The fact of the matter is, we are so obsessed with video games that they have become a part of our every day lives. Awhile ago I wrote an article on how I turned my JCPenney job into a video game in order to help me succeed (despite hating it). With that frame of mind, I am still at the top of the high score list, so to speak. Last night, I came home from a weekend-long trip and found dozens of flies in my apartment that snuck in due to building construction. Last night, I created a new video game.
It's funny to think even at the age of 22, I'm still making up games. With a rolled-up Game Informer magazine in hand, I proceeded to ninja my way through the kitchen and living room, killing flies and keeping track of my score. When I was beckoned by my boyfriend to come sit down and eat, I couldn't stop. The feeling stirred up old feelings of when I was playing Ghouls N' Ghosts on Sega Genesis and HAD to beat this level/boss. It's the reason senseless games like Whack-A-Mole are so fun and annoying all at the same time. I HAVE to whack its damn head and boost my score!
My score was at 10, and I felt the fly population had been severely lowered and hunger drew me away from the game. The point is turning something into a game, even as an adult, can make it endurable. I know some people just SEE games in their every day lives, like sewers become part of Super Mario and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And first aid kits remind you of L4D/L4D2. But I guess I like to think of my life as a video game because it's enjoyable to me, comforting. If I think about school as gaming levels, I don't feel so intimidated. After graduation this December, I don't think of it as graduating, but going on to the boss level to beat an extremely hard boss (aka Getting a Job). This may sound completely lame, because it's starting to sound lame to me as I type it, but that's how my mind works. It takes the anxiety, re-configures it, so that my mind can better interpret it. Where the "happily ever after" of the game is, I can't really tell you. It's like playing Ghouls N' Ghosts (okay, my favorite game as it's mentioned several times); when the hell is Arthur going to save the princess? It's not the first playthrough, and by that time I am sick of battling these monsters and beating levels. The end is too far off to see. Is there a midpoint? Maybe. But I haven't reached it yet, I am still leveling up, collecting rewards and money and experience. And let me tell you, this next boss is going to be a doozy. Yes, I just analyzed my life via video games...
I don't know if other gamers have a habit of forming games out of every day events and actions, or if it's just something weird I like to do. But when you step back and look at your life, you start to realize there are a lot of damn games out there in real life being played by intelligent people, and if you don't get a strategy going or something, you'll be left with zero lives and no more "continues."
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