2002-12-29 - 1:31 p.m.
Well, we were kind of bored yesterday afternoon, until Steve started playing "RollerCoaster Tycoon 2." It's kind of like "SimSixFlags," where you get to run your own amusement park, including designing your own rides, building paths, food & souvenir stalls, etc. etc. Probably the coolest part of the game is that it simulates each individual guest in your park, including how hungry, thirsty, etc. they are, what rides they went on, what rides they like, and what they're thinking. And that's like 3000 or so people!
Anyway, it seemed kind of fun, so I watched Steve play it for a while. Then he let me play for a bit... and then Shar pointed out to us that it was 9 p.m. and we hadn't eaten since around noon. Finally, around 11 we made ourselves a bit of food and returned to the game. Steve went to bed around 2:30 , and around 3:30, after being at it for nearly 12 hours, I decided it was time to go to sleep also. I should have gone to bed earlier, as the success of my park went plummeting in the last couple of hours, reaching a park rating level of 0 right before I stopped.
I was trying to figure out what was so addictive about this game, and I think it has to do with the fact that it requires all of your available attention span (hence the low score towards night). Every time I thought about food, stopping, or anything else other than the game, I felt totally distracted by more pressing issues like "i need to fix this broken ride" or "people are leaving my park because they're too hungry," and so on. So you really don't even have time to think about quitting.
Like Steve said, it wasn't exactly the way either of us planned to spend our Saturday, but for what it's worth, it was a lot of fun; more so, I think, because we were playing together so it was not only an addictive simulation game but also a social topic. Good thing I can't run the game on my computers though, otherwise I would be in big trouble.
Now reading: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
end and beginning - 2003-03-04
the dogs must be crazy - 2003-03-03
strange thoughts on a train - 2003-02-28
movie madness - 2003-02-26
sense of community - 2003-02-25