Pawn America

May 17

What is Gaming?

GAMES: FPS MMORPG RPG SIMULATION PUZZLE ACTION AND ADVENTURE PLATFORMING. These are just to name a few. We all have games that we enjoy and that we love, but where do they take you? Over the last few years I have seen some great and not so great games. The point is every game has a like and a dislike – we are human beings and have likes and dislikes with everything.

My main goal of this blog is to bring people of all walks of life together. Gaming is not just about having fun, it’s also about bringing people together. Some people use gaming as a way to relax, while others use it to strengthen their mind. Scientists have used it to test brain functions as well. Gaming is for everyone and anyone. It’s how you pick up the game and use it that’s different for everyone.

My favorite series of games have always been in the mmorpg and rpg area. As of late I have enjoyed the new aspect of the first person view in games like Skyrim and Dishonored. These are great games and I would highly recommend picking them up.

Tell me what your favorite games are! What genre do you like playing? Is there a genre that you hate playing?

Skyrim cover for The Elder Scrolls V

A player character preparing to battle a dragon in Skyrim.

Cover art for Dishonored box.

May 17

The Dollar DVD Sale

We are very excited to announce a new sale at all Pawn America stores: the One Dollar DVD sale! We’ve crammed as many DVDs as possible on all the sales floors and are selling all regular DVDs – every genre, including kids’ movies – for only a dollar. It’s the largest selection ever!

Not included in this sale are Blu-rays and box sets, but even with those, you’d be hard-pressed to find another store that sells them for less.

So what are you waiting for? Come on over and get loads of great movies while the gettin’s good!

May 14

Bonnie and Clyde

Hello everyone, how was your week? If you haven’t been following my blog, my name is Jena and I’m watching all top 100 AFI movies and blogging about them as I take my journey through movie history. I just good back from training with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and will blog about this experience later. So glad to be back!

This week I watched Bonnie and Clyde, the 1967 movie with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. Based on a true story, the movie told sort of a romanticized version of the gun-wielding, robbing criminal couple and their gang. They were notorious for robbing banks and killing people in the Central United States during the Great Depression and were eventually ambushed and killed by law enforcement officers in Louisiana.

The movie was okay. I like that it feels as if it was made for a younger audience (for its time). It’s the story of the almost good girl gone bad, action, blood, and bank robbing. These are all things you see so much now that I just wasn’t as interested. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bad movie at all. Just not as good as some of the others I have watched on the top 100.

Check out the trailer and an actual news reel of the death scene from 1934!

May 7

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Note from the Editor: Melissa is filling in for Jena today, reviewing a more recent movie that is not on the AFI’s Top 100 list.

After a long day, what feels like the best sort of catharsis is to veg out and enjoy a movie; especially one that doesn’t make me think too hard. I’ve made my way through many a light-hearted film, but I never put much criticism into my overall opinion of them.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting was, well, better than I expected. It was funny, easy to follow, witty, interesting, and I enjoyed it a lot.

One of the main reasons I liked it so much was that it was my guilty pleasure plot line — following many different couples on their separate journeys in gaining a new family member (perfect for anyone who is slightly hyperactive like me) instead of dragging on a story about one character. The couples would all be interconnected to each other somehow (whenever this happens in a story or movie I tend to geek out a little bit) and the acting was fairly fluid and natural, with a semi-star studded cast of Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Chace Crawford, Anna Kendrick, Dennis Quaid, Rodrigo Santoro and more.

All in all, I think What To Expect was a good flick for ending a strenuous day. Have you seen it?

May 3

Welcome to Game Alley!

Hello and welcome to my little blog. My name is Andrew and I am a nerd in this big ole world and I’m proud of it. I’m a guy with a lot of interests, but video games have interested me since I was a child. Growing up, I watched my father build computers and play countless games, and watched my brother play multiple systems and kill multiple controllers. Why would I not pick up the joystick?

I have played anything from Nintendo to tabletop games. So it’s time I put into words what I know and like about the video game world and the mundane. These pages and posts will be filled with hate, laughter and some just downright awesome sauce. I may go off in tandems and I may take out some anger on some games and people who do things that just make me mad. The core of this, though, is to tell people about my love of video games.

I will be giving you updates on new systems that are coming out and also be telling you of old games that are still great to play. I’ll give you my view, but don’t fret; I want your ideas and beliefs about games too. If something I said puts you off in some way… LET ME KNOW!! I am always interested in what other gamers have to say and what they have to offer. Tell me what you want to see and tell me if you have any ideas. This, however, does not give you the right to spam or hurt the feelings of other readers. Save the ganking for MMO time.

Apr 30

E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial

Hello again everyone. This week was beautiful. The weather was perfect – finally – and it’s almost May!

