The finish line
Is just around the bend
I’ll pause this game
So our love will never end
Let’s go againSam Hart (Song: Mario Kart Love song)
I downloaded subway surfers a few days back and loads of memories came flashing back. I don’t know fond of these games you were, but you are talking to a fanatic right here (#proud). I used to be obsessed with games in general. It all started when a kid with glasses of increased power each year (don’t dare to ask my power now (gun emoji)), got a mobile phone in her hand for the first time. When I was a child we had a computer. The one that looked like a box, remember? That is where it actually started. That computer had a set of 300 games out of which you already know- I had my favorites.
I literally had the exact same setup (laughing emojis)
Starting with the fan favorite Super Mario. This game is still the one I go back to. And if you haven’t played this, first of all I feel sorry and second of all go and play this game. It’s addictive and I got pretty good at it. I still remember the last line that came on the screen when Mario saved his princess. It said “Thank you Mario, but your princess is in another castle”. This poor guy is fighting battles, crushing mushrooms, dodging bullets and getting extra lives just to save the wrong girl each time. He has set the bar high (laughing emojis).
He’s the OG gentleman!
A few of the others which I put my hands on were Contra, a bike racing game (I can’t recall its name) and Adventure island 1 and 2. Am I the only one who isn’t a fan of Pacman or are you with me? Then the laptop games like purble place, solitaire, mahjong and minesweeper replaced the OG’s. Even this didn’t last for long. Because now a tiny electronic box was about to rule the planet and the minds of the population.
It started with the basic Nokia keypad phone, followed by the amazing and my personal favorite “The FLIP phone”. Then started the era of Blackberry QWERTY keypad and finally our touch screen babies that we can’t let go of. All these had one thing in common- The Snake and Tetris. You could sit for hours completing levels and challenges of these games and still wouldn’t get bored.
Our childhood wouldn’t have been complete without this. I am gonna cry (sob emojis)
When I was in grade 6 there was only one touch screen in my entire maternal side of the family (it was the rich aunt OFC). That was the first time I got to play angry birds. Now being a competitive child I ruined it for everyone. I completed as many levels as I could each time I went to her house. Eventually in grade 9 when I got my own touch screen, the first game downloaded was Subway Surfers. Oh! I wasn’t just a fan of the game, I was crazy about it. My score was in lakhs, yup that kinda crazy (emoji with black sunglasses).
The game used to lag because the processor of the phone wasn’t that efficient but nothing stopped me. Soon enough I installed the big brother of this game- Temple run. You know it! Got addicted again. I thought that this is the only type of addiction my parents wouldn’t be mad about. Until one day I was in the washroom for way too long and when my mom asked me what I was up to, I showed them my score. This wasn’t the only time they were frustrated. I was also caught under the blanket playing at 2 AM. Of course I was mistaken for doing something else (if you know, you know (smirk emojis)).
This is us, you can’t convince me otherwise!
But a few days back when I played this game, my 23 year old developed brain came up with an analogy. Doesn’t subway surfers remind you of life? We start slowly with the policeman chasing us at all times, just like death being after us the moment we are born.
A while later, we are busy playing the game and can’t see the policeman but we know that it is still after us. Whenever we bump into something (like accidents in real life), the policeman comes closer to us. The trains we are dodging and jumping on are the obstacles we get in real life. The money is what we are trying to collect to upgrade our appearances and powers and to buy stuff.
The power ups are like the opportunities/resources that we get every once in a while. Sometimes we get the magnet and there are not a lot of coins around and vice versa. Isn’t this similar to our life where sometimes we have the resources but no wealth to collect? And sometimes we have wealth around us but no resources to collect it. Also there are times in this game when there are coins in a straight line and coins in the jump and we have to decide which one to choose.
We can’t be greedy and take them all so we have to pick the best for us, just like life. The game has hoverboards to speed up the process, just manifestation and law of attraction in real life. All the players are striving for the best score to beat the competition just like we are fighting here everyday. And at the end we have an option of revival with keys, just like hospitals in real life. They enable us to get healthy and run again.
Our life in one picture
Yeah yeah, call me crazy all you want (laughing emojis), coz I agree. All I wanted to say is that I gave these games MY ALL. Whether it be a score in crores in Temple Run or more than level 2500 on a game called Mars. I am a big fan of speed so racing games were also my go to. Beach buggy, jetpack joyride, hill climb racing, you name it.
I did play asphalt for a while too but never had the phone that could support it well. I also laid my hands on games like Aladdin, cut the rope season 1 and 2, where’s my water (with the cute crocodile), criminal case (one of favorites) and the restaurant business games. They were my guilty pleasure.
And all this wasn’t useless, trust me. It actually improved my cognitive skills, my hand eye coordination, the competitive nature and the urgency of completing a task as soon as possible. I still have piano tiles coz I wanna be able to play piano without actually playing one. The adrenaline rush these games give is unmatched. And don’t call me out on not mentioning candy crush and pet rescue saga. I crossed a few hundred levels but just couldn’t get the hype!
I’ll stick to Piano tiles, till the time I get to learn the real deal!
The only regret I have is playing these games even during my 12th board exams. The obsession was real and unfortunately it showed in my results (laughing emojis). But I’m content with the childhood these games gave me. Little bubbles of happiness (read Part-1 and Part-2 here) are always necessary to get through life. And if you haven’t been playing, start now. Trust me it’s more peaceful than you think.
Journal Time: It is finally time for you to tell me the list or the handful of games you played. Also if you can think of an analogy for a game, write it down. I know these things seem trivial, but they can end up giving up life lessons (or content for social media). And if you think I am a sucker for mobile games, wait till you read my love for sports.
Until next time, Adios Amigos.
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