July 20th Entry: No Longer Playing Asphalt 8

GuuzakaTube                                                                                                   2018-07-17

July 20th Entry: No Longer Playing Asphalt 8

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Did I really need to come out with a blog post about this? "Is this really necessary?" Some of you might ask? The answer to both of those questions is yes. 😕 If you take a look at the last 30 videos on my channel, you'll see that a good number of them comprise of Asphalt 8. Take a look at the iOS Gaming and Windows 10 Mobile Gaming playlists of mine. What are most of the games about? Asphalt 8. Therefore, this game has meant a lot to me over the years, has provided me with many hours of entertainment, good moments, frustrating moments, and many more. 

My Asphalt Gaming History

I started playing this game sometime in 2014 on a BlackBerry Q10. I am not sure when the BlackBerry 10 operating system stopped receiving Asphalt 8 updates, but it is presently stuck on the Great Wall Update. 😳😬🤯😱 Yeah, that's how long ago they abandoned it. Quite understandable, seeing as though it had a very low userbase, and the fact that the operating system had horrible application support to begin with. Despite being a wonderfully made operating system, it just did not catch on with consumers the way Android and iOS did. It was not until September 2017, which is a month after I purchased a Nokia Lumia 1520, that I began to play on an operating system that was receiving regular updates from Gameloft. I really must say kudos to Gameloft for doing this. Even when Microsoft themselves stopped supporting Windows 10 Mobile with new features back in October 2017, it seemed like Gameloft still saw potential with the Windows 10 Mobile userbase, hence kept the updates going. Awesome!  😎 

While it was great to finally be able to catch up on all the bells and whistles I missed over the years, one thing that annoyed me a lot about the Windows 10 Mobile platform is the lack of screen recording applications. None. And no, don't suggest to use Microsoft's Project My Screen application, because it does not work for Windows 10 Mobile. And furthermore, having a USB cord attached to the computer while playing a game that involves much tilting, does not sound like something very feasible to do. For those that want to mention Continuum, no. Same problems with excessive tilting while a USB cord is attached to a computer.

So is Windows Phone ever going to have screen recording capabilities that can be done straight on Windows Phone? No. From what I've learned from the responsive developer of Sreenbits, the operating system currently does not have the API to make it possible. This is further crippled from the fact that Microsoft is no longer actively developing the platform. 🌹🕯⚰

iPhone Era

When I lost my Nokia Lumia 1520 back in May this year, I was not sure if I was ever going to retrieve it again. 😰 It was at that moment, where I decided that it was finally time to try a mainstream operating system that had proper developer and application support. I was torn between an LG V20 and iPhone 6s Plus. Being the type of person who LOVES things like removable batteries, Micro SD card slots and high-res screens, you would think that I would go for the larger, more feature-rich LG V20, but I did not. Why? Because I was ultimately turned down by how much people often complain about how bad Android lags after a while. Even though Android shares much of the same applications of iOS, they are not as polished and refined, many say.

Now I know that any Android die-hard reading this would say that not all Androids lag that badly, or that they find their applications running just as smooth. Truth is, Android manufacturers do not support their smartphones for as long as Apple does. Then there is the fact that the iPhones are far better optimized, because the same company that makes the hardware, also makes the operating system and socket-on-chip. At the end of the day, your user experience will vary. Back to Asphalt 8! Well, to be honest I do quite wish I had gone with the LG V20 at the time, but that's another topic.

Upon buying the iPhone 6s Plus, I thought that it would've been a good time to finally transfer over my longtime BlackBerry Q10 account, that had so many cars maxed, so I did.I contacted customer service and they smoothly moved the progress over. Initially, I told myself that I'd make my Windows Phone account remain my primary account and reserve the iPhone 6s Plus for recording occasional races.

