I know the title might sound cliche but I really mean it. I started playing video games since as far I can remember. Now that I think about it (very interesting fact thou, at least for me) the fisrt video game I ever played on a console was the racing game “Pole Position” of my brother’s Atari, then afterwards I started playing more games on my older brother’s computer such as Asteroids and a really old SHMUP of a robot that transforms into a spaceship. Since they were into Dungeon and Dragons and all that cool geek stuff they were into video games too; and I am thankful for that cause I got to play video games at an early age, not common in the early 1980’s. Since I was a kid and using these new controllers and keyboards for me at an early age I really sucked, I didn’t have good coordination, but still every time I got killed by an enemy or did something stupid in the game I always got the opportunity to try it all over again. Whether be lives or continues I always got an extra opportunity to avoid the enemies and make it right to eventually complete the level. It’s like traveling in time, you do a mistake and fail, then somehow you get these special opportunity to go back couple seconds before the turning point and make it good.
See, I grew up with video games (except an era of late 1999 and early 2001 where I somehow stopped playing them, I call it the dark years.) and I got used to the term of doing it all over again, having second chances, without even knowing that you failed the first time. Having that term of extra lives or continues in my head (and my theory of traveling in time couple seconds before the turning point) I did very dangerous stuff (never drugs cause that is really stupid) like racing a truck down a hill with my inline skates (in front of the truck, a fall meant instant death, of course I thought I had extra life for some reason), daring and threatening cops, married women (didn’t know, but still), fights against people bigger than me (I always got out unharmed ask Jolge he saw one of them at an Archenemy show in Florida), lots of stuff, stuff that if I ever failed at them or got caught would’ve change my life forever in a negative way, or even a certain death.
Now that I am a little more mature, well actually, now that I am older and have more responsibilities and bills to pay I had an epiphany; my grandma died. Now things at home are different, ‘cause my uncle who needs to be taken care of moved in with us, after more than fifty years living on a little apartment in Philadelphia. It is great and awesome he is with us, makes the house more familiar having him, but it made me realize things change, and there is nothing we can do to bring my grandmother back and make things how they used to be. I always thought no matter what happened things in life will always be there and you always got a second opportunity, but no, people die (duh! unless you are a vampire, actually you are technically dead, but still can die by a Belmont...fuck you) and yeah life must go on, but it ain’t the same, you lost something and it will never be replaced. I have been married, and bought a house and had step children and one of my own too, all that at an early age, I don’t regret anything, made me who I am, but yeah some of those things happened not at the right moment but still these are things that can’t be changed once it happens you can’t go back. That’s when I realized I was taking a lot of stuff for granted in life, things as we know them will change the least we expect it, and there won’t be an option to go back an re-live it again. And guess what EVEN video games themselves change or die, the hardware gets old, it has a life span like us, that means the idea of extra lives and continues dies with it, making you have a reality check (oh yeah my epiphany was also inspired by a 3DO and some Sega Genesis cartridges not working anymore...and a troubled Super Nintendo and malfunctioning Nintendos on the collectors market.. and so on).
The thing is, I still play video games, more than ever actually, I am even collecting consoles and games and sometimes paying for them more than it supposed to.
But every time I play them and lose a life I am like whoa that ain’t that realistic, how many shots I can get before I die, (unless you are playing a classic SHMUP, were a single shot destroys your ship, its annoying but challenging) and when I eventually run out of lives I get a continue (insert my time traveling theory here) and start that part all over again. We all know life is not like that, all the things we love once lost they don’t come back, since I don’t have extra lives or continues I will enjoy my life now more than ever, on a non reckless way of course. Actually if I ever get the opportunity of reliving things again with extra lives or continues, I would not take it; that’s the special thing in life, every moment it’s unique, fucking live it.
Reckless things I did or still do in video games that would’ve been stupid in a real scenario (meaning no extra lives, spawn time or continues). Most of them involve Warcraft, even thou I stopped playing it almost 2 years ago.
1- World of Warcraft PVP
Charging head on crossing the bridge in the north alliance base in Alterac Valley while the rest of the Horde staring at my daring stupidity on the other side of the bridge. I was an undead warrior named Unbroken with all my armor set for damage, zero defense whatsoever and little less than 3900 hp, and yes of course, Fury, dual wield with Recklessness on and tapping the hell out of Intercept while rushing towards the enemy.
2- World of Warcraft instances
I used to take lowbies to low level instances for couple gold. I told them “wait here at the entrance I’ll yell when I am near.” I would go and aggro the whole instance and fight all the mobs on an open space, without any healing whatsoever so the healers of the party would not take the aggro away from me. It was awesome… actually I spent more gold on repairs afterwards, but it was worth the adrenaline rush.
3- Castlevania 1
Getting to the Reaper boss with only 4 bars left and no hearts (Thanks to the axe armors and medusa’s heads). Seriously I never seen such a sadist boss design besides this one.
4- Contra
Being a member of the Contra team. It would be an honor, but would be masochism at the same time.
5- World of Warcraft PVP
Riding with my mount to the heart of Stormwind (alliance territory), and of course flagged already. And note no heartstone. Yep, it was fun while it lasted. Fucking skull elites.
6- World of Warcraft PVP flag carrier
2/2 each facton. Finally getting the alliance flag and stopping mid field to fight. I got floods of insults in the chat window. Its just a game man.
7- World of Warcraft instances
Soloing UBRS as a warrior with no significant tier shit on me. I managed the first mob kind of well, but those freaking patrols..
8- GRADIUS any of ‘em
Fighting a boss with no upgrades of weapons, but only on speed.
9- Ikaruga
Being on the dark color mode and denying to switch back against a fleet of incoming white enemies and a curtain of white bullets all over the screen. Its amazing when I actually make it.. some day.
10- Road Rash on PSONE
Rushing full speed ahead, with no money for hospital or repairs against incoming traffic. All for top positioning and glory. People can fly, temporarily.11- Chaos FieldHaving my ship being on the chaos field all the time. Let the bullets come baby, (pause) game over.12- Many more games with reckless decisions all about against all odds.
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