Ub3r Gam3rs

Hello hello!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, especially here in San Diego. The weather is fine, the work is plentiful, and I can't wait to get some of it done! But there is a subject that I encountered last night that I would like to share with you all.

As my wife and dog can attest, I was playing Halo: Reach last night in Matchmaking mode on XBox Live. During one match, the opponents taunted the map choice by saying, "OMG, didn't you play Beta? This map is like shooting fish in a barrel as the Spartans. I guess if you just want to get killed a lot by me, I'll ride you all game long."

Now, if you have to say "OMG, didn't you play Beta?" right there you can deduce a few things about your fellow gamer. First off, they're hopelessly addicted to the game. To the point that probably the sole derivation of pleasure and satisfaction out of life is playing this game. Since practice makes perfect, they are also exceptionally tweaked out in their reflexes and knowledge of the game. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. We all have to be good at something. However, there gets to be a point where an addiction becomes unhealthy. If you are able to time the exact point that your opponent is going to spawn, and the precise location so they can be blown up by a grenade a fraction of a second later, and repeat the process... you probably play Halo a little too much.

Please don't interpret this as whining or me being envious of their 'skill'. Because I'm not. If I devoted my entire life to playing Halo, I'm sure I could match their level of talent. But some of us choose to have a job, and a family, and other activities in our lives besides one video game. To each their own. Afterall, someone needs to work at McDonalds to serve me a hamburger. As long as they are happy with their life, who am I to criticize their actions? A good thrashing every now and then in a game is a solid reminder and excellent motivation to continue playing and get better. Not to be better than them, but to be able to stand up against them and occasionally prevail. Because it's extremely satisfying to kill cocky people like that, even if the end score is 2-8. Because 20% of the time they weren't better than you, and it bothers them more to have only prevailed 80% of the time. I'll take my 20%, especially if it involves a triple kill from blowing up a Warthog or Falcon with grenades or a Spartan laser or something equivalent. Mmmm, triple kill...

But enough Halo banter. Today is a wonderful day because I'm going to go home after work and clean the house. And then it will be Friday and all will be well with the world. If you have any thoughts as to what the wife and I ought to do with our weekend, feel free to leave a comment. I'm thinking mini golfing. I love mini golfing!

Keep it in the family!