ITSMYYARD

It is human nature to have an addiction. For me lately it has been doing escape rooms. For the past year I've dotted about Scotland doing multiple escape rooms, with a perfect record of escaping them all with my fellow comrades. This was going to change though as I ventured down south on holiday this past week. I've known for quite some time that the escape rooms down south are a lot more advanced than the rooms up here in the North East of Scotland. With only Dundee having one company so far, and Aberdeen having three, there isn't much you can do before you have to venture much further afield to get a fix.

At the time of writing I've done more than 50% of all possible rooms up in this area, although that will quickly change in the next few weeks with another two booked for Breakout Aberdeen. None of the rooms done in Scotland have been bad, but when you compare them to the room we did in Derby, they're just pale in comparison. All the rooms we've done here have been beginner friendly and while that's great to start with, you don't get sucked in to the atmosphere. This can be because of the rooms still feeling like office blocks more than anything, this is where Game Over excels at... Having just done an escape room a mere couple of hours earlier in Mansfield (which i'll cover in another post too.)

Me and my fellow bear spotted a discount voucher for Game Over Derby for 2 people for only £19 (BARGAIN!). There was some constraints, Mon-Thurs til 9pm. That was no problem for us as it was Thursday afternoon. What was even more fantastic was we were able to book straight away. The drawbacks with a lot of Scottish rooms is having to book 24-18 hours in advanced. With less population and popularity up North, from a business standpoint I completely understand why companies do this but it does limit spur of the moment opportunities. A quick phone call asking to book a room in 90 minutes time was not a problem, so we quickly drove down, ready and willing to face their most difficult room. Of course I didn't tell my friend that we were doing the hardest room possible until after I booked it... ooopsies!

Following the Sat Nav to the destination was easy enough, with plenty of parking available near-by, albeit short term pay and display being £3 for 90 minutes...we're Scottish we find anything too expensive! The sign for Game Over was clearly visible, a simple buzz of the door and we ascended up the stairs to the second floor of the office building. Once entering their domain however... it didn't feel like an office building any longer. Standards on this room compared to any other room went up ten notches and my expectations went up increasingly. We were greeted handsomely by a gentleman named Bryan if I recall (if I've got this one I do apologise!) who was our Games Master for this evening.

Big Tip for anyone who does escape rooms. If you see an advert on any discount code site for an escape room, it's always an idea to contact them directly first before buying any vouchers or discount codes. While you probably won't get it any cheaper from them, any time you buy a voucher, the escape room will not receive the full amount in most cases of the voucher price, where as going directly means they get 100%.

Our GM explained the normal jibs and jabs of the escape room in question, before telling us the exciting success rate of their new room... Of 60 attempts... only 2 had escaped in time... gulp. 'Can we just leave now then?' Too late! We venture forth into the darkness. The room itself had a self-help hint system in place. If you were stuck you could press an automatic help button to be given a hint. The hints wouldn't be game breaking, but can be enough to push you through any potential problems you have. There was also a big red button to directly contact the GM if you were stuck as well, although he would never tell you anything directly obvious either.

I won't give any puzzles or obstacles away, but I will say that this room would be a tad easier if there were 3 people and not two for a couple of puzzles, although both me and my friend were able to get through them with a bit of improvisation. The atmosphere was fantastic, a lot of time, effort and money was spent on the room to give full immersion. The speakers bellowing out our GM's helpful offerings was like a God playing with his food, it didn't hurt the atmosphere, in fact it probably embraced it even more.

As time was etching closer we knew were on the very final puzzle of the room. If it wasn't for our own blind stupidity not spotting one vital thing which we should've seen we may have stood a chance at escaping. My friend begged to differ at the time but on further reflection agrees with me that we had enough time to complete it. When the GM showed us the solution I was gutted... but that made me love the room even more. The Montezuma room is definitely a challenging room but certainly possible and the puzzles are very well integrated and show good synergy, something some rooms our lacking.

If it wasn't for being over 7 hours drive to get to Derby we would happily go again as soon as possible to try out their other rooms. Hospitality before, during and after was impeccable. For escape room junkies this room is an absolute must!

Last Year I saw Push the Button, the game show with Ant and Dec and was thoroughly unimpressed. Not because it had Ant and Dec, not because it wasn't live so much, it was because the end game was thoroughly stupid. Memory games rarely make good TV, it's tense for the family playing, but at home it's rather subdued and uninviting.

So with the new aspect of having it "Live", there was always the chance it would actually work now. Well you're half right. Having live did add the tension, but couple things annoyed me at the beginning. First the introductions of the family. When you've announced the family and each individual member, why do you need to talk to them again and ask whose who? Waste of time really.

