Author Archives: Feisal Merali

Nightclubs Out, Bars In

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How many times have you gone to a nightclub, pay the $20 cover, and just feel disappointed while standing in a dark room with a sticky floor with pounding music being played by a DJ that doesn’t know what they’re doing? For a lot of people, it seems that that experience has become the norm, and is on the way out.

instead, it seems that the rise of craft breweries has taken hold of the Vancouver nightlife. When you go to a nightclub, it’s supposed to be a night out where you stay up until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, and wake up not remembering anything from the night before. Bars, on the other hand are more like a cozy afternoon after work.

Instead of loud music and crowded, hot rooms, they’ve been replaced by board games and trivia nights. It also means that there is no dress code. Instead of having to get ready and dress up for every night that you go out, you can show up in anything you’d like and still be welcome in and not be turned away at the door.

2025 - Vancouver - Astoria Hotel Neon

The Astoria Bar in Vancouver (Credit: Ted McGrath via Flickr)

It has turned passive drinking into a more active, engaged experience that makes use of everything around you as well as not making the drinking and getting as drunk as possible the focal point. You don’t feel pressured to leave as soon as your cup is empty, or the pressure to buy another drink or another shot, instead you feel like you can still engage in the activities and what is going on around you.

It is also expanded away from the downtown core. Instead of being stuck on Granville St. or Yaletown, there’s places all around the city, and even outside the city as well. There are bars and breweries on Granville island, Mount Pleasant, or even closer to home.

Not only does this make it feel like it’s a neighborhood spot, it also helps people save money on travel and getting to and from the bar. It makes it feel more attainable as opposed to a night where you are expecting to spend hundreds of dollars just to get around.

Will bars fully replace night clubs? I doubt that will ever happen. What I do see it as is an alternative for those who don’t like the night club scene, but still want to be able to go out with friends and have fun with them outside of their everyday activities.

there are plenty of breweries and bars around Vancouver and the lower mainland. All it takes is 1 search and one trip to 1 to see if it’s right for you, and I definitely recommend it.

Gorpcore Has Taken Over Vancouver

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Have you ever gone to downtown Vancouver, and looked around? How many times have you noticed that people around there are walking around in what seems like outdoor gear? I’m willing to bet that nine times out of 10 you will see people wearing brands such as Arc’teryx or North Face, or any other brand that is tied to hiking or the outdoors.

It seems that Vancouver has fully embraced what is called “Gorpcore”. What that is is the aesthetic of wearing a highly functional piece of clothing or gear, that is usually used in hiking or camping situations but in a daily way as opposed to how it was intended.

Part of it may be because of a need to show off the brand. For some people, it is human nature to show off the brand that you are wearing. Think of brands like Gucci or Louis Vuitton, the brands are all over the articles of clothing and very prominent. You can say the same thing about the outdoor clothing as well. Wearing a shell that is north of a $100, or boots that are expensive as well as a showing of wealth, as opposed to a showing of practicality or use of the item.

it can also be seen as a survival fashion as well. In Vancouver, we don’t exactly have what is known as the best weather for the majority of the year. A lot of the time in the city it is raining, windy, or just cold. Wearing gear that is more purposed towards hiking or camping helps protect you from those elements, and makes it practical to wear for everyday use.

you can also tell who actually used the gear for how it’s supposed to be intended compared to those who wear it just as a fashion piece, or to flaunt how much money they spent on a jacket. People that actually use the gear for hiking will have the jacket be dirty, or the boots will be scuffed. It won’t look like it just came out of the store that they bought it from.

The thing is with this sense of fashion, or culture, is that it is likely not going to go anywhere anytime soon. Because of the weather that we have in Vancouver, and the nature and hiking around us at all times, it just makes sense to have. It’s a part of the culture of Vancouver that is here to stay.

Dungeons and Dragons Isn’t Just For Nerds Anymore

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When you think of Dungeons and Dragons what do you think of? Do you think of a group of people in a dark room around a table, rolling dice and playing with fantasy settings?  Well, the actual culture around dungeons and Dragons is very different than what the stereotypical image may actually be.

In the past, D&D was seen as something that only nerds would play. In media, it was portrayed as something that people with acne and big glasses would nerd out about with all the numbers and Dragons. To some extent, in the past, that may have been the case but it is not the case anymore.

In today’s day and age, for a lot of groups of friends and fans around the world, it has replaced the Tuesday or Saturday night out. It’s a way for friends to meet weekly at a house and play games with each other instead of going out to bars or nightclubs and spending lots of money on drinks and experiences that they will either regret or forget.

