Impending Oblivion like a Swarm of Bees in Wintertime

What is it about the Apocalypse that is so frightening, yet so fascinating at the same time? I mean, everyone knows at least one crackpot who thinks that the world will end on the Winter Solstice of this year, and are immediately given an implied facepalm/middle finger combo by some man/woman who goes home and eventually pops in a DVD of "The Day After" while playing "Tom Clancy's EndWar". Whether or not you believe in the 2012 conspiracy, have a copy of "The Day After" on DVD, and/or even like Tom Clancy shit, the end of the world is one of those subjects that brings along a deep-seated morbid fascination into the minds of many...

One of the first games I've played that dealt with the Apocalypse was "Chrono Trigger" for the SNES. To this day, I still have a psychological complex whenever I see a shooting star. I stop speaking for quite some time, and if someone asks me a question, I write down two possible responses and I circle the one I like- just like ol' Crono (I'm currently seeing someone to help with that). Anyways, I played this game before 1999, where I honestly thought that Lavos would rape the entire planet when midnight struck on New Year's Eve in 1999. Y2K? Bitch please! Lavos was the real deal in my mind. Until about a year later. That's when I felt like an idiot...

There are so many games in various genres that deal with the world ending. Even in Cave's classic vertical-scrolling shooter "DoDonPachi", the commander that was supposed to be on your side ends up being a deranged lunatic hell-bent on wiping out Humanity. Also, "Radiant Silvergun", "Giga Wing", and even "Subterranean Animism" deals with these Apocalyptic themes. Why is it that so many games use this as a plot device? Simple: It's because that it's entirely too real...

No, I'm not one of those 2012 doomsayers, but I am one who likes to keep my eye on what's going on in the world. Hell, even your parents can tell you about those duck-and-cover drills they used to do in school if the Soviet Union decided to push the big red button (cuz, you know, nukes are pussies when it comes to classroom desks. Fuck you, Khrushchev). Everything from the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the Able Archer exercises in the 1980's, and to the international tensions with Iran and North Korea nowadays; it still presents that same fear and fascination in all of us...

I could've listed off the more popular games on here like "Fallout 3" or even throw in some "Call of Duty" shit, but I wanted to keep this entry as an observatory piece of how I view people's reactions and opinions on a subject such as this. Upsetting to some, even welcomed by a few, it's important that we keep our minds in a state of readiness. Learn about these international affairs. Question everything about what other countries- as well as our own- is doing right now. Also, if the darkest of days does get here, be prepared for it. The greatest defense mechanism, after all, is education. Otherwise, we're nothing more than a swarm of bees caught in the winter amidst impending oblivion...