessions, and I call those events Playing With Swords. I tend to hear the same questions asked each time I do it, so it’s probably a good idea to have a FAQ for them.

Where are the details for these events?
For each Playing With Swords session, I post a blog in the site’s Playing With Swords category. I will often make a Facebook event for the gameplay session as well.

What is your Gamertag/PSN ID/Steam ID?
Conveniently, they are all OneOfSwords — I planned ahead! I have these listed in my Contact page too, but there is no harm repeating them here:

What time?
This depends on the event, but I generally try to schedule them for two-hour blocks in the evening on both coasts. Usually I go for 9pm Eastern, which is 6pm Pacific. If it’s a gameplay session specifically planned with UK and European gamers in mind, It’s more like 10am Pacific, which is 6pm or 7pm “over there.”

There’s no room on your friends list — how do we find each other?
Yeah, sorry, even when I create room on my friends list, it just fills up again with new requests. If you’re not on it, don’t worry — just send me a message during the event saying you would like to play, or throw me an invite into your session. I generally hop around and try to play with as many people as possible, so it doesn’t really matter if you’re in my session or I’m in yours. I won’t be able to get to everybody but I do try.

And remember — I play in two-hour blocks. If you don’t get me in the first 15 minutes, come back in an hour and try again. Sometimes I find myself without opponents and I’m only halfway through!

How about I just send you a private party invite?
No, please don’t — since it’s a public event and I am trying to play with as many people as possible, I always decline private “Join my Xbox LIVE Party” invites. They also change the voice chat to a private channel, and I’m generally trying to talk with multiple people in the main room. If your invite is a game invite — just “join my game session/lobby” — that’s no problem, and I’ll always try to jump into those. It’s just the private parties that become problematic.

What do I win?
Bragging rights. The gameplay events are generally not prize giveaways. I might change that some day but right now I have no plans to do that. It’s just an excuse to get together with other folks and play a game.

I can’t wait to play with you so I can ask you detailed questions!
Please don’t — that’s not what this is about. Like you, when I’m online to play games, I want to play games. I expect we’ll have a conversation while we play, but please do not seize these events as opportunities to tell me everything you hate about Activision, interview me for your blog, or pitch me on this awesome new game idea you have. I’ve got email for that and I do answer it — even the “everything you hate about Activision” stuff. But when there’s a controller in your hand, let’s just play.

When are you going to play [insert game here]?
Activision has a lot of games on a lot of platforms, so I try to hit the newest games in a timely manner. I also want to take advantage of windows like new releases, double XP, and new DLC when possible. I do try to respond to your requests, and I want to throw some older games into the mix as well. Just because it’s not brand-spankin’ new doesn’t mean it won’t appear in a Playing With Swords session!