Memory Monday: Bowser Talk

I mentioned that I am undergoing some kind of a phase right now in regards to gaming companionship and today, looking back at my social history, it is not a surprise that I find myself where I am in regards to gaming friends. Video gaming has always been a private hobby for me. When I first started, I found that my elementary school friends actually didn't play video games. They were mostly into toys and sports. Since I mostly kept to myself anyway, it made it harder for me to seek those with that similar interest. By the time I made it to high school, I pretty much felt that video gaming was more of an anomaly compared to the other "cool" hobbies out there so I didn't share my gaming experiences with others though at that point, some of my classmates did talk about playing games at the local arcades which was of course, somewhat different than gaming in the privacy of one's home. I did frequent the arcades myself: I was that lonely looking guy beating the crap out of M. Bison using Chun-Li in Street Fighter II.

My gaming world is a lonely place. But it has always been that way.

There was this one really illuminating moment however that happened in high school that was really shocking to me. I didn't have any close friends but I pretty much talk to everyone: there was this one girl, I have forgotten her name, whom I discovered to be a gamer. The details are blurry by now, but for some odd reason, I told her that I play video games and then she started talking about Mario. The conversation lead to Super Mario Bros. 3, which was one of the hottest games around at that time, and I remember her telling me that she didn't like the final Bowser fight because it was too easy. I told her that the boss fight was unique and she said that she preferred the original Super Mario Bros. The odd thing about this event was that we never talked about video games ever again after that. Maybe because I felt it was an awkward moment, I am not really sure anymore. I was one of those studious type in school and besides the occasional assistance in lessons and homework, people don't flock around me for any other reasons. I guess I am just trying to accept who I am. It's not an accident that I chose the Loner Gamer moniker, though its initial implications was innocent enough. But we all have to come to terms with the awful truth sometimes.