11/10

NOTE: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T LIKE READING, JUST SKIP TO THE BLUE TEXT AT THE VERY END.

Friday Night Fights has been a mainstay on Destructoid for as long as I've been a member of this community -- and, indeed, much longer than that -- so I sometimes forget that there are newer people among our ranks who may not know all there is to know about this awesome weekly event. Given the fact that Dtoid now reaches over 3 million people every month, I thought it'd be time to set the record straight!

It is my hope that, after reading this blog, you'll have answers to every question you've ever asked (and even some you didn't) about what Friday Night Fights is, how hosting works, etc. If you STILL have unanswered questions, please leave them in the comments and I'll add them to the blog going forward!

And with that, let's get started!

CAN *I* HOST AN FNF MATCH?

Absolutely! Friday Night Fights is a 100% community-organized event. The only staff involvement comes from me, when I gather all the information about a week's matches and vomit it onto the front page. All the rest of the work, from volunteering to host matches to putting together the weekly forum threads and cblog posts, is done by you, the community.

Let me say that again, just to make sure it sticks: The community organizes Friday Night Fights, not the staff! ANYONE can host a match! So don't be shy! If you don't see something you want to play on the list for any given week, don't wait around for someone else -- just host it yourself!

HOW DO I SIGN UP TO HOST?

To sign up as a match host, just head on over to our forums, pick your favorite console, and leave your details! Just tell them the name of the game, the time you'll be hosting, and your Gamertag/PSN ID/whatever and you're set!

CAN MORE THAN ONE MATCH BE HOSTED DURING THE SAME TIME SLOT?

Of course! To borrow an idea from my buddy Trev, think of the FNF schedule like the showtimes at a movie theater. Multiple movies can play at the same time on different screens, right? So why would this work any differently?!

You can have one or two or ten thousand different games being hosted at any given time without getting in each other's way. That's the beauty of all of us having our own TVs and consoles!

CAN MORE THAN ONE PERSON HOST THE SAME GAME?

They sure can! Just as multiple games can be played during any timeslot, the same game can be hosted multiple times by different people!

So if another community member has already volunteered to host your game but at a time that doesn't work for you, just host it again yourself at a time that does! And who knows, there may even be somebody else in the same boat as you who would love to join your match!

WHAT DO I DO IF I JUST WANT TO PLAY?

Simply send the host a LIVE/PSN/whatever message telling them you're from Dtoid and you're looking to party and they'll invite you to the match! Of course, it's always a good idea to start the dialog earlier in the week via the forum threads (so the host knows how many players to expect), but that's not a requirement. Just show up and start playing!

HOW CAN I GET MORE INVOLVED?

There are currently five different FNF community teams that would absolutely LOVE some more help putting things together every week. Just pick your favorite console from the list below and contact one of the people in charge!



And that's it! Still confused? Try this:

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS MADE EASY AS 1, 2, 3!

1. GO HERE.

2. TELL US WHAT GAME YOU WANT TO PLAY, THE TIME, AND YOUR GAMERTAG/PSN ID/WHATEVER.

3. PLAY YOUR GAME!

See you online, boners :)

As you may recall, we recently announced a few changes that directly affect you cblogging badasses. Many promises were made, some of which have already begun to be fulfilled, and more fruits of your labor will be seeing the front page soon! In addition -- while I don't have any announcements yet regarding the looooong-awaited upgrade to the cblogging software -- I DO have the distinct pleasure of (re)introducing you to my two newest team members!



First up is Conor Elsea, or, as you knew him previously, Jon Bloodspray. Conor will be taking over for Jesse "Tactix" Cortez on the Community Groups side of things and keeping a spotlight on the NARPs, as well as helping Hamza and the rest of our team organize parties for our official get-togethers (like the upcoming PAX East, for example). Additionally, he'll be helping me select blogs for promotion; best start kissing ass!

Oh, and he plays the guitar, too!



The second heir to the Boner Throne is Spencer Hayes, formerly CrimeMinister. You probably know Spencer from his time with the Dtoid Communicast and also as Hamza's Intern Bitch. Well good news; now he's MY bitch!

