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Tag Archives: gaming

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.

Final round…FIGHT!

It has recently been brought to my attention that I may have actually been defeating all the stage bosses I’ve been encountering in my work life.

For those of you not in the know, I typically refer to my bosses by hierarchy of bosses you’d fight in a platformer…or maybe even a RPG (as I do feel that there is a lot of grinding in this game, which you wouldn’t typically find in a platform game).  So, my direct supervisor is typically referred to as the stage boss.  Then you have the level boss and final boss.  Level boss is generally the direct supervisor of the stage boss.  Final boss is obviously the final boss.

So then…I’ve never really considered it past this point until recently.

Me: [My boss] told me not to work too hard.
Me: And then when I gave him a weird look, he said that I should work hard only if I’m behind schedule.
Friend: sounds like a good boss
Friend: too bad you’ll have to defeat him eventually

Light bulb.

I’m supposed to defeat the bosses.  How could I have forgotten?  How can I advance in the game (of work? I guess?) if I don’t defeat any bosses?  I’m am absolutely remiss in my duties as a gamer.  Or something.  Anyway, that got me thinking, did I ever defeat any of my bosses?  It seems like I’ve defeated a slew of stage bosses, but never really progressed past that.

  • Stage boss #1: retired, and then unretired, and then retired again, only to come back as a contractor several times, but never as a stage boss. I’m pretty sure that means he was defeated.
  • Stage boss #2: stepped down after several years, gave up all his stage boss status immunity to my snark so I continue to beat him every time I talk to him.  Incidentally, he was my favorite boss in Company.
  • Stage boss #3: rerouted out of the department.
  • Stage boss #4: um, I left Company a few months after stage boss #4 came into play.  Does that mean he defeated me?  But it was a pre-emptive strike on my part.  I think I surprised him when I told him I was leaving Company.  I think I’ll count that as defeated as well.

Erm…it kind of looks like I have final boss syndrome even in real life.  Stage boss #4 was also level boss.  So I played all the way to the end and then didn’t play the final boss.  Like always.

So, I’ve stopped playing Company and now I’m playing THEM.  I think I like THEM better than I liked Company.  And I kind of like the stage boss I’m up against now, which is a problem if I’m supposed to defeat him.  I wonder if I can somehow skip playing against him.  But the problem with that is…I like the level boss too.

Quandary.