Then onto the challenges themselves, nothing wrong with them at all, stupid contestants but nothing wrong with it! :-p But there should be music to unveil each challenge, not just explaining it as it's being turned about. Oh I missed Ronnie Corbett too from announcing.

Onto the viewer competition, which felt Ant and Dec like with Saturday Night Takeaway, but still different, but was boring compared to the weekly changeabout they did with SNT.

The final round before D.A.V.E was a nice touch to add money back if a team is behind, but having it only 5k and 10k for the first two questions I feel is a bit too low, perhaps 10k and 20k max makes more sense. Now the Lever team member if he had sense would've betted the minimum (or nothing if possible) on the final 2 questions to avoid losing, as you knew the Braun member was going to bet practically all of it by the final question. Poor strategy on his part but he obviously didn't think that far ahead.

Now onto D.A.V.E., Now in last series they had teamwork to get the jackpot, but while having 1 team member doing it all make sense, it loses even more tension that the first one had. In fact the whole new series by having 1 team member only in each challenge is rather rubbish, I preferred when there were teams of two doing generation game style challenges, it made the show good, so removing it is a big drawback for the show. Hopefully there is such games in the future that involve running about and some team work otherwise the series won't go past this one in my opinion.

I still favour the whole concept but the whole D.A.V.E. thing is still rubbish, and I actually think the show would do better without Ant and Dec, they have never been bad presenters but this style just doesn't suit them as much as SNTW.

Good Concept, Poor Execution Overall.

After playing Smackdown vs Raw 2011 for several months now, you can't help but laugh sometimes when an opponent hits an object awkwardly and unrealistically too. Despite the new engine it's still not great, but neither are other physics engines either.

I mean take Endorphin for example, it's great for rag doll physics but all engines have the same flaw. They rely on pixels, a 2D Object which can never fully replicate a circle. No matter how detailed a ball is, it's not perfectly round, it has straight lines in it. Until somehow we can have proper 3D making capabilities, which utilises spheres instead of squares, physic engines will never be perfect, just really really good.

This not a go at any journalist or anything of the sort, this post is basically why video games mean a lot to me and thread the needle around my sweater of life.

When I hear news stories about past big events, you often hear journalists going on about “where were you when it happened?” to random pedestrians on the street to earn a living, and probably you hear them reply back with “off done the pub” if they tried to get a response from someone in Glasgow... My point being is that when something big happens in my life, I will always remember it thanks to video games.

Video games have been the backbone of my life, it's my passion, it's my hobby, it will be my eventual full-time job if I can help it. Why? Because video games don't cause you pain, they don't cause you agony, they may cause you frustration and the occasional crying from it because it's a nightmare (aka Ninja Gaiden), where as in the real world you lose loved ones, or move house, or go through a major operation for example and that pain can't easily go away. With video games though I forget about everything, much in the same way as having Sex to remove stress (and yes I'm familiar with it thanks!)




On the very day of my birthday I received a brand new N64 many moons ago, but just as I'm about to hit the driveway, carrying my N64 in hand, the police were waiting, with bad news about a family member passing away. I remember hooking that N64 in my room, playing Mario Party by myself to distract my attentions as my parents tried to cope. Yes I was young, but it was the best medicine for me. I remember travelling down South with my newly found mate, hooking it up to my deceased family members old black and white TV and playing Mario Party all week. It made no difference to me if my friend was colour blind, I could still tell who Mario was, what were coins, who bowser was, it didn't matter.




When I look through my gaming collection, just looking at a particular game brings back a vivid memory. Like Rainbow Six 3, killing people on Live TV on Gamerweb, or playing against Guru Larry for the first time on Wrestlemania 21, or how about playing with my school mates on Turok's Rage Wars in my parent's bedroom with a 12 inch screen on split-screen no less? I don't sell my games because the value of nostalgia is priceless.



Memories define us as people, define our emotions, our step forward in life by looking at the past, and with out video games my life would be incredibly dull and forgotten about. So next time you look in the attic and see that old Alex Kidd game in a box upstairs, think to yourself...

What a great childhood that was.

A day doesn't go by when I don't see a line like this on youtube...

“Wrestling is fake and gay.” Of course I've cleaned up the grammatical errors that most trolls put in wrestling videos, but they put up a valid argument...kind of. Why should you watch something that's fixed? If football was fixed, people would be in uproar... If cricket was fixed... you get the idea, so why is it wrestling is so universally loved and loathed? Because it's more than just being “fixed” it tells a story.

