Mrs
Korruptor writes:
Do pets look like
their owners, or do owners look like their pets?
I have a beautiful 28-year-old male Code Monkey.
His name is Korruptor and he loves playing video/computer games.
In the three-and-a-half-years that he has been with me he has
changed subtlely in his manners and his looks.
When I first took him in.
Now.
As you can see, he has developed lovely, lush,
long locks and a veh sexy beard, whereas before he was almost
bald. He has also begun to enjoy different food types, has learnt
to appreciate my artwork and even gets on marvellously with the
family. His dress sense has become more relaxed and his smoking
habits now match mine.
So from this perhaps you could deduct that the
pet does indeed take on the characteristics of its owner.
However…
With some consternation, I realise that I too
have changed during our time together. I have adopted a ‘louder’
personality, no longer hiding behind a mane of hair and instead
voicing opinions, as Monkey would do. In recent months, I’ve
even lowered myself to eating – and enjoying – microwavable
meals. But the most telling change in character has to be a new
found interest in videogaming.
Before Korruptor, the little bundle of joy,
came into my life, the only computer games I had played were Tetris
(take no prisoners) and Super Mario World. With no interest in
computer or videogames, I found them repetitive and boring. I
would rather spend time enjoying a good book or climbing trees…
Recently, he caught me smuggling a PlayStation
Magazine into the house. I thought he wouldn’t notice, but
he can sniff gaming magazines from a great distance. I also now
own a GAME card – which he doesn’t – and can
often be found browsing through the games on offer in one of Southampton’s
many GAME stores during lunch breaks…
I seem to have developed an addiction to platform
games – the blame for which falls squarely on Code Monkey
as he bought our first ever platformer: Spyro The Dragon.
So, perhaps it is the owner who looks more like
the pet?
As I sift through the clutter of computer bits
and pieces littered around the house, and watch with slight bemusement
as Korruptor lovingly caresses his copy of the first ever Zzapp!
64, I can’t help but wonder what our future together will
hold.
We are planning to have some little monkeys
of our own some day, and there is no doubt that a controller of
some description will be thrust into their tiny little paws as
soon as they have the ability to focus and coordinate. I see games
rooms with random and not so random tech littering every surface,
a cab room which may need sound-proofing to protect our neighbours
from the constant electronic bleeping... I see Llamatron and Gridrunner,
and above all Unity being played around the clock… I see
all the kids in the neighbourhood rampaging through our house,
specifically, in the ’arcade’. I also see the Monkey
banning all food substances and drinks form being consumed anywhere
near his beloved tech… ;-)
He has opened my eyes to the joys of videogaming
and, even though our taste in games may not be the same, I do
believe that this new-found interest has helped our relationship
become stronger over the years. Without computer/videogames we
would not have all the lovely fluffy friends that we do, I would
not be writing this, and would never have met any Llamasofties.
Instead, we would still be sat at home, bored, wondering where
all the fun times went. I am 16 again – getting to play
and be silly, to travel to Wales, London, Portsmouth, Reading,
Oxford and loads of other places, to meet up with new-found friends.
And I owe all of that to videogames.
Thank you, Monkey-Boy, for Korrupting me.
Bluey, December
2003
Xxx
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, etc.
---
The legendary Llamasoft forum.
The sort of game
Bluey likes.
The sort of games
Korruptor likes.
|