Spencer will be taking over as your Team Fortress 2sdays guru (starting tonight!) and also helping me ban the assbots and spamholes from your midst. I met Spencer at PAX once and he tried to hug me; it was gross!

And that's it! I for one am incredibly excited about the renewed energy flowing through the cblogs for the last couple weeks. Let's keep this fun train rolling!

BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S DOING IT, MAN!*
*And I missed out the first time around :)



1. I'm a published writer

No, like, a real one.

Back in my college days, I used to write a lot of short stories; as a creative writing major, I didn't have much of a choice. And because it's what you do when you want to be a writer, I submitted the "good" ones (which I now hate) for publication, and somehow I actually managed to dupe someone into accepting some! Not only that, but I actually won the Best Short Story Award two years running! Granted, it was just a Southwest Washington literary magazine with maybe a few thousand readers to its name, but it was pretty badass nevertheless.

And no, you can't read them.

2. I don't "get" Japan

Anime, JRPGs... pretty much you name it and I don't get it when it comes to Japanese entertainment. I blame a lot of this on my childhood; I never owned a PlayStation system growing up and barely played my Nintendo (more on that below), so the majority of my gaming time was spent on a PC playing western RPGs and FPSs.

I've since tried playing a Final Fantasy game (hated it) and watching some so-called "good" Anime (didn't hate it, but it certainly wasn't my jam), but I think at this point I'm just a lost cause.

3. I missed A LOT of games growing up

You know that favorite game from your childhood that everyone always says "Oh yeah! I loved that game!" about whenever you mention it? Yeah, I've probably never played it.

Unless it was Mario or Zelda or the PC, I missed the boat for the most part. Granted, I have played a lot of PC games that nobody besides maybe Stevil has heard of -- S.C.A.R.A.B., anybody? -- but that's no replacement for every other great game everyone's ever played when I'm socializing at a party.

4. I got a DUI once

When I was 21, I drank too much, stayed up all night playing videogames at a friend's house, and fell asleep at the wheel on my way home the next morning. If you had seen the scene you'd be surprised I came away with my life, and I'm thankful to this day that there was nobody else around when I drove off the rode. It isn't something I'm proud of, but it DID teach me a lesson and I haven't driven after more than two or three beers (or while tired) since.

5. I brew my own beer

Note to self: Great segue, Dixon.

I recently purchased the equipment required to brew my own beer and have since made two batches. The first batch turned out great, while the second batch... well, this happened:



One for two ain't bad, right?

6. I really like Mountain Dew

OK, so you probably already knew this, but I fucking LOVE Mountain Dew. In fact, I'm drinking one right now!



7. I work for an oil company

This is one of those things I'm actually a little ashamed of, as it doesn't align with my politics in the least. However, a wife, kid and motherfucking BILLS necessitate that I bring home money, and this is the only means I've found since college that helps me do that.

It isn't one of the big ones or anything -- we basically just pick up gasoline at a terminal and deliver it to a station -- but still, it IS an oil company, and I work for them.

8. I saw my parents fuck once

Been trying to make that "twice" ever since, but they started locking their door :(

9. I really like my family

I actually enjoy spending time with my extended family. Parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins -- none of them bother me, and I almost always look forward to family get-togethers. They drink and play games and it's always a light-hearted time when we're all gathered. Go figure!

10. My wife is pregnant

So yeah. Looks like I'm having another one of these:



:D

On Friday, April 13, from 8 PM to 11 PM Eastern, Dtoid will be hosting a Battlefield 3 Community Playdate on Xbox LIVE! Conor Elsea (Jon Bloodspray), Abel Girmay (THEbakerman30) and myself will be representing the Dtoid staff, and we’re looking for a few community members to help round out our squads!

To be considered for the role, just jump on Battlefield 3 with me during Friday Night Fights tomorrow and prove your worth! I’ll be averaging out your points per match at the end of the night, so best bring your A game! The top players of the night (between 3 and 5, we're not sure how many yet) will then join the aforementioned staff in showcasing the Destructoid Community to the rest of the Xbox LIVE world!

So brush up on your skills and we'll see you online!

IT'S NIERO'S BIRTHDAY!!!

So what are you waiting for? GO PAY YOUR RESPECTS, YOU DICKHEADS!

Here's a picture I drew:



/failblog