Lately I’ve taken up playing “Big Brain Academy” on the Wii in some of my free time; you might remember me mentioning this as a game I requested while in the hospital for my bone marrow transplant. When offered a choice of any Wii game on the market, who chooses “Big Brain Academy”? Maybe now you better understand my choice of occupation.*
Though I’ve owned the game since February, I haven’t played it much. I guess growing up as one of those severely deprived kids who never owned a video game system taught me to develop odd hobbies like reading and talking to friends instead. But as I’ve been playing Big Brain more frequently, I’ve noticed several strange quirks.
First, as you'll see in the image posted, the “host” of the game is an unidentifiable, unusually-shaped, yellow blob that communicates through mysterious phrases in annoying “computer-speak.” This blob has some semblance of a head with eyes and whiskers, arms, and a trunk but is lacking all other typical body parts. Is it supposed to resemble brain matter? I have no idea. Second, the blob seems to love the sound of his own voice, because he gives a lengthy commentary after EVERY game. The worst part is there’s no button you can press to skip the commentary! And finally, not unlike several of my former coaches, the blob employs the use of insult to act as motivation for the player. And not even mild insults either, but full-on zingers dripping with sarcasm. I’m not joking; he says things like, “Did you hit the snooze button? Because you just slept through that one!” Even though I hate the concept, I have to give major credit to the blob’s creator. Whoever can use a video game blob to make a person feel like a pathetic loser is pretty ingenious.
Last weekend, I learned that the blob even calls people out individually when they’re playing in teams, adding further to their humiliation. If it wasn’t embarrassing enough getting insulted by a freakish-looking video game character, now try enduring the ridicule in front of friends and family. I won’t name the victim here, but I attached the picture above as evidence ;):
*Teacher and tutor, of course!
Though I’ve owned the game since February, I haven’t played it much. I guess growing up as one of those severely deprived kids who never owned a video game system taught me to develop odd hobbies like reading and talking to friends instead. But as I’ve been playing Big Brain more frequently, I’ve noticed several strange quirks.
First, as you'll see in the image posted, the “host” of the game is an unidentifiable, unusually-shaped, yellow blob that communicates through mysterious phrases in annoying “computer-speak.” This blob has some semblance of a head with eyes and whiskers, arms, and a trunk but is lacking all other typical body parts. Is it supposed to resemble brain matter? I have no idea. Second, the blob seems to love the sound of his own voice, because he gives a lengthy commentary after EVERY game. The worst part is there’s no button you can press to skip the commentary! And finally, not unlike several of my former coaches, the blob employs the use of insult to act as motivation for the player. And not even mild insults either, but full-on zingers dripping with sarcasm. I’m not joking; he says things like, “Did you hit the snooze button? Because you just slept through that one!” Even though I hate the concept, I have to give major credit to the blob’s creator. Whoever can use a video game blob to make a person feel like a pathetic loser is pretty ingenious.
Last weekend, I learned that the blob even calls people out individually when they’re playing in teams, adding further to their humiliation. If it wasn’t embarrassing enough getting insulted by a freakish-looking video game character, now try enduring the ridicule in front of friends and family. I won’t name the victim here, but I attached the picture above as evidence ;):
*Teacher and tutor, of course!
No comments:
Post a Comment