like a fire

I spent some time this week hanging out with some guys and playing Halo. It was a lot of fun, but something always happens at some point in these sessions where I feel really condemned. I don’t know if it is the nature of the game, the nature of this younger generation or if I am just too sensitive, but something about this turns my stomach.

Basically, I just not as good as most of the people I play with. I don’t mind loosing all the time, but I don’t like being played with. I REALLY don’t like it when someone who has the skill to beat me when we are equally matched with weapons gets the shotgun and the rocket launcher and doesn’t even give me a chance. That seems like overkill to me.

But my real issue is about fun. To me, it just isn’t fun to play with someone who is that much better and isn’t gracious about it. If your that much better, do you have to vocalize how bad I am ll the time? Is that fun? If your that much better, do you have to get in a tank and kill me as I spawn? Is that fun? Apparently it is loads of fun to some people, and I just wonder why. For those of you who don’t play Halo, here is an analogy of what I am talking about. I am 37 years old, about 200 pounds and I can handle myself in a fight. If I where to get into the boxing ring with a 10 year old it would most likely be a slaughter. The analogy would be me getting into a boxing ring with a ten year old, wearing a kevlar vest and full battle armor, carrying a knife and an uzi. It seems a bit cruel.

So I had this conversation after playing the other day with a couple of people. I got absolutely no response to the question of fun. None. Last night, I played on Xbox Live and had the same experience. Knowing now what I do, I think I can let it go. I certainly have more fun when I am in a game and get killed so much. But I really wonder about the kind of fun we learn through some of these games. Not that this is any different from many other none video games out there.