Where did the first two thirds of the year go? It's just seemed so quick. And to think that in about a month, I'll be having a 6-week school vacation. It just seems weird.
Recently, I've been getting into those rhythm games. You know, the ones where they play a catchy instrumental in the background, while sending coordinated coloured blocks at you. They are... Addictive, to say the least.
It is funny, really. A year or so ago, when these games were basically the more popular genre, I had close to zero interest in them. After all, they did not require the player to - for lack of a better expression- kill things. I would watch my classmates and peers play these games and wonder why anyone would enjoy simply pushing buttons in sync with falling coloured bars. It reminded me of those experiments where octopi were tested for their learning abilities, albeit with none of the music.
Same goes for DDR. It should be a crime for certain people to play DDR.
Although some people should really be encouraged to play it more, and preferably in more open areas.
The story is basically that one night, I could not fall asleep, so I got onto my computer to poke around at stuff. I remembered seeing a couple of people playing a rhythm game hosted on Newgrounds, so I decided to check it out. As it turned out, it was really quite fun. Fun enough to keep me playing for a couple of hours(even though there were only about 5 modes to try).
I see why the Guitar Hero series is so popular now. You do not need an actual background in music, nor do you require any expertise at all, for you to play a music game. In fact, even people with training in musical instruments would find these keyboard-wrecking marvels to be fresh and enjoyable. All one needs is to be open to alternative forms of music, and have a want to rack up combos and points.
That last one is actually a prerequisite for almost any game. But I think everyone has that desire, either already being expressed, or not yet discovered.
These games basically give you the idea that you are achieving something. It is like reaching level 40 on Pacman, or getting three perfect victories in a row in any fighting game. Of course, nothing is happening for you(other than dehydration or kidney issues), but the point is that it just feels really nice. It's like being flattered, literally, when you get 35 "PERFECT!"s in a row. You see a nice flashy word appear on the screen that tells you how awesome you are.
From a distance, it all seems very trivial. I suppose it is. But they're just so captivating. You know, I think that black holes are a nice analogy here. When you are too far away, you can't see anything. Just the things around it. However, when you get closer, you cross this boundary called the event horizon. Once you've gotten past it, you'll be able to experience the black hole in all its wonder and glory.
...Given in a different context, that probably isn't such a good analogy. Heck, even in this context it sounds a lot like drugs.
Speaking of which, yes, all hamster products will have a dose of LSD in them. Hamster hotdogs, hamster salami, hamster pepperoni, hamster nuggets... You know, the nuggets at the south canteen are kinda soft and not really natural tasting. I wonder if anyone has already capitalised on my idea.
-Joe