"Everything has its time." A very smart man said that. It might be true, but we can still dream.

Let’s talk about longevity. We make choices about our lives based on how long the consequences will last. As you get older, more experienced, you begin to better assess how long your purchases will retain relevance. You want your money to go further, to last longer, and that starts driving purchases. For me, it’s always been a deciding factor, but sometimes I’ve lost track of important values due to my concern with longevity. At times, I fear it’s a developing psychosis.

With video games, the longer something lasts, the better (usually). That’s why Massively Multiplayer Online games have done so well in recent years. You’ve got games that are potentially unlimited in regards to what they offer players, developers, and publishers. Consumers get a persistent, engaging world they enjoy, and the creators get a persistent cash flow. It’s what experts call Win/Win.

Although they offer clear benefits, I’ve given up MMOs for good. I’ve been clean for over a year, and I stopped counting after that. I’m done. It’s a part of my life that I’m past. Until Starcraft Online comes out. Then I’m fucked.

Now, it’s actually difficult for me to get excited about MMOs, since I’m being offered something much more engaging. Team Fortress 2 is a hallmark and a milestone. Just yesterday, the Pyro update went live, along with new weapons and achievements. This isn’t the first major update, nor is it the last. Valve is constantly surprising me, enough that I might forgive them for the Half-Life 2 delay fiasco.

Not everyone remembers, but a third of the source code for Half-Life 2 was stolen along with an alpha. Evidently, Valve didn’t have a firewall on their e-mail server, which is how they were passing the code back and forth. The details are shady, and rightly so, because the whole affair smells foul. The most outstanding fact to me was that the release date was pushed back a whole year. This happened about a month before the release. It seems like this was either some elaborate viral marketing horseshit or a desperate ploy by Valve to buy more time from their publisher. I can’t decide which seems more likely, because both are equally (un)viable. When I purchased the Orange Box, I had finally given up on my hatred for Valve. I was giving them a second chance, and they seized that opportunity to enthrall me. Half-Life 2 and its successive episodes were impressive feats of narrative and interactive quality I just hadn’t seen before. Portal was simple, incredible, and unique. Team Fortress 2 was something I was unprepared for. The humor, gameplay, and style had me roped in.

I was Valve’s slut. I whored the game out to my friends. Mia was easy enough to hook on the game, the humor appealed to her, and my recommendation in addendum to her brother’s finally convinced her to buy the Orange Box. Which she’s very thankful for. And if she isn’t, she should be.

Ling was a different story. He doesn’t like first person shooters. Convincing him to join in on Team Fortress 2 was difficult, to put it nicely. It required tact, planning, and strategy that West Point graduates envy. I’ll outline it for you. We went into Gamestop, and he purchased a copy of the standalone version of Team Fortress 2.

My mistake was trying to get him to purchase the Orange Box. Attempting that was like pulling teeth. He doesn’t, he won’t, understand that Half-Life 2 and Portal both are visual and storytelling wonders! They’re parts of the Box that he doesn’t accept. It’s unfortunate for us both. I wish I could share the experience with him, but sadly, it’s impossible at the moment.

The experience I was given by an excellent narrative is something I put a high value on. The inspiration and insight provided can last a lifetime. I call that a good purchase.

- Leo

Leo has been whining to me for half a year now about how he wants to write the accompanying text to the comic, a privilege that I told him he would have when he had the site up and running. Now that it kind of is, I was bound to keep my promise. But frankly, talking smack behind my back is always and will remain inexcusable.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate good narrative, nor will I actively “refuse to understand” the wonders of brilliant storytelling. The problem here is the medium. I just don’t like first person shooters (not to be confused with FPRSs), and I think that is something Leo has never quite understood. He seems to think that I have simply had a lack of exposure, and that once I play