Ludogistics & The Irrational Thought Patterns Of A Great Many Things

Everybody is doing it... A Year in Review. This Year's Ten Best. A "Must Play" list. I must admit, I deeply enjoy lists and countdowns to "Best this", and "Worst that". Lists are very satisfying, especially when you can look at one and exclaim "done this!", or "got that!". Someone once said that lists are fun because you get to cross out stuff from them. I find myself in agreement with that statement, although it all depends on how much stuff is on the list vis-a-vis what you did, or can, cross out. Like a jar of pickles that you empty out over a certain period : you can't really eat all the pickles in one sitting, and you can't let it sit there for a whole year. So you better not pick up a jar that's too big, or you won't be able to finish it before it goes to waste; and you can't get a jar that's too small because you'll quickly end up with nothing in it, and no snack. I guess what I'm trying to say

A curious little chart made it's way from GameSpy to the larger intertubes of the Net this morning : To " Jump the Shark ", for those who may not know, is the precise moment within the lifespan of an entertainment franchise when it just becomes so ridiculous, it loses its value and starts its decline. Well, here it is, brilliantly illustrated by GameSpy with the help of GameRankings of every title in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series. Tony Hawk jumped the shark riiiiiight between Underground 2 and it's first step into the current-generation market, American Wasteland, where it dipped below the 80% marker. Why is this important, and why would I mention it? First, it's funny. No, trust me my friends, it is. The expression has been used appropriately so little in these past years that it had almost lost its meaning. We receive now, as the Holy Bread, a promise of renewal for this precious meme from 60s Television. Jumping the shark has again a sense of purpose. It'