Life, love, and a practical use for gaming experience in real life....
Within the confines of a group exercise for a job interview a few days gone, I found that my experiences in playing Everquest have suddenly become applicable in a real life situation. The short version of what our group exercise (to test how well we operate in a team environment, y'see) was, is that there are 6 people trapped in a lift in a burning building, the cable is about to snap, and we have time to save 4 of them. Who lives?
Thankfully vast experience in playing the kind of character that is responsible for keeping people alive in a chaotic situation, I was able to ascertain very quickly which people would benefit mankind at large by the expedient of continuing to live. The top four of this category were thusly shortlisted and duly recommended. My group however, were far more philanthropic in thier approach, and aimed to base nominations for life on emotional repurcussions for the immediate families of those involved. As a gamer, I was affronted and apalled at this serious lack of judgement. Why on earth would you prefer a man who has the cure for cancer en route to the world to die in favour of a woman with 2 children who incidentally, has a gambling problem and has whittled away her husbands retirement money on her habit? I know those of us who have never played a cleric or druid will have a hard time accepting the heartless pragmatism of the analysis, but I would rather heal my tank than the monk when Cazic-Thule is showing no sign of weakening any time soon.
In other news, turns out Janine has undergone what is known as a 'chemical' pregnancy only. In laymans terms, this means that her body was pretty well convinced it was going to be growing a human in a minute, but was a massive hormonal anticlimax after all. Its what happens when an unimplanted embryo manages to start sending "feed the baby" noises toward the body. Nevermind, at least she knows the two of us are not genetically incompatible and neither of us are infertile. Plus sex remains fun even after more than a decade on the job, so doubtless there will be other opportunities in the future.
Women at large need to be more understanding of the deviousness of men; we have none. We lack the motivation to play mind games, we lack the sophistication to connive believable lies, and we certainly lack the thoughtfulness to consider everything we say before we spit it out. The words and deeds of The Male are not calculated unless specifically designed as part of a criminal plot, very few of which involve women unless said Male is a rapist who hasnt found a spot to lurk in yet. This simple expectation of women (that men are as careful and thoughtful as they are) is grossly presumptuous, and while the overestimation can be flattering at times, it leads to an expectation that cannot be met on neutral grounds (hence the warcry of the Male in the battle of the sexes: "What the hell have I done now?"). Ladies, I promise you, we genuinely do not know the answer to that question. Just put us out of our misery and tell us. Oh yeah, and that "If you dont know then Im not telling you because you *should* know already" mentality is not only contradictory and hurtful, it's exasperating. Walk into a circular room with an instruction to stand in the corner and you have how we feel when trying to pacify a woman who has gotten the wrong end of the stick. And yes this little tangent has been inspired by real people who will know who they are, but I thought it might do the world at large a service to hear it. Maybe.
Still chasing that most elusive of snarks, the next ding...
Thankfully vast experience in playing the kind of character that is responsible for keeping people alive in a chaotic situation, I was able to ascertain very quickly which people would benefit mankind at large by the expedient of continuing to live. The top four of this category were thusly shortlisted and duly recommended. My group however, were far more philanthropic in thier approach, and aimed to base nominations for life on emotional repurcussions for the immediate families of those involved. As a gamer, I was affronted and apalled at this serious lack of judgement. Why on earth would you prefer a man who has the cure for cancer en route to the world to die in favour of a woman with 2 children who incidentally, has a gambling problem and has whittled away her husbands retirement money on her habit? I know those of us who have never played a cleric or druid will have a hard time accepting the heartless pragmatism of the analysis, but I would rather heal my tank than the monk when Cazic-Thule is showing no sign of weakening any time soon.
In other news, turns out Janine has undergone what is known as a 'chemical' pregnancy only. In laymans terms, this means that her body was pretty well convinced it was going to be growing a human in a minute, but was a massive hormonal anticlimax after all. Its what happens when an unimplanted embryo manages to start sending "feed the baby" noises toward the body. Nevermind, at least she knows the two of us are not genetically incompatible and neither of us are infertile. Plus sex remains fun even after more than a decade on the job, so doubtless there will be other opportunities in the future.
Women at large need to be more understanding of the deviousness of men; we have none. We lack the motivation to play mind games, we lack the sophistication to connive believable lies, and we certainly lack the thoughtfulness to consider everything we say before we spit it out. The words and deeds of The Male are not calculated unless specifically designed as part of a criminal plot, very few of which involve women unless said Male is a rapist who hasnt found a spot to lurk in yet. This simple expectation of women (that men are as careful and thoughtful as they are) is grossly presumptuous, and while the overestimation can be flattering at times, it leads to an expectation that cannot be met on neutral grounds (hence the warcry of the Male in the battle of the sexes: "What the hell have I done now?"). Ladies, I promise you, we genuinely do not know the answer to that question. Just put us out of our misery and tell us. Oh yeah, and that "If you dont know then Im not telling you because you *should* know already" mentality is not only contradictory and hurtful, it's exasperating. Walk into a circular room with an instruction to stand in the corner and you have how we feel when trying to pacify a woman who has gotten the wrong end of the stick. And yes this little tangent has been inspired by real people who will know who they are, but I thought it might do the world at large a service to hear it. Maybe.
Still chasing that most elusive of snarks, the next ding...