D&D has also turned into a spectator spectacle. There have been many successful campaigns that have been run on sites such as YouTube and twitch where people will pay to watch these campaigns played by personalities and get enjoyment out of them, similar to how people will watch video games or sports on TV.

Some examples of these shows are channels like Critical Role, or dimension 20. These channels have had many videos that last hours upon hours be viewed millions of times by people around the world, and have even gone on tours around the world as well. No longer is it a game played by people that are afraid to go outside, or leave their parents basements, but instead played by people all around the world.

It also isn’t limited to the fantasy setting that has been typical of D&D in the past. There have been multiple different scenarios that have released over the years set in different settings, such as the far future or dystopian present day settings. It is evolved from the stereotypical Knights in shining armor slaying Dragons to people running around with cybernetic enhancements and laser guns.

I would say it’s fair to drop the stereotype of D&D only being for nerds, but instead being something for everyone to play together and get enjoyment out of. To experience something new and go on adventures with your friends that doesn’t involve playing video games or going out to bars or restaurants.

Give it a try, see if you like it, and who knows. You may even find the new pastime for your friend group that helps you both save money and experience something new.

Are The Whitecaps Just Giving Lip Service Right Now?

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Earlier today, the Vancouver Whitecaps ownership group put out a statement about the #SAVETHECAPS movement that has been going on in the stadium at home and away games, and across social media.

In the statement, they mentioned how they want to keep the city city, and have talked to over 100 different parties over the course of the last sixteen months to keep the team in the city, but there hasn’t been anything viable to keep the team here to this point, and that they want people to step up if they want something done.

The thing is, I think the reason they put out the statement was to appease the people that are upset and protesting the team’s current situation in terms of the possibility of relocation. There’s the possibility that they are viable offers to keep the team in Vancouver, just not the payday that the current owners were hoping for.

The reason I think that it is all lip service from this announcement is for one reason, and one reason only. I think that they still want to be able to sell tickets at BC Place. If they say that there is no possibility that the team will stay in the city, then they could potentially face a protest of fans not buying tickets to games, and that the stadium will be empty on TV, and that is just not a good look for a team that is going to move to a new city.

I think what has actually happened is that the team has received a real offer from a city like Las Vegas to move the team to their city, and that it’s only a matter of time till we see the announcement be made. The city has been linked to the movement of the team if it does happen, along with a handful of other cities in the USA.

The thing to keep in mind is that no matter what, the fans can’t give up. The Whitecaps are a part of Vancouver’s history. They have been here through multiple leagues, multiple eras, and housed many well known faces in the soccer world. They are also one of the few teams that have brought a title to the city as well.

Hopefully a buyer is found locally to keep the team here. Or, if the need arises, the province steps in to prevent the move of the team, and force it to stay here and find a local buyer.

Could The MLB Come To Vancouver?

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Despite having the space for a MLB team, and a development team already in the city at the Nat, and interest shown in the past from the league, a team does not exist in Vancouver, and hasn’t ever in the history in the league.

The MLB in Vancouver is not a foreign idea in the slightest. In the past, it was actually one of the ideas behind the original construction design of BC Place. Because of when the MLB season takes place, and the weather that happens in the area during the same time, any team that resides here would have to play in a domed arena.

Historically, the city has already hosted games here as well, starting well before the year 2000. IN 1983, the first ever indoor baseball game was played in Canada. It was for the MLB Old-timers exhibition game, which featured players like Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.

Vancouver is also a passionate sports city. We’ve seen it when the Canucks are in the playoffs. If you’re in Rogers Arena during a playoff game, you know how loud it can get, or even in local bars that are playing the game on the screens around the premises. There’s also the passion and protests that are going on right now to support keeping the Vancouver Whitecaps in the city, despite the best efforts from the current ownership group of the team.

There are some issues though that are standing in the way of hosting an MLB team in the city. The first is where they would play. BC Place is now mostly used for football and soccer games, and has had issues in the past with lighting and grass or turf quality.

There’s also the issue of land costs to build a new stadium as well. As anyone that has tried to buy a house, build a house, or even live in the city has known over the last couple of years, land is costing a premium right now. Finding an area, let alone downtown, for a stadium is going to be expensive for the city, and may even be impossible.

The thing with having a MLB team in the city is that it would be the second Canadian team in the league. There is already an existing baseball fanbase in the city that is torn between the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays. Having a team in their own backyard would bring them to the team.

Only time will tell if there’s anything that will be done to bring a team to the city, but for the fans that currently live here, here’s to hoping there will be.

