Saturday, April 10, 2004

Beyond Pac-Man Fever For some video games are like crack:  addictive to the point of excluding everything else in life.  Occasionally you'll hear stories of people dying while playing a game for hours on end (after 32 hours --   after 86 hours).  While those are extreme, I'd probably be appalled if all the hours I've chewed up playing video games were ever tallied.  There's no telling how many weeks, maybe even months, of my life have dissolved in front of video game screens.  Nowadays I just don't have the desire as much as I used to.  I don't have the burning need to master a video game like I used to back when I was in my teens.  Sure I'll still occasionally play a game, but at most I might kill an hour or two -- not 86 in a row.  Lately I've been messing around with Splinter Cell, but rather than dedicate day and night to it, I usually just get frustrated and give up until I decide to pick it up again a day or two later. While that's me, there are plenty of folks at the other end of the spectrum.  People who won't give up on a game until they know every subtle nuance and can almost literally play blindfolded.  People who have dedicated countless hours to the mastery of a game.  When you see examples of this, you can either sit back in awe or look away in disgust.  Here are a few examples of people who live the games: Super Mario Brothers 3:  Here's a video of someone beating the game in just eleven minutes.  If you've ever played Super Mario Brothers 3, then you know how unbelieveably fast that is. Tetris:  Video of some guy playing at a speed that would make most of us poop our pants. Pop 'N Music:  Hard to describe this music game, but the guy whacking those buttons definitely knows what he is doing. Rubik's Cube:  Not a video game, but you can't tell me that this isn't the same disease. Scary stuff, huh?  I can't do anything in my life that well.  Not that I'd necessary want to know how to do something that freakishly fast.  What ever happened to games being a relaxing way to spend your free time?  If these guys play that way, can you imagine how they are at work?  In bed? Related links: Official Pac-Man Fever website:  these are the guys who had the song back in the early 80's. The Quest to End Game Addiction:  from Wired. But in the end...:  Interesting article exploring video game addiction. Classic 80's Games:  Play now -- if you dare. 11:19:33 AM     |

© Copyright 2005 Alex L. Mauldin.