Reflections of the Week
"Chivalry"

First off, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and got everything they wanted to see under the ole' Christmas tree. Now that I've said that, on to this week's reflection, which isn't about RPGs, but about another equally touchy topic.

I was sitting in my A.P. Art History class one day during a discussion on the Middle Ages, and I started to think about this question: Whatever did happen to romantic chivalry? You know, courage, honor, valor, civility and whatever else there was thrown in there. When I think about the morals and values of the entire world, and even the United States specifically, it alarms me that chivalry has apparently died.

Think about this for a second...how many guys actually still write poetry to their loves like the famous poets of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance did? Granted, while most poetry written is incredibly cheesy and cliche (especially teenager stuff), it still takes some time and dedication to actually put one's thoughts into words. And how many guys actually still serenade their love? Very few, I promise you that (even though I actually know someone that did last year). And even that takes some dedication, as 90% of us can't sing (myself included) and wouldn't risk embarassment. Ever seen anyone put a coat in the mud? While it's stupid, I bet the answer is no. Oh yeah, and opening doors. That really super urks me. Some guys don't even open doors for girls anymore, or cut in line in front of them. They truly represent what is wrong with the male gender. And they are all qualities of someone that would be considered chivalrous.

And it's not that I'm some stuffy traditionalist either. I totally respect women's rights, even to the point where I could be considered a male feminist (I'm a staunch liberal), but I also respect women period. Some people don't share that quality nowadays, and it's a disturbing trend. I guess a lack of respect for others is why we have pornography, rape, and child molestation. And some people think it's a fair trade-off. I just wish that as a whole, we would be more chivalrous.

This Week in RPG History

-According to fairly accurate sources, Final Fantasy XI will not require any kind of monthly fee. That's really great, because that will make FFXI the first widely-distributed game to not require a monthly fee. The only bummer is that gamers will have to buy the overpriced and overrated Sony hard drive (HDD) in order to play the game. Still, Square can expect a much larger online community by nixing the fee, because it brings in the players who are either unsure or unable to use a credit card for an online game.

-Finally, after years of development, Warcraft III has hit beta. You can find more information on that by visiting Blizzard's webpage at http://www.blizzard.com, and by reading a story done earlier this week by our own Cronofrek, which can be found here. Now all we'll have to do is probably wait another 4 years for World of Warcraft to come out…

- With all the games released this month, it's going to be interesting to see how strong Final Fantasy X's sales are. Right now, I'm willing to wager that it made #1, but there were a lot of other strong titles released this month too.

Price Watch

I was out this week, and couldn't get a chance to look, so there's going to be no price watch this week.

Stuff

- This last December has been a relatively disturbing one when it comes to the NFL, and all of professional sports in general. First off, we had those two bottle-throwing incidents in Cleveland and New Orleans. I mean, that's sickening. I used to think that stereotyping football fans as fat, drunken, and idiotic males was wrong, but now I have to rethink that. We're lucky no one got hurt, because the potential was definitely there. I also used to want to think that many athletes were dedicated to playing their hearts out. But now with comments from jerks like Randy Moss ("I only play hard when I want to"), I'm starting to rethink that as well. Kris Carter deserves some real respect for putting Moss in his place publicly.

-Has anyone ever went to the supermarket, and seen the "Weekly World News?" While some of the stories in that publication may be outlandish, they are all total comedy! I mean, I've almost died of laughter on several occasions by just looking at those doctored photographs and blatantly false stories and sources. It's so great, I've even read the last few issues of it. What other "news" magazine could have headlines like "Snapping Turtles Invade U.S.!" and "Irish Cop Catches Leprechaun?" No other, I assure you. I've even considered subscribing to this magazine too. Scary, huh?

-If I had to pick a movie of the year, it would definitely be "Lord of The Rings." This movie was great, and I just can't get over the quality of its soundtrack either. The actors fit their roles well, the graphics and animations were awe-inspiring, and it stayed true to the book. It was definitely everything I expected and more. And how great does that Spiderman trailer look? Good stuff, definitely.

-Those of you that follow the WWF certainly know about their catchphrases. The Rock has "Just Bring It," Rob Van Dam has "R!V!D!," and Stone Cold used to have "Austin 3:16." Well now, Stone Cold has a brand new one. And what is it you ask? What? Yeah, that's it, it's "What?" A single questioning word. What? It's actually become quite popular, and now everyone's saying it. What? What? For evidence, this is WWF.com's best-selling T-Shirt…

Like Porky Pig said, "that's all folks!" So if you have any questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions, hate mail, love mail, accusations, or anything else to say about the issues in this column, send them to Matt@allrpg.com. And keep checking back here at AllRPG for more previews, reviews, and frequent news updates.