Toxic Gaming Culture Needs To Be Addressed

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Online gaming has become one of the biggest industries in the entertainment sector. It has outgrown the movie and music industry, and is not just limited to console games. It has grown to casual mobile gaming, casual desktop gaming, and of course there’s the competitive games as well, and on multiple platforms as well.

Around games there’s also different kinds, but the most popular tend to be multiplayer games. They allow friends to play together without having to be in the same room, and from all over the world as well. Now while that sounds really good, and that there’s no downside these online communities.

While I wish that was the case, unfortunately when you get into online games that are player versus player, that’s when you see the toxic culture of gaming come out to play. These kinds of games are competitive, and feature high-pressure environments. In those kinds of situations, it’s easy for people to lose their cool and lash out at people.

A person getting angry playing a video game (Credit: ACWells via Pixabay)

Because of the importance of the games, and included ranked modes that show how good you are to the other players in the game, this has led to a toxic culture in some games that feature a majority of player versus player modes. This can be private messages for getting killed, the loadout you’re using, or even your gameplay.

And it isn’t limited to just direct messages either. When you’re in game, there’s usually a text chat where people will use slurs and curse words as if it was second nature to them, to insult others and put down their gameplay. If a game has a voice chat as well, then it will bleed into there as well. The only real way to escape it is to mute them, but it doesn’t fix the underlying problem.

There has to be something that a publisher can do besides a communication ban in game if they are found guilty of being toxic in a game. Besides the game publishers, there has to be something done from the players as well. I’m not saying to be a white knight for the person facing the toxicity, but instead as if you were standing up to a bully.

There has to be something done to prevent the negativity and toxicity, especially as in today’s day and age when it is easy to find other’s outside of the game, like on social media since a lot of people will use the same username across platforms.

Why Cultural Traditions Still Matter

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Have you ever looked at a cultural event, or ceremony, from the outside looking in and just wondered why they still do the ceremonies from a world that has passed the need or context for what is going on?

That exact thought is why cultural traditions are still important. Specifically talking about Canada, it is a nation that was built not only on the lives of the people that immigrated to the country, but the sacrifice of the indigenous peoples that lived on the land before.

For people that immigrated here, to live in a foreign country, keeping a cultural tradition alive is not for the purpose of being an inconvenience to the people around you, but instead as a way to keep a connection to where they came from, and their heritage. It’s also a way to teach the younger generations that are born in a new country about their culture, and what happens back in the countries that they left.

It’s a way to keep a connection to who they are, and what they have come from. It’s a way to keep the history alive, and coming together of people from the same community to do these ceremonies and events together.

For the indigenous peoples, I would say that it is even more important that their cultural traditions matter. Starting back in the 1920s, there were movements to kill the entire languages and cultures of the indigenous people of Canada. Taking them to residential schools to “kill the Indian in the child”.

The Totem Pole at Stanley Park, A tradition that would have died out if the original goal was carried out (Credit: Kranich17 via Pixabay)

It was a systematic destruction of ways of life, of ceremonies, of families, of languages and of cultures. In a lot of ways, the population has not been able to recover, and there was a lot that was lost because of the actions of the government towards the people that were here before them.

Keeping those traditions alive, and celebrating them is the best way to keep them alive. Not by writing down how it’s done in a book, or recording an instructional video and being done with it, but instead actually showing the event, showing the culture, and sharing with the younger generations and the world.

It’s important to keep it alive in the younger generations, so in the future they are able to pass it on to their future children. Maybe the ceremonies or events will change over time, as all things do, but to keep them from dying is the most important part and goal of celebrating and practicing these traditions.

Are Gamers Really That Lonely?

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When you think of the stereotypical gamer, what do you think of? Do you think of the lonely nerd sitting in their room, not talking to anybody and just focusing on the game on their screen? What if I told you that the stereotype was not even close to true anymore, how surprised would you be?

Sure there are some people that play video games that do fall into that category, where they don’t want to talk to anyone for one reason or another and instead escape through the virtual world from the physical world, but there is a lot of people that also spend time talking to each other and have built communities around games.

PS3 Controller and a Video Game on-screen (Credit: Pexels via Pixabay)

For gamers, there is one application that has raised above the rest for talking to and making friends through the online world to play games with, and that application is Discord. Think of it as a giant office, where different departments have their own rooms, but in this case the departments are different games, and each room is a server for people to hang out in and talk in.

This has seemingly erased that stereotype of the lonely gamer. Now there are servers that can have north of hundreds of people present in a given server, spending time in voice chats with each other, and create friendships that span over potentially hundreds of kilometers in distance.

