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[callofkaren]

The rec center may have looked like someone's colorblind grandma decorated it in the seventies, but as far as Karen was concerned, the space was all that counted. That, and nobody actually lived there, which meant they wouldn't be disturbing anybody if they stayed up well into the early morning hours. Well, at least Karen knew she and Chuck and

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[codexthepriest]

I don't usually do parties. Like...ever. In fact, I do them less now than before, considering my last big one ended in two of my friends trying to get a guy to have sex with me and then me showing up here. It's not exactly a track record that makes me want to try again.

But I heard from both Karen and Chuck about this, and then after a day of debating, I finally decided to come. I mean, it's video games, right? I like those. It isn't a bunch of drunken boys in my living room like the last one was.

...And then I remember I'm not so great at anything there. Sure, I've been playing a lot of these, but some of the people around sort of make me think they're a lot better. So I just kind of stick around and watch people. There's less chance of embarrassment this way. The last thing I want to look like is a noob.

[spirited_hero]

[codexthepriest]

I actually flinch a little, because all I see at first is the basketball, and I've had enough bad experiences with sports that it's kind of habit now. Seeing he has it in control, I relax a little.

"Um, nothing," I reply, well aware how strange it is a video game character is at a party with them. This island is going to drive me nuts one day. "I was just checking out the party. I didn't know you played these."

[spirited_hero]

[spirited_hero]

[2ndtechnician]

Arnold had been looking forward to the big video game party for a while now. Maybe not as much as he had looked forward to Laser Tag, but he was still pretty excited. There were supposed to be all kinds of games to try, from silly children's games to musical games to the best games of all: combat games!

He entered the Rec Center and began to look around for anyone he knew while checking out the set up of the game systems. He'd really only played the XBOX with Cyd, but he'd gotten that sussed quickly enough and was confident that he could figure out the other systems as well. And once he'd gotten it all sorted his opponents had better watch out for of Arnold J. Rimmer!

[dr_robchase]

Chase hadn't exactly wanted to come. In fact, he hadn't. But the fact that it was Karen hosting it and recent accusations about withdrawing put him up to it and he turned up, even if he hadn't played videos in ages and ages. He was pretty sure Atari was just coming out the last time he had time for that. It was a good way to while some time, though. It was better than sulking, that was for sure.

And he had Nate with, just because...well, kids had to start their normal childhood somewhere.

[f4rr3ll]

Sure, the equipment here paled in comparison to Matt's gear at home -- well, at least, his gear before it got blown up, thanks a lot, freaking terrorists -- but some gaming was better than nothing at all. Of course, a video game party was worlds different from a LAN party, mostly because he knew someone was going to show up and be all lol omg like how does this work and then he would want to die.

So it was with a fair bit of wariness that Matt went to the rec center, checking out the equipment setup and trying not to jump in and start rearranging cables or anything. He had to play nice with others if he wanted to use the equipment in the future, after all.

[the_intersect]

"I've seen that look," Chuck said, catching Matt not actually playing anything, but looking at how they had everything they'd set up, "I know that look. That's the 'gee, I want to touch these cables' look. I know it well."

He'd had that look on his own face more times than he could count.

[f4rr3ll]

Matt chuckled, then shook his head. "I should have known someone here would've guessed that," he said. "But, I mean--" He gestured at the mess of cables. "Look at that. It's a wreck. One thing goes wrong, and some poor guy's going to have to spend twenty minutes tied up like a pretzel back there trying to figure out what that mess is."

[codexthepriest]

Socializing was a little easier when I saw people I knew. Matt is one of them, and I ease myself through the small crowd until I'm standing behind him.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask, after watching him a few moments. I know my way around computer equipment just because I needed to know things to keep myself running, but just about anything else is pretty foreign to me.