2020 came and went and somehow, miraculously, against all expectations, the world didn’t end.
At first, I felt relief.
Well, as much relief as anyone surviving 2020 can be expected to muster.
Which is not a whole lot, to be honest.
But then the new year rolled in and, as the weeks and months passed, I realized that 2021 is actually 2020’s way of saying, “Ha ha, you thought the worst was behind you? Eff you, the end is still on, baby, it just wasn’t bad enough by December 31st. But no worries, we’re just about there now!”
2021 has not been a great year. And most of what’s been horrible about it is down to people.
People being angry.
Livid.
Apoplectic.
Rabid.
About everything.
Long gone are the days of stoic fatalism where people suffered in silence and just got on with life.
Remember those days, when we understood that life is hard, and the universe doesn’t give a crap about being fair?
Ah, so nice and quiet.
But now I can’t go anywhere (online or in the real world) without someone getting in my face about something.
Maskers, anti-maskers.
Vaccers, anti-vaccers.
Left, right.
Serial comma users, non-serial comma users.
Frankly, it makes me kinda hopeful that we’ll return to lockdowns.
(Oh yeah, lockdowners, anti-lockdowners.)
Because at least then I can stay home and avoid the real-world confrontations without people judging me as some sort of crazy recluse.
Crazy recluses, (somewhat less?) crazy extroverts.
Honestly, if there is anything that has contributed to my complete and utter lack of interest in fixing anything, it’s the current climate of universal, mutually exclusive outrage.
There is no dialogue anymore, just screaming matches and doxxing and death threats against those that fail someone else’s purity test.
I’m sick of it.
I’ve got people mad at me for my refusal to be an activist. I’m told I’m not ‘good’ enough and I need to try harder and I owe it to them to be on their side.
By different people who, incidentally, happen to vehemently disagree with each other.
Talk about damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
And yes, I’ve lost friends over this.
So congratulations, world. All that screaming and yelling has finally succeeded in normalizing something for me, though probably not what you were hoping:
Indifference.
In today’s social environment, caring is a lose/lose proposition so I did the only rational thing I could:
I stopped caring.
I don’t care about causes I opposed a few years ago.
I don’t care about causes I supported a few years ago.
I don’t care about causes I was already luke-warm to.
I don’t care because I’m exhausted.
With the smug self-righteousness.
The hubris of folks thinking they have the monopoly on ‘Truth’.
The irrational, spitting-mad fervor.
The sheer volume of the noise.
The people on one side of an equation thinking the above critique applies only to the people on the other side of that equation.
So I give up.
I cede the battle for the world to the nut jobs, and I fervently hope they wipe each other out so when the dust settles, the sane people can dig out and go, “Finally, the global temper tantrum is over, the world as we knew it has ended, and now we can rebuild a better, kinder world that recognizes there is no such thing as absolute truth and a difference of opinion isn’t a declaration of war.
Yeah, I’m angry too (clearly). But I’m just venting, not trying to convert anyone. To do that, I’d have to care, and as should be abundantly clear now, I don’t.
In the meantime, I’m going back to what I’ve been doing for months now: retreating into my TBR list and losing myself in a good book.
Turns out I do still care about good books, so maybe there’s hope?
Ha, who am I kidding?
Facts? I don’t need facts! Just a gut feeling and a strong opinion to back it up. Plus YouTube. YouTube helps.
One of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen is Alien.
In fact, it is the scariest movie ever.
Hands down. Case closed. This is not a democracy, you don’t get a vote.
The scene when Brett (played by Harry Dean Stanton) dies? Walking into the darkened chamber, towards all the hanging chains, water dripping down?
First time I saw that, I hit pause every half second, did a little circuit around the room, then watched another half second.
Keep in mind, up to that point, the big alien hadn’t been revealed yet.
And I was watching the version edited for broadcast television.
Aaand to this day, eleven months later, I still hit pause every half second when I watch it.
Things went downhill (for me) from there.
That viewing also launched a deep-seated fascination for the Alien genre.
As well as a recurring nightmare.
So when I found out about the new game set in that universe, Alien Isolation, I knew I had to check it out.
This is my review of that game.
First off, full disclosure: I haven’t played the game.
How can I write a review if I haven’t played it?
I look at it this way: having no knowledge of other subjects hasn’t prevented me from having strong opinions about them, so why should a computer game be any different?
Speaking of which, I have a few suggestions on how you should vote in the upcoming mid-term elections. Leave me a comment with your voting district, and I’ll be happy to tell you how to cast your ballot.
Besides, I may not have played Alien Isolation, but I’ve seen it.
I watched the entire play-through on YouTube.
I love YouTube. You can watch any game play-through you want on the service.
It’s like Netflix, but with better selection.
And it’s free!
So, now that my review credentials have been established, Alien Isolation.
Terrifying. Jumped countless times. Held my breath longer than I should have. Dropped my tablet at one point. Shattered the screen.
That scream? Nothing compared to the shrieks triggered by the game.
When you hear the alien stomping towards you, the pounding footfalls getting louder and louder? Unmitigated trepidation.
I do have to say, however, game play seemed rather straightforward. The video I watched, the player got through everything without any mistakes or going down any dead ends.
Point A to point B in a straight line. It was almost as if she’d played the game before.
This is also, I am saddened and shocked to report, a violent game.
People are getting killed left and right, front and center. By each other, by aliens, by androids.
Gruesome, and honestly, a totally unnecessary component to Alien Isolation.
That’s what’s wrong with kids today: they are playing way too many games with double-jawed, chest-bursting antagonists in them.
We’re teaching our youth to kill anything even vaguely foreign, even when all these foreigners want is to hug (our faces).
For shame.
How is the next generation ever going to learn the art of negotiation, of reaching détente, if all we ask of them now, during these formative years, is to skulk about and kill things?
Plus looting. You also have to loot bodies, shops, supply depots, if you want to survive this game.
I can almost forgive the violence, but never the looting. Property rights never get enough respect in these games.
So in the end, I have to confess I’m glad I didn’t buy the game.
Playing would have been far too stressful for me.
In horror movies, the sheer terror comes in brief moments, followed by lulls where the audience gets its breath back.
This games doesn’t have that. It’s decidedly lull-free. And while that might be sustainable for a few minutes, I can’t take it non-stop for hours.
Besides, I have kiddos. I couldn’t possibly play a game this scary while they’re around, and I sure as hell wouldn’t play it after they’ve gone to bed, alone and in the dark.
I asked the Missus if I could have the kiddos sit on my lap while I played in the dark, but she just frowned and muttered under her breath.
That’s her way of saying no. I don’t have any evidence to that end, but I’ve got a gut feeling.
Spread the word! Can't stop the signal!
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Posted by ianmdudley on 15 October 2014 in Other Blogs
Tags: After playing a game this scary I would definitely need a hug which is a problem given the prominence of facehuggers in the game, Alien Isolation, don't waste my time with facts and actual experience, game review, Harry Dean Stanton, I'm not crying - I just have acidic alien blood in my eyes. And allergies. I'm allergic to pollen. And alien acid blood., ITube YouTube WeAllTube for video game walk-throughs - preferably without commentary, looting, negotiating skills, recurring nightmare, The sun'll come out TOMORROW...unless you've been implanted with an alien parasite that will burst out of your chest before morning in which case the sun coming out is irrelevant to you, Turns out that Pepto-Bismol doesn't do anything for chestbursters. Who knew?, violence in video games, YouTube