People with the same interests in games spend time together, and have developed their own shorthand for common sayings in each game, creating a language shorthand that, for a lot of circumstances, would not be understood outside of their shared circle of friends.

This has led to people that previously would have only stayed in their rooms, or hidden their interests to feel more comfortable showing the world what they have interests in, and finding the communities that make them feel welcome as well.

These friendships don’t just stay online, instead there will be in person meetings as well. Sometimes is local for when members find out that they live close to each other, and they go meet at a specific place nearby that everyone can meet at. Other times it’s at big events, such as TwitchCon, where they will travel with the sole purpose of meeting the friends that they spend their time talking to online.

So maybe it’s true that there’s some games that spend all day alone an in their rooms, but instead spend their time building communities and a culture around their game, and friends all around the world.

#SaveTheCaps movement has expanded

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A couple of days ago, I wrote about how the Vancouver Whitecaps could potentially move, and that there was a fan movement to save the team from a possible relocation. Well, that movement has picked up a whole lot more steam since then.

Since the writing of the original article, the movement on social media, #SaveTheCaps, started. Originally what was just an online petition for fans to sign to voice their need to keep the team in Vancouver has exploded into a fervor that has been picked up by other team’s fan bases in the MLS.

The original problem is still the same. The ownership group that has owned the team announced in 2024 that the team was for sale, but it is looking more and more like the CEO Axel Schuster is listening to U.S. investors that have the ulterior motive to move the team to a big American city. Some of the cities that rumors have surrounding the move include Detroit, Sacramento or Indianapolis.

All of these rumors about an American investor are despite the promises from the CEO to look for a local buyer. It also comes amidst the MLS Commissioner and Axel Schuster saying that the current situation at BC Place as unsustainable due to the lack of control over concessions and parking revenue during game day, as well as the high rent cost for the stadium itself.

In terms of the fan perspective, fans have been showing up for the team in a way that they haven’t before this movement. Just before their game on April 25th, fans marched outside of BC Place to make sure their voice is heard for keeping the team in Vancouver. Over 20,000 tickets were sold for the last game before the MLS World Cup break, the first time that tickets sales have broken that mark so far this season.

The team, for their part, has been showing up as well. Currently, the team is currently second in the Western Conference, only behind the San Jose Earthquakes. In the nine games that they have played, Vancouver has only dropped one game, scored a total of twenty-five goals and only given up five.

The team is currently on a tear, beating up teams in the league and showing up as one of the strongest teams in the MLS for the second year in a row. As long as fans keep showing up, and proving that they want the team to stay, hopefully a local buyer will step up and keep the team in Vancouver.

Why Is The Work Culture Different For Gen Z Workers?

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Lets face it, for many young adults that are entering the work force in today’s day and age are not adjusting or submitting to the already existing work culture that has been there since the millennial generation took over.

The idea of working hard for one company, dedication to the same bosses and big name brand, and showing loyalty have disappeared in the new generation. The idea that you’re part of a family at work, or that the experience that you have that feels like you’re being exploited for your hours and effort, or the minimal pay with a promise that you will get raises the longer you stay with the company.

Those are all promises and examples of the work culture that existed for older generations that has been rejected by Gen Z workers as they enter the work force. The idea that workers can be exploited for their hours, that empty promises of raises and promotions just ring hollow for the newer generation.

This may be because of the change and different world that new workers face when they graduate from university. For older workers still in the work force, a lot of them have homes, and families to go home to. Hobbies and passions that they are able to spend time on because they came from an era that allowed them to save money and build financial freedom.

That doesn’t exist anymore for the younger, fresher workers that are seeking employment. For a lot of the new workers that are graduating now and trying to find a job, the first rude awakening is that there are no jobs available. That the cost of living has skyrocketed, that the wage that they start with is not enough to start saving to build for their future.

Gen Z worker sleeping in the office (Credit: daha3131053 via Pixabay)

This has led to Gen Z workers job hopping, and starting a culture of their own in the workplace. One where they take more for themselves and not think about the loyalty that they have to have to an enterprise. They aren’t afraid to look for new employment if the pay is better and the benefits are better.

This doesn’t mean that Gen Z workers are lazy or don’t want to work, instead they have created a culture to support them selves in any way that they see fit, and to share how they’ve found that on social media to potentially help other people going through the same things that they have.

It’s not that they want to destroy the culture of the workplace as many people already see fit, but instead that they want to see it evolve, and help as the world changes around them every single day.