It seems like a million years since I last  played Quake 3. I can still remember sitting in my Los Angeles apartment, huddled in front of a monitor, hearing Bender tell my opponents to bite his shiny metal ass. I wasn’t terribly good at the game – I’d occasionally hit a winning streak and rain death down from the skies – but I did derive great pleasure from the game’s adrenaline-addled pace. I spawned, I acquired weapons, I killed and I died. I played until my eyes were bleary with gibs and the sound of rocket explosions rang in my ears. I took extra satisfaction from downloading every character skin and sound pack I could get my hands on. On a good night, I’d find myself in the midst of a pop culture slaughterhouse. Boba Fett, Krusty the Clown and RoboCop went toe-to-toe, spilling blood in ways that story bibles would never allow. (more…)