Unwinnable

A TL;DR History in Hypertext (more…)

Broadly speaking, kids have two kinds of play: structured and unstructured.  Unstructured play is freeform make-believe. It’s what kids do when they build a house in the yard out of rocks and dead branches or play “yetis are from Pluto” on the way to school. This is the pure play that, really, only kids know how to enjoy. Soon enough, they grow a little older and turn to structured play, which is the kind that has rules. In this kind of play, you’re supposed to score points and count penalties, and if you’d rather just use your toys to make up your own stories, you’re playing like a baby.
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Part Four: Relapse

Was he really going to shoot me? That’s always the nagging question. Who can pass judgement on whether you’re good or evil? I can tell myself that I am the good guy, but it’s all relative. Who knows what drove those bandits to the life they lead. Who’s to say that group you call friends won’t turn on you when the pressure cooker blows and the zombies swarm in around you. You’ll see the backs of their heads as they flee. It is easy to imagine their prying hands as they loot your still warm corpse. (more…)

Part Three: Redemption

As it turns out, the player I’ve murdered is a bandit and the chat lavish me with praise. I go along with them. If only they knew who I really was.  (more…)

Part Two: Cold Comfort, Colder Heart

Calming words are cold comfort in DayZ. When I left a fellow survivor to die alone, only to loot his body afterwards and tell those who would listen of what I’d done, I knew I had slipped. At first, I shirked it and tried to shake it off. I told myself I still had the option to back down, to back away, to back out – to shut the game off and never finish the experiment I’d set out on. (more…)

Part One: The Bandit Lifestyle

“Go on, just pull the trigger.” (more…)

The blood had barely dried inside the Century Aurora 16 movie theater when many pundits were already jumping to conclusions in a single bound. (more…)