The real consequences of blurring video games and real life..

[Final_metroid]

Kinda unrelated, but when I re-read my harry potter books for the umpteenth time I accidentally called the stupid people in my social studies class "muggles"

[FuriousFure]

yeah, i usually get one game a play only that till its done. so while i was completing the burnout series. (1-4) i would be driving down the road and look to the on coming traffic and think to myself "yeah i could totally make that"

also they have benefitted me, i believe, especially the first 2 games makes you a off defensive/ defensive driver. you go as fast as you can with out hitting anyone. as a result, even though i have been in sticky situations, i have been able to get out of the line of crashing with some slick moves.

[Triad Orion]

I admit, I've said owned or pwned in normal conversation, but that's not the worst. I used to always refer to money as Zenny. Luckily, everyone around me knew what I meant, but it drove one of my friends nuts. Ironically, he was the first one to get the reference. That's a Mega Man fanatic for ya.

Now, before I regard you as a hero, are you referring to Legends or Battle Network with your Mega Man fanaticism?

And for being on topic, Dead Rising has changed the way my roommate and I look at grocery stores. I see the Orange Juice and instantly think "Four boxes." Wine? "Five boxes." Cooking oil? "Heh heh heh, zombies are dumb." Don't get us started on shopping carts.

[RealFolkBlues]

The Vampire Killer whip may be able to defeat Dracula, but a leather belt used as a whip only defeats my own sense of dignity.

HAHAHAHa that is freakin' sigged. Nice.

As for blurring the line, this has happened to me on more than one occasion. After playing either Need for Speed or Burnout for a while (I can't remember which,) I was driving by our local mall and saw a line of tractor trailers. I considered, in all seriousness, that if I swerved over and plowed into them, I wouldn't do that much damage to my car, and could keep going, back to my house. Then I thought about it for a second, and slapped my forehead strongly.

By far the worst instance of this, though, was while I was playing through Chrono Trigger to get all the endings. Taking a break from the game for a bit, I thought to myself that I should go outside since it was such a nice day. Thinking about what I could do that would be out in the sun, I figured playing in traffic might be fun, but that I would have to save my game beforehand in case I got killed. After a full minute, it occurred to me that you CAN'T SAVE YOUR GAME IN REAL LIFE. That was sketchy.

Other than that, though, I do small things like say "Flawless Victory" and roflcopter on occasion. Meh. English is a mutt of a language anyway.

[q-pa]

Even today, I still get the urge to shoot every security camera I see. 10 years of Goldeneye'll do that to you.

I was always inspired to do that by the first 2 Duke Nukems (the 2D ones for DOS )

[Citris]

Who has experienced waking up really early in the morning, going to the bathroom door and standing there for a while because you're trying to press A button to make it open?

Something very similar happened to me.

I was playing Half Life (I'm a compulsive saver, so I quicksaved before going around any corner) for about 12 hours straight and finally stopped to pee at 5:30AM. I get to the bathroom door and stand there for about 5 minutes waiting for the menu to pop up so I could save and it would be safe to open the door. I then realized what I was doing and promptly went to sleep.

Whenever I play Tetris DS Wifi I have to take a 10 minute break after playing.If I close my eyes I immediately start dropping pieces and stacking them up.

Yup. Me too.

You know those plastic Pokeball toys from ten years ago? I threw one at a dog once...

I did that to a stray cat...

Let's see...I used to live near CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network). It was always spotlit at night. As I walked home it would slowly rise above the trees, so I used to think I was on my way to Dr. Wily's fortress.

[q-pa]

Let's see...I used to live near CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network). It was always spotlit at night. As I walked home it would slowly rise above the trees, so I used to think I was on my way to Dr. Wily's fortress.

CBN. Dr. Wily...

Same difference.

[Darklink42]

Even today, I still get the urge to shoot every security camera I see. 10 years of Goldeneye'll do that to you.

I can still pick out every security camera visible anywhere I go because of that game. On top of that, the other day I was playing FF 12, and I reached for my soda but was still holding my controller and honestly thought about how long the Queue would be before I could drink it.

[Culturekoi]

Whenever I happen upon a large cushion, pile, or cylindrical thing, I try to see how far I can punch or kick it a la the sandbag of SSBM.