 Coming to an End 🌹🕯⚰

Of course, I loved the improved graphics, addition of Metal Events, smoother performance, more prize awarding advertisements, and the ability to screen record so much, that I shortly downgraded the Windows Phone account to just an account where I'd just collect blueprints, and play Time-Limited Events. And then nothing. So what finally drove me to call it quits? Several factors: 

1.Too time-consuming for a game offering me no benefits in real life

2. Too much hackers in multiplayer 

3. The removal of 20 tokens from daily tasks 

4. Mastery rewards reduced

5. Vast majority of the new vehicles not buildable with blueprints

6. Reintroduction of token upgrades

7. New cars require stupid amounts of engines to pro 

8. Increased amounts of fuel required for Time-Limited Events

9. Points from fusing cards reduced by 50%

10. Pushing far too hard to in-app purchases to "Advance faster" -- I don't spend money on this game!

11. A video 

With the game becoming increasingly unenjoyable, it is just insanity to keep dedicating so much of my time to it. Oftentimes, while farming to max or pro the cars, I'd tell myself "Wow, I could be using this time to practice music, secondary language, enjoy the weekend more and work on other things" 

The Man Who Opened My Eyes

But you know what finally made me stop to think about quitting and moving on? It was when I saw a fellow YouTuber named  Damon D.R. Style, who uploaded a video yesterday titled "💖THANKS💖" This man was an Asphalt 8 player who had amazing playing skills, covered the Championships, Enduro Double Downs and Research & Development tests for the cars. Hence why so many people in the Asphalt 8 community know and love him. Despite this, he only had 1,345 subscribers at the time of this writer. But there was another thing about him that made him stand out: his sheer honesty about Gameloft's moves, tactics and changes with the game. He was not afraid to voice his disapproval and opinions. Though uploaded yesterday, it was not until today (July 20th) that I saw the video. The video from this man moved me powerfully. I stopped to think long and hard about doing the same... not to be a copycat, as you'll know (or should know by now) that I have a mind of my own, but to just focus on other much worthier areas of life. As you'll see from the video itself, he does not go into the reasons why he decided to quit Asphalt 8 and YouTube. If you watched enough of his videos or have suffered the consequences of YouTube's frequent horrible changes that always hurt the small creators the most, it does not take a genius to figure it out.

The decision to quit was a very hard one. I did not want to quit, but wanted to quit at the same time. I was so torn between what to do. I realized that I would reap the benefits by quitting sooner than later, so I did. I first started with turning off the notifications on my Nokia Lumia 1520, before doing the same with my iPhone 6s Plus with a heavy heart.... Mind you, I am not trying to make Gameloft look like a monster of a company; they are not. Even with the changes the made, the game was still an enjoyable game, with many addictive aspects of it. It was just time for me to personally stop. 

👉🏾If you still love the game and are getting much joy out of it, keep playing it.👈🏾

 Friday, July 20, 2018 12:24 PM officially marked the end of my Asphalt 8 adventures. 

Responsible Decisions

Part of being an adult is making difficult, but responsible choices at times. Earlier this year, when YouTube enacted the oppressive policy for YouTubers to have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours to have AdSense run on their videos, it took me by great surprise and much disgust. But it was after that moment, where I knew I had to upload less than I used to. To do what again? Focus on other more meaningful things worthy of my time. There's no way I wanted to sellout and lose the character of my highly variable, quirky channel and become like all those millionaire YouTubers. So I just accepted my fate. I do not upload content that is solely intended to make the masses happy. I upload content that I enjoy. Sometimes, it does happen to be content the masses can enjoy. At other times, not.

Never thought the day where I'd make a blog post on this would come so soon. Originally, I intended to play Asphalt 8 at least up till December 31, 2018, before moving to Asphalt 9, if it's available in Canada by then. Instead, I ended up doing it today. A good thing to be honest, because between now and then, I'll be able to do better things with the time that would have been lost to Asphalt 8 during that period. I was obviously not some big, widely recognized Asphalt 8 player, but to the small number of people that did watch my Asphalt 8 videos:

Time is like money; it is best spent wisely. If there is a person or thing in your life, occupying much of your time and you've found yourself frequently asking, "Is this really worth it? It this really benefitting my life?" and the answer to that is no, it may be time to move. Thanks for reading, and drop a comment below.