feat: add "Why would we do this?" to Helmer NES page.

Author: zicklag

src/pages/projects/helmer-on-the-nes.md

@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ Helmer in the Dragon Tomb, inspired by the [kickstarter], which hasn't finished
 Sam was giving away a fake NES cartridge just for the nostalgia as a part of one of the events and
 he also said that some of his favorite games were old NES games.
 
-We were thinking that'd it'd awesome if we could make _real life_ **working** NES cartridges for
-Helmer, but this is all 100% unofficial!
+We were thinking that'd it'd be pretty cool if we could make _real life_ **working** NES cartridges
+for Helmer. This is completely unofficial and just a crazy idea, but we started experimenting.
 
 [kickstarter]: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/storywarren/green-ember-helmer-in-the-dragon-tomb
 [nes]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System
@@ -29,22 +29,77 @@ Helmer, but this is all 100% unofficial!
 
 It can! We can actually make a real, working game that you can put into an authentic NES console.
 
-We're not talking a retro-themed game that _looks_ like an NES game, we're talking real,
-honest-to-goodness 8-bit everything.
+And we don't mean a retro-themed game that _looks_ like an NES game, we mean real,
+honest-to-goodness 8-bit everything: music, artwork, and programming.
 
-That said, this is really just an experiment right now and there's a large possibility we just won't
-find the time to finish it.
+There are places like [Homebrew Factory][hbf] that will manufacture the cartridges, and we've got tools
+for [programming], [music], and [artwork].
+
+That said, this is really just an experiment right now. We probably can't find time to finish it.
+
+[hbf]: https://www.homebrew-factory.com/pcb/56-43-nes-unrom-512-mapper-30-pcb-nesmaker.html#/29-mirroring-vertical
+[music]: https://famistudio.org/
+[artwork]: https://frankengraphics.itch.io/nexxt
+[programming]: https://flatassembler.net/
+
+### What If I Don't Have a Console?
+
+We can package the game with an emulator so you can play it on a website, or download it and play it
+on your computer just like a "normal" game.
 
 ## Play Now!
 
-You can play what terribly little we have of the game so far in your browser right now! So far we
-only have a title screen that makes a noise when you press the start button, and a screen where you
-can slide the character around, but progress has been fairly steady. This page and demo will be
-updated as we make more progress.
+You can play what terribly little we have of the game so far in your browser right now!
+
+So far we've got a little bit of the trailer music adapted to the NES, a title screen, and a screen
+where you can slide the character around using the arrow keys.
+
+This page and demo will be updated as we make more progress.
 
 [Play Online!][emu]
 
-You probably want to plug in a game remote, and after the screen loads be sure to click on the
-screen to focus it so that the browser can play the sound from the page.
+Press "Enter" to start and you can use the arrow keys to move the character.
 
 [emu]: /emulator/helmer/index.html
+
+## Why Would Do This?
+
+Partially because there's something kind of romantic almost about being able to have a game that you
+can hold and own, being able to put it in a device that you can hold and own, and for both of those
+things to just stay the same and offer the same experience over time.
+
+This is something that has been kind of destroyed by the chronically internet-connected everything.
+
+Game consoles used to be a way to bring formerly quarter-eating, rent-based games into your home as
+something you could actually own. Now the internet has turned game consoles back into the rent-based
+arcade but worse. You can't really own anything, and even if you have a cartridge or game disk, most
+of the time you need to connect to the internet just to download an update so you can play it!
+
+And while you used to be able to download and play games on your computer, now Steam has dominated
+the PC game market so that you can't just buy a game and get a download that is "yours". You must
+have an online account and play the game through their app, connected to their store.
+
+Games just don't last anymore. Going all the way back to the NES isn't really necessary to fix that.
+For instance there is a game shop, GOG ( Good Old Games ), that works with publishers to package
+their game so that it can be played on normal computers without being tied to platforms like Steam,
+helping to preserve the game for future generations.
+
+But it's also cool to go back to simpler things because it isn't so _distracting_. Game consoles are
+nice because the whole idea is that they are supposed to be a portal to another world. You can stick
+the game in, and playing that game is all that the console is doing from then on. It's nice that it
+is physically separate from the "normal" world of whatever else you use your computer for.
+
+Modern game consoles, though, require internet access to keep working, they are always changing, and
+every year it seems less likely that you'll be able to just buy a game and have it keep working
+years later. We keep saying that one day we're going to have to make our own game console somehow.
+
+---
+
+Anyway, making an NES game may not be the most practical or useful thing, but it's been educational,
+nostalgic, and fun so far.
+
+Maybe instead of making a full NES game it'd just be cool to have the NES version of all the music
+from the game?
+
+We'll see what happens, and even if this doesn't turn into anything else at all, I think it's been
+cool to see the Green Ember on an NES title screen. :)