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Category Archives: ponderings

I need to think of a good video game title

The other day, I got to thinking…how prevalent is the thought that one’s life is like a video game? You know, how in everyday life you unlock achievements or complete missions when you finish mundane tasks (which actually does happen to me because THEM offers a wellness program that gives me achievements and prizes in relation to things I do to take care of my health). Maybe you also imagine yourself to have a life bar or maybe you take damage in points. Perhaps your whole character has these predefined stats that were rolled out by your parents (or something) before your birth and you’re stuck with things like Social Awkwardness: +10.

And then this got me to thinking about what genre of video game my life would be. Um…it would be the weirdest mashup game ever, I think. It would be a platformer/RPG/simulation/FPS/fighting/action/adventure/survival horror game? I think?

Platformer: I’m thinking of the Mario series mostly. I don’t get cool things like Tanooki suits, but I often imagine I have a timer counting down and I have to get the castle (figurative) in time all the while avoiding obstacles like Goombas (figurative) and bottomless pits (literal) otherwise I’ll die and then the Mario death song will played shortly after my demise. Also, I have to defeat bosses at various milestones to advance in the game. Boss battles also have their own background music. And seriously, Bowser is teh awexome. And I may just have auditory hallucinations.

RPG: I tend to think about character stats and damage in points (but also in terms of life bars). I tend to assign other people points according to how I observe them function in their normal, daily lives.

Simulation: I’m talking mostly about the Sims franchise. I definitely have needs bars. Sometimes when I talk, my speech inadvertently sounds like Simlish. I may just have a speech impediment.  Also, I happen to own a USB flash drive in the shape of a plumb bob.  It normally hangs above my head when I’m working with LeeEv at home.  Because you see…I’m the active character.

FPS: Um…camera angle. Obviously. Sometimes I like to imagine the change equipment sound effect when I grab something. And also unlocking achievements and missions completed. Aside: I prefer to play third person camera angles in actual games. It gives me a point of reference. I’m talking to you Portal-and-your-stupid-falling-levels-through-portals-and-then-having-no-idea-which-way-is-up-so-then-you-have-to-whip-the-mouse-and-thus-camera-around-and-get-totally-dizzy-after-the-fifth-time-you-hurl-yourself-from-the-third-story-through-the-portal-in-the-floor-and-out-the-portal-on-the-sixth-story-wall-and-land-in-a-place-you-don’t-want-to-be. Oh, and in relation to Portal: cake. Also, Portal really is a good game and you should play it.

Fighting: Life bars. And if I could just be cheap and ring out my opponent instead of slogging it through to the bitter end…

Action / Adventure: “Hey, nice hat!” “I predict raining frogs.” “Hera ate all the cows!” Maybe the best action/adventure game ever. EVAR.

Survival horror:  That’s right.  Survival horror.  Like ZOMBIES.  Possibly zombees.  How you ask?  Well, because of this and also this.  Ok…well…kind of.  I’ve actually only played most of the first mission from the first link because I only downloaded the trial version of the app.  I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to blow 8$ on an app.  I’m actually still not sure.  I’m also dumb because I missed the sale when it was only 2-3$.  And as for the second one…I haven’t actually participated in one of these.  The plan was to do so, but I was working 80 hour weeks at Company for months on end and…that’s not conducive to going out for runs or training for other kinds of zombie survival tactics.

So anyway, while I might make preparations for a zombie apocalypse, I do realize that one hasn’t actually happened…and I don’t really go around my daily life carrying a shotgun (super important for zombie survival, you guys) or looking for antidotes or planting interesting plants around my house and atop my roof (ok, ok, this last one was a tower defense game and not survival horror).

Btw, also important for zombie survival are German shepherd dogs. Make note of that.

Hey, I should do that too!

I was recently listening to The Story podcast, in particular, the segment on Evan Kalish’s quest to visit as many post offices as he can.  He started visiting as many post offices as he could in order to maybe, kind of, help save them, or at least commemorate them in some way.  And hey, I like that idea!  I think I might like to try something similar as I also am rather fond of the USPS.

Apparently, if the post office is open, Evan will go in and request a hand stamp cancellation.  Normally, that would mean the post office would have to collect it and deliver it to the address, which I guess they’re not doing as Evan walks out with the hand cancelled whatever he brought.  The post office makes an exception if you’re asking for a hand stamp for philatelic reasons.  If the post office is not open, I guess he counts it as “visited” if he actually touches the building.

Welp, I think this could be more interesting if the post office were actually going to deliver the stuff they’re hand cancelling.  So, what if I were to get postcards of the area the post office is located and then send them to myself?  Maybe I could get whoever was hand stamping it to also sign it?  And then, if I couldn’t be at the post office while it was open, I could drop off the postcard in a mailbox?  It wouldn’t be hand stamped, but that’s ok.  I would get mail!  I could get so much mail!  Never mind that I would really just be sending myself mail.

I think…I might actually do this.

I also like asking myself rhetorical questions.