I’ve never been a gamer. My first video game other than a Tetris app was earlier this week. After hearing a fellow non-video gamer say she played and liked Portal, I thought I’d try it. Several people told me it’s fast and easy. You are a devious bunch of liars.
I’ve wanted to cuss out Portal twice since I got it. The levels that get me stymied require I create a portal then create a new one, pass through it, and do something. Did I mention all that has to be done in about 3 seconds?
Levels like that have stymied me twice now. I only got past the first one because I cheated and looked up a play through on YouTube (I was doing the right thing in the wrong order so the timing was off). This is the second break I’ve taken from the game because I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do.
One of the reasons I always avoided video games was that I could easily see myself getting frustrated and wanting to quit. Many make it difficult to figure out what exactly it wants you to do and looking it up risks spoilers. I don’t care that deeply about spoilers here. I know the cake is a lie. It still doesn’t mean I nail the timing the first 10 tries.
My other excuse is that I love to read and video games and reading are both big time drains. Having tried both, reading still wins hands down. When I played Portal, I enjoyed it but I would look up and wonder where the time went. When that happens with a book, there’s so much more I’ve absorbed, so much more going on in my head that I feel more fulfilled. I’ll eventually go back and finish the damn level in Portal because I’m stubborn but until that urge arises, I’ll get back to my latest book.
Music: Me and Alan Moore’s Beard by Mikey Mason
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