Whenever I have a number of large, solid things (like a book) in a container (like a backpack) my mind goes straight to Tetris as I rearrange everything until it's perfect.

I've tried a HUGE number of times to do a qartercircle-forward and punch to shoot a fireball. I haven't gotten anything yet.

I can't tell you the number of times I've shouted "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" before crushing a spider with my shoe.

I've often gone charging into rooms and such while my friends are hanging back, proclaiming mightily, "LEEEROOYYYY JENKINS!!!"

I play a LOT of rock paper scissors (RPS, as it shall henceforth be known). I challenge people all the time. And it's ALWAYS best 2 of 3. So when the game starts I declare "Battle.... FOIGHT!" After any round I win, I say "Victoly!" a la SamSho. If someone wins the game without losing one round, I say "Flawless Victory." And if I beat someone's scissors with rock, I make a point to shout, once more, "WRYYYY" before crushing their puny scissors with my mighty rock. Who says 2D fighters are dead

Not to mention all the 1337 I use. pwned, lol, o rly, wtf, ftw, noob (and many variations thereof- it's my choice insult). Hell, I use more 'net slang in real life than I do on the internet.

Reading over this list, and realizing I actually DO all that stuff makes me think: I am one screwed up kid.

[Strike911]

I know it sounds weird, but after playing Zelda 64 for a while back when it first came out, I was sooo used to turning around with A QUICK, ALMOST NON-EXISTANT turn around animation in the game. So a couple of times in real life I would turn around for whatever reason, and my brain kind of though that I could turn real quick like in the game, and when it went slow I was kind of confused and thought to myself, "Wait... something is different..."

Then I realized.

Yep. Fun.

[DragonFireKai]

My National Guard unit was doing MOUT training, and I spent a few minutes looking around for a cardboard box. Then I realized how dumb an idea that was.

[BlueMage]

Around people I don't know or am not comfortable with, I simply know far more about computers, maths and physics than most people.

Around people I know or am comfortable with, I use lol, zomg, chairman roffle mao, pwn'd, n00b and For Great Justice!

Around people I like, I sing

And on a more serious note: Thief and Thief 2 made me intensely aware of a) how loudly I used to walk and how loudly most other people walk. Not only this, but most people are oblivious to the small sounds around them, and so are always freaked out when I seem to know when someone's approaching me.

It's also given me a tendency to walk silently and just wait for people to realise I'm there - given my housemate a near-heart-attack several times in this past week alone.

[Nazxul]

A couple of years ago when I was just learning to drive, I had been playing "Need For Speed: Most Wanted" shitloads, trying to complete every challenge and achieve #1 on all the blacklist rankings. I remember this one occasion when I was out driving and getting some practice, where some guy cut in front of me or something. Being a learner, I freaked out and tried to hit the speedbreaker (that button in the game the makes everything go in slow-motion and increases your car's traction).

[Wlokos]

I've yelled objection a few times. So far. nobody's picked up the reference.

[Merk]

Driving to visit my friend last week, I saw the barren trees on the side of the road. I wanted to paint a circle around them.

On a more intentional note, when I'm debating something with someone, and I turn out to be right due to some small detail, I say in the Mortal Kombat announcer's voice, "I Win, Technicality"

[Avatar of Justice]

My friend and I were trying to figure out what the Christian Holy Trinity's Holy Ghost was exactly. I then proceeded to try to explain it like the Triforce. Wisdom and Power, like Father and Son, pretty easy to get what powers they grant. But Courage, it's a little harder to understand.

[Raziellink]

Crazy Taxi....

Everytime i'm driving and the Bad Religion or Offspring songs come around from my mp3-player, i tend to drive a teeny bit faster (10-15 miles). Then i snap out of it, turn the music down, and check if i haven't killed anybody in the last minute.

[Steben]

My friend and I were trying to figure out what the Christian Holy Trinity's Holy Ghost was exactly. I then proceeded to try to explain it like the Triforce. Wisdom and Power, like Father and Son, pretty easy to get what powers they grant. But Courage, it's a little harder to understand.

I suppose if you must draw a parallel, you could say that Father : Power :: Son : Wisdom :: Holy Spirit : Courage. God is omnipotent, Jesus bestowed wisdom on his disciples, and the Holy Spirit gave them courage to go out and spread his Word.

