Been a while since I posted an update on my journey of gaming. I've been scattered between a bunch of games over the last few months. A little Portal 2, some Outland, Galaga DX, mostly finished Toy Story 3 and Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 with the kids. I even started Brotherhood finally. But on the advice of Boubou I have gone back to finish Red Dead Redemption and I'm doing it properly (not to mention I told schemer.com that this is one of my life goals). Working my way through the primary story line and also working on the quests. The quests (e.g. hunter, survivalist, strangers, etc.) have the added bonus of being more child appropriate than the main story line so I can sneak time playing before 11pm.

So what do I think now that I'm firmly into Mexico, working through quests, and exploring the various villages and ruins? I think this may be the most impressive game ever created. I am still impressed by the vastness of the game. I haven't even explored the entire map and I feel like there is another world that I have been given priviledges to visit. It feels like a forced world. People sit at tables just waiting for a stranger to stop by for an arm wrestle. A guy pitches horseshoes seemingly forever. There are a lot of prostitues in this world too, but I don't seem to have an interest in them. Been out on the prairie for an awfully long time now and all I can muster is, "Evening Ma'am."

I love that this world encourages me to shoot flying birds from a moving train. Though saying it out loud reminded me of the days of bison hunting from trains. When was the last time you saw a bison on the range (or anywhere for that matter? respect to Ted Turner for keeping a huge herd on his ranch). I love that a horse appears when I whistle. Love the way the sounds alert me to wildlife and danger. I really love the scenery and the objects. I wish I could interact a bit more with them but to think that somebody had to design and place each of those objects throughout the world is pretty mind boggling. Did they use a shrub distribution program? Were the mountains created by hand? I love that chewing tobacco refills my dead eye meter, though I've never actually used it.

I hate when mountain lions (cougars in game language) sneak up on me and pounce without provocation. Yes I jumped when hearing and seeing the lion kill me without warning. I hate the way Marsten moves sometimes. When his gun is drawn and he's hunkered down he can have a jerky uncontrollable movement when trying to make minor adjustments. It landed me in the river a couple nights ago. I hate when I shoot the good guy on accident when I'm trying to save him/her. Auto aim is great until it locks onto a friend and I pull the trigger. Sorry about your wife Sir. I was trying to help. I only looted her body to find out if it would make you mad.

I find myself not looting the people that I kill on accident as frequently as when I kill bad guys. Why should my morality carry over into a video game? My honor meter is already down from killing the person. Looting won't hurt a thing. In accounting terms the lost honor is a sunk cost; it shouldn't factor into my decision. But somehow it does. Am I becoming Marsten? Is this what they mean when they talk about second life? Surely this is more of a second life than any Sims game in terms of the emotional connection that I am feeling with the world. The experience is still scripted but there is enough freedom that I feel connected.

I wonder if returning to this world years from now will feel like returning to Narnia? The only real difference is that Narnia time continues at super speed when you are away, and there is no telling how many hundreds of years have passed since your last visit. Time stands still without me in New Austin and Nuevo Paraiso.

Zak