A story about life and death, good and evil, the invincible force versus the immovable object. Wrestling is essentially the storytelling of the universe, the big bang and everything that goes in the world. Why? Because it has emotions. Emotions are the very essence of a human being, and in wrestling it is showed to full effect. Take the classic match between Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels. Despite it being well known that Flair would be “retiring” it didn't stop fans from chanting his name to try and win the match, or to stop HBK fans from chanting HBK, or to hear WOOOOOOOOO chants every 5 seconds. Not to mention the heart-wrenching moment when Shawn says “Sorry, I love you”. I question any wrestling fan to not feel some sort of emotion when they saw that the first time.

On top of this, when a wrestler wins their first BIG title, it shows the viewer how much blood sweat and tears it took them to get to the top of the mountain, to be seen as the future of the industry. The Miz is the perfect example. He is the absolutely perfect example to explain the number 42, he fought from the very beginning, in small independent shows, to tough enough, to the developmentals, to teaming with Nitro/Morrison, to winning tag belts, to winning the US title, to win money in the bank, to finally winning the World title. Despite being pushed back from time to time, he has showcased that you do not give up. He is the PERFECT role model for kids despite his heel persona, that if you want to succeed in something, never give up...

“Never give up, never surrender.” - Galaxy Quest


Now the same can be said with video games, and i'll discuss that in the next blog.

Ever since I first played Xbox Live I have been pretty much in or around the pro gaming scene in one form or another, though last couple years I haven't and probably for good reason. Read on young adventurer...

I hate the term "Clan" at least in the gaming scene. Every time I hear it, I get the urge to teabag a noob who thinks MLG is the greatest thing ever. Yet when I hear the word clan in any other context (bar of course the KKK obviously) I have a warm feeling in my heart. Maybe it's my Scottish routes that gives me some sort of satisfaction when hearing it I don't know but it doesn't have any negative feelings for me, yet when I hear someone say "Do you want to be in my clan?" I feel like wanting to punch them in the nose.


Competitive gaming in general like MLG and what Xleague was about annoyed me, not because of teams facing each other off but because of the petty immaturity that was and still is around with teams bad mouthing each other, spreading lies and rumours left right and centre. Every "Clan" wants to prove they are the best, but to prove you are the best you have to be gracious in defeat, crying and pleading against a loss makes you look terrible and you become forgotten in a heartbeat. Granted there are "clans" out there which play for fun and just enjoy hanging around each other but I never regard them as a clan, more of a community. Even some types of games having clans is outer pointless and sounds really stupid as well...


"Hey dude you wanna join my super awesome Blur Clan?" *facepalm* or "Wanna join my smackdown clan" There are no clans in wrestling, only stables, so please have your definitions right! Clans want to win at any cost. Back on Rainbow Six 3 on the original Xbox, I was in XMCC Bravo, we had some fun times but ultimately it stopped because very few people find clan matches fun. Clans are fads, just like Tamagotchis or Digimon's, they have their cycles. Xleague brought the clan scene back, albeit very briefly in the UK, and it may have lasted longer if it wasn't for their POOR and I mean POOR website which was a hash of the old team compete website. There will always be Clans and I bet if research was actually made into video gaming clans, I have a guesstimate that about 85% barely last a year before becoming something else. Why? Because clans are a full time thing, unless you're mega rich or really unemployed you won't be playing.

That doesn't mean competitive gaming will ever stop, in fact it will get bigger and better over time with advancements in technology, just I will never get accustomed to saying Clan in a friendly manner in a video game scenario, expect a lashing at anyone who is in one... I should know... I'm in one.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who are you?

I am William Stephen, AKA ITSMYYARD.

What's with the name?

ITSMYYARD is from wrestling obviously. I chose the name 10 years ago and it just sort of stuck.

Haven't I seen your name before?

I have appeared on numerous shows and websites over the years, the most notable would be Gamerweb which aired on Friendly TV around 2004/2005 in the UK and appearing on Xleague.tv/Pulse from 2007/2008. Basically I played video games on TV against other people.

What have you done since Xleague?

Mostly finished University with a honours degree, but most recently I am the creator and host of the original game show Last Man Standing, which airs weekly on machinima.

What ever happened to the Backyard Gaming show?

I stopped doing it :-p I called it the worst show in the world for a reason you know! But I still do reviews constantly on my own site and freelancing too.

I need a review/preview done for my site, can you help me?

More than likely! That all depends on what the review is, deadlines etc, I own all the major consoles (PS3, Wii, 360). Get in touch on my business email itsmyyard.backyardgaming.com (replace the . with @).