untrained, you never shut up; needs keep you empty

me: Okay, back from fetching tea things
Gwynn: Mmmm tea
me: *grins*
me: We found some Mystery Tea today!
Unlabeled bags in a drawer
Gwynn: ........O.o I am afraid, yet intrigued.
me: We wrote Keemun on one--our best guess--and we think the other one is black currant
Gwynn: hehe
I threw away tea yesterday o.o
Two boxes
One was Yerba Mate CRAP
and the other was an "eggnog" tea
OHOH
I HAVE TO BREAK YOUR BRAIN
me: eggnog
tea
gah
And oh?
Gwynn: ok so you know I do the collectible/breedable pet thing right?
me: Yes...
Gwynn: THIS just wandered in as a WIP from a shop I frequent. http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w246/8477777/archeron_swirly_WIPCHANGES.jpg
DASKLJDSLKAJFLKDFJSLFJDSLFKJDKSLAFJ
DSKL WHYYYYYYY?!?!?!?!?
EIGHT mother fucking WINGS
A DRAGON tail
FUCKING backwards FANGS
BOOTS ONNA MOTHER FUCKING HORSE
WHY DOES A HOVED ANIMAL NEED A FUCKING STAFF?!
Gwynn: kjdfalkdjsalkdjaskl
me: WHY do you bid on these things?!?!
Gwynn: It's not mine
I'm friends with the colorists
This is what one of them HAS to color/draw
Normal ponies are this: http://scienceismy.rampantobsession.com/Entropy/SOQTEMP/Darmison_ADULT02.png
I seriously think I felt braincells die
me: Daaaaamn

This had to be preserved. For...pony solidarity, or...something like that. Whoever wants that mutant thing? First of all, hates horses...even fantasy ones...but second of all, has not even a rudimentary understanding of basic anatomy...

Onward.

"In Tamagotchi versus Second Life, I'll go with Tamagotchi."

There's a brilliant point in this article, which might be getting lost in hype were it not for Minecraft catching on. There are those referring to it as the "Second Life killer", which I don't believe for a minute, but there is something to be said for the fact that the less impressive the graphics are, the more real actions in the space feel. Hence Farmville. Hence, when it comes down to it, checkers, the ultimate lo-fi game. Sketch out a board on the ground, find pebbles in two shades, you can play if you know the rules. Or Tablero--granted, there are fancy carved boards and artfully etched shot glass sets for Tablero, but really, when it comes down to it, you can do it on a picnic table with a chalked-out board, gathered cups or glasses, and whatever's on hand to drink--be that water, sports drinks, tea, beer, or hard spirits.

The point of play, this article says, is nothing to do with the games we choose to play. It's the connection between us, which is part of why we look for the next big thing (we bore easily), but also why some games catch on and hold on--like Farmville, like Second Life, like World of Warcraft, like Fallen London. We want adventure, but we're comfortable with habit. Give us a game that gives us both these things, and we sign up in droves. And, along the way, it allows us to see ourselves, and our interactions with others, in an entirely different light than our daily lives allow.