This week I watched E.T. I haven’t watched this movie since I was a kid. When I was little, I remember it scared me. This time around, though, wasn’t so bad. E.T. is the story of a boy and his new-found friend from another planet. I liked this movie more than I had expected I would.

Director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Melissa Mathison started to write a sequel, E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears. The sequel was about Elliott and his friends getting kidnapped by evil aliens, and they attempt to contact E.T. for help. Spielberg decided the sequel was a bad idea. In his words, “it would do nothing but rob the original of its virginity.” I would have watched it, but I do get what he is saying.

I give the movie a thumbs-up. I guess they made some changes in the re-released 2002 version. I looked some of them up. Do you know what they are?

Apr 24

Exciting New Mother’s Day Sale!

My mother used to say Mother’s Day should be every day – in the sense of honoring your mother and respecting her and lending a helping hand around the house. Yet, once a year when Mother’s Day came around, I remember how happy just the perfect little gift could make her.

Do you need a few ideas for a fabulous gift for your mom? Pawn America can come to the rescue! We have an exciting new Mother’s Day sale starting right now!

Is your mother a reader? We have Barnes and Noble Nook tablets and e-readers for only $129.00. They come with a 1ghz dual core processor and have 7” Vivid View touch screens. These are great tablets for reading, but also for watching HD movies, TV shows and listening to music from all the top names – Netflix, Hulu PlusTM, Pandora® & more. They feature lightening fast email, Web and smooth-streaming video, have 8 GB of memory, extra-long battery life, and come in the original packaging!

Does your mom like jewelry? No problem! We offer something sparkly, as well: ¼ carat diamond earrings for $79 and 1/10 carat diamond earrings for only $19!

How are you honoring your mom this Mother’s Day?

Apr 23

King Kong and other Apes

Last Saturday, we had the 2.4-mile Gorilla Fun Run in Mankato. The Gorilla Run is a fun way to help raise money for the North Mankato Miracle League. The race consists of hundreds of people dressed in gorilla suits, chasing a few people dressed up as bananas who are “released” first.

That being said this week’s movie was King Kong.

King Kong seems like it will be the story of a monster, however, unlike most stories about monsters theses days, Kong is actually a loving monster. He cares for his female captive human and doesn’t get angry unless provoked. The greed of the humans makes for a sad tale, but I enjoyed this movie along with my monkeying around this weekend with my gorilla friends.

They have redone King Kong twice, once in 1976 and again in 2005. Has anyone seen all 3? Which one is the best in your opinion?

Apr 16

Tootsie

I have spring fever and almost forgot to watch my movie this week! I latterly spent more than two hours cleaning my car on Sunday. I’m not sure if that means I did that good of a job or it was that messy! Oh well….

Tootsie was my movie pick this week. I was aiming for something light-hearted and more of a comedy after my “Jaws” experience.

Tootsie was wonderful. The humor and subject stand the test of time. They were not afraid to mix things up with this film, mixing absurdity with seriousness as Roger Ebert wrote back in 1982 when this Sydney Pollack movie starring Dustin Hoffman came out. What woman wouldn’t like a story about a guy who has to dress as a woman to make it? Ha ha. Okay, it’s really about more than that and deals with some real issues, however at the end this comedy is a touching love story you’ll like.

Needless to say it gets a big thumbs-up from me. How many of you guys have dressed up like girls – at least for Halloween?

Apr 12

Interesting Facts about an Olympic Torch

Who hasn’t watched the opening ceremonies to the Olympic games and thought how cool it would be to be a torch runner carrying the Olympic flame? Okay, maybe not everyone, but it sure must be a special moment for those who get chosen for part of the torch run.

In 1984 five thousand torches were made for the Los Angeles Summer Olympics and 3,636 of those were actually used in the torch relay portion of the games. It took 82 days for the torchbearers to run the 15,000-kilometer (or approximately 9,000-mile) route from New York to Los Angeles. That means four torchbearers ran the length of a marathon (26 miles and 385 yards) every day to bring the Olympic flame to its destination.

Needless to say, torches are some of the most coveted of Olympic memorabilia and it doesn’t happen a lot that one comes up for sale. When we recently sold a 1984 Summer Olympics torch through our eBay store, we took a few pictures to share with you. You’ll have to agree that it is a really good-looking design!

The torch measures 22 inches in length and has been used, meaning it has carried the flame. The flame itself was fueled by hospital-grade propane, which could burn up to 50 minutes, was wind-resistant up to 40 mph, and could even withstand light rain! Want to know more? Read about the 1984 and other Olympic torches at this link: http://olympic-museum.de/torches/torch1984.htm

Here are a few more pictures for you to enjoy! This is, by the way, number 1,628 of 5,000 torches made. It was recently sold and is not available any more.