LOOK OUT FOR THE CHEATER: VIDEO GAMING WITHOUT SCRUPLES
AT the Mall, Milton plunks a quarter into Pac-Man while his mother shops for spinach linguini at Gourmet Grub and Grocery. This happens on a regular basis. Without going into the Freudian aspect of it, the Ritual of the Mall has become something which satisfies the customer impulse in both of them.
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LOOK OUT FOR THE CHEATER: VIDEO GAMING WITHOUT SCRUPLES
P. GREGORY SPRINGER
AT the Mall, Milton plunks a quarter into Pac-Man while his mother shops for spinach linguini at Gourmet Grub and Grocery. This happens on a regular basis. Without going into the Freudian aspect of it, the Ritual of the Mall has become something which satisfies the customer impulse in both of them. Milton plays while his mother pays.
Today, however, midway through the first Pineapple level, Milton realizes that the rut of his pattern playing has grown deeper than the dent on his favorite playing stool. Having taken the game far beyond the manufacturer's six-minute margin of profitability, he has "won" the game. Having reached the point of boredom, he has beaten his game of Pac-Man.
How do you cheat a video game? The ways are legion, but first you must understand the psychology and superstructure of the system you are up against. Video games are built upon the premise that losers—like gamblers and junkies-—will always come back for more. We never learn that we always lose. We never see that the omnipotent destroyers will hold the winning hand up unto the umpteenth level.