But I wouldn't take this to Bible Study class, considering how Ganon, the force of evil, wields the Triforce of Power. Also, you'll look like a complete dork.

[Final Guard]

Whenever a friend of mine says he/she isn't feeling "too good," I constantly warn them that it could be G.U.I.L.T.(Gangliated Utrophin Immuno Latency Toxin) and that they should get a chiral reading.

[Faustt]

few things that come to mind.

I talk in my sleep I guess. there have been a few times when I've been quoted saying something from/about a game. some what embaressing the next day.

I used to be really into Everquest. There were more then a few times when I thought of money in terms of PP (Platinum Pieces), or going to a friends house and gating back home afterwards.... yeah....

I also used to be die hard into Stepmania. for those of you who dont know, its DDR but with arrow keys on your keyboard. anyway, almost any song I'm really into I'll start tapping to the beat with my fingers like I'm playing SM. I get a lot of funny looks doing that.

my friends and I use the lingo IRL, but mostly to poke fun at eachother. though I have slipped a few times we talking to non gamers. they just tend to stare blankly at me as I try to explain it to them.

[BlueMage]

Did I mention I intentionally use internetspeek around my sister, just to annoy her?

[Makai]

My friend and I were trying to figure out what the Christian Holy Trinity's Holy Ghost was exactly. I then proceeded to try to explain it like the Triforce. Wisdom and Power, like Father and Son, pretty easy to get what powers they grant. But Courage, it's a little harder to understand.

The Zelda series has evolved since the first game, but I think the game was initially supposed to be based on Indian culture. For instance, the currency is the Rupee, which is used in India. I think the Goddesses of the Triforce were based off of the Hindu "trinity."

Shiva is like Din, the Goddess of Power (creating the landscape [possibly destroying Hyrule systematically to renew the Hylian race every once and a while]); Brahman is like Farore, the Goddess of Courage (producing people to inhabit Hyrule); Vishnu is similar to Nayru, Goddesses of Wisdom (creating law and order in the universe).

I've never really understood what the Holy Ghost was supposed to be either. It's not talked about too much, aside from prayer.

[Avatar of Justice]

Another great way to explain life in terms of video games http://www.qwantz.com/comics/comic2-973.png

[friendlyHunter]

You can only play so much Resident Evil 4 before you can hear a loud motor and screams coming from someone's backyard without certain irrational conclusions jumping into your mind. True story.

But things I've actually done as a result of video games? Can't say there are any situations that I can think of right now, although playing too much Warcraft 3 (or was it 2?) has, on at least one occasion, made me try to "click" and "order" around "things", I can't even remember what.... yeah. And that "stacking tetris block" thing, that happened to me bigtime with some game, but I can't put my finger on which one it was... might've been killing orcs in LOTR: Return of the King for Gamecube (that game had an addictively strategic score system), or playing Kirby's Ghost Trap. Games always penetrate into my dreams, often in the form of sequels that are combinations of several games - but that's another topic altogether.

Here's a little story that's kind of interesting: back in the day I used to play "Custom Maps" online in Warcraft 3, games and such created by WC3 players. Anyway, one day, after playing a particular map, I felt extra hyper-ish for no particular reason, like some kind of huge addrenaline rush that I never get from a video game - I was literally shaking. The map I was playing was no more intense than any others, so I had no idea why. Then I remembered - sometimes your character's legs would get slashed, and endless gallons of blood (mind you, bad-graphics WC3 animated blood) would gush from the character's lower body, slowing their walking speed until they were killed. Never knew the sight of so much animated blood could have that affect, but apparently it did. Funny how no amount of Starcarft's or RE4's blood explosions (or any other game for that matter) ever did that to me... (Sooo off topic, sorry!)

[Redlight]

I remember this one specific day back when I was little, where I talked about everything in reference to the Sims and Final Fantasy game play.

It started when I was talking to my friend, and I just randomly said "plus one social point", matter-of-factly. Then I just kept going with it, kind of like I was the announcer to my own life. I ate lunch and I kept saying "plus one hunger point", and "Mom, I'm in the red! You gotta feed me!". I raced my friend that afternoon, and I just kept saying "agility points increased, agility points increased". haha that was the same day that I dressed up as Duke Nukem to play "Duke Nukem 3D".

I'm kind of surprised I can function normally in life these days lol