Gaming the Hardcore Way, Gaming as Life
At A Glance
- Hardcore applies gaming lessons to real life. Warning: results may end in humiliation.
Published August 31, 2007
It is time again for the day all youngsters dread—the day to wave a tearful goodbye to the joys of summer and dive headlong into classrooms and study. What good can we take from the sunny, game-filled months to apply to the rigors and challenges of the school year?
Your back-to-school gift, courtesy of Bungie.
Yours truly has been applying the lessons of gaming to daily life for years with some memorable, usually humorous, and even explosive results.
Loaded Save
There are no saved games in life, no reload option to surreptitiously avoid embarrassment. You may want to keep that obvious fact in mind before you leave a mumbled, incoherent and alarmingly revealing voicemail for that cute girl in your American Studies class. A little forethought can go a long way towards avoiding deeply embedded shame, a week-long helping of giggles floating across the classroom, and perhaps even a personality disorder.
I'M REGULAR PEOPLE! <cough>, um, I'm fine.
Anyhoo … take a cue from George Costanza and organize your topics of conversation before your call. Better yet, dare to dream and become charming and well spoken.
Iconic Costume
Now you tell me what common denominator binds nearly all our favorite videogame heroes together? Their badass, iconic getup, that's what. Ryu's got his pristine white karate gi, Master Chief is sporting his MJOLNIR battle armor, and Lara has her short-shorts with dual pistols, a form-fitting tank top and a sassy attitude (thank you Eidos).
No words necessary.
For a brief but memorable period I committed myself to developing my own signature look, and while parachute pants, a tie-dyed T-shirt, and trench coat may not seem an awe-inspiring ensemble, there are few who will ever forget the brooding hippie that stalked their high school halls.
Be Epic
Great games are epic games where worlds real and imagined depend on the heroic to put a halt to calamity and look damn good while doing it. Now take that epic, all-or-nothing mindset and apply a bit of melodrama to your every day moments. Ask yourself how would Master Chief eat a peanut butter sandwich, how would Sam Fisher sneak into biology class, or what pose would Marcus Fenix strike when playing four-square? Seize those everyday moments with some heroic gusto!
LIVE Socializing
Let us not forget the smooth and unrivaled etiquette heard throughout the experience of Xbox LIVE®. You may consider employing a few choice online mannerisms in real-life social situations. For example:
- When answering a question correctly in class, shout "PWNED!" for added effect.
- Belt out a few raucous, off-key tunes at the lunch table to entertain your friends.
- When asked the way to the bathroom by a new student, yell NOOB in the crowded hallway.
I can only hope that my faith in your flawless sarcasm detection abilities is not ill-placed.
I was kidding. Don't try this at home.
The Hardcore Path
The hardcore gamer laughs at the Insane difficulty level of Halo, has visited and conquered every cave, dungeon and ruin in The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™ and dominates Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® Vegas online with nothing but a pistol and a scowl. It's time to take that thirst for challenge and apply it to your everyday life.
When your science teacher asks for a model of the solar system, load up the truck at the hardware store and put those home-brew engineering skills to work building a quarter-scale orrery. When your Mom and Dad come home to find a spotless house with dinner already on the table and they ask with narrowed eyes, "What do you want?" you can stop them dead in the suspicious tracks by responding with "Nothing," and actually mean it.
Whether you're studying the subtle art of debate from Andrew Ryan of BioShock, or studying an Madden NFL 08 playbook to assist your high-school team, one thing is for certain, you can't beat applying the lessons learned from gaming to spice up your daily routine.
Article by Hardcore
