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The strange things gamers do.

By Dalai September 17, 2010 10 Comments

I've been gaming for a very long time, it's been at least 25 years since I've picked up my first controller whether it was a NES controller, an Intellivision number pad, or an Atari joystick. So yeah, I've been around the block a bit. Over those years I've picked up some rituals and traditions that to this day I still do, many of them meaningless, some of them kinda useful. Everybody does something weird and quirky while playing games, but just maybe it's not so weird. For example, here are 4 things I tend to do either before, during, or after a game.

Might as well jump, JUMP!

Depending on the game, the boss door jump can be the difference between life or death.

I keep this reserved for 2D sidescrollers, but every time I go through a door or checkpoint, I need to jump and as high as I can. This is a common practice among many of us especially while playing a Mario game or any of the classic Mega Man games. In some Mega Man games there happens to be an advantage, but in the case of wand catching in Super Mario Bros. 3, there's no point other than it looks so cool.

Blow me!

Please work! I have a hamster to microwave!

I've been blowing since I was a kid. Wait... lemme try that again.

I've been blowing NES cartridges since I was a kid. That sounds slightly less creepy. Anyway, this action has been performed on millions of cartridges billions of times over, but its effectiveness has always been in question. Despite the limited proof that it works, I've done this in order to get a game to work. My friends have done this too so I'm not that crazy. However lately I've found that sometimes moving the cartridge while in the slot is more effective... although I'm not sure if it's a good move in the long run Perhaps it's just a dust problem.

Fuck you, Dust Man!

Fucking mess of a room, immaculate games shelf all in order.

I think most people have slight OCD tendencies once in a while and I can prove the existence of this obsession just by checking out other people's shelves full of video games, boxes, books, and other paraphernelia. I am not immune to this as my small collection is in alphabetical order and separated by platform. It's how I roll. And that's why I hate Nintendo's stupid sleeve they packaged Wii Sports in.

When 99% is not enough.

101% completion? What bullshit!

This one pains me, especially this week as I finished Metroid: Other M in its entirety... except for one missile pack. Yes, I cringed when 99% shined on my TV in big, bold letters. And that makes me want to play through the game again just so I can see that 100%.

The rest.

I cut grass with my sword, I fill my inventories and sort them in order if possible, I open every treasure chest, I (used to) swing that Wii Remote just like a tennis racket or baseball bat, I must walk through every room, corridor, or open area in the game just to fill my map, I collect EVERYTHING! Do you do the same?

I've probably blogged about this topic once before. After almost 500 of these damn blog posts, I'm bound to repeat the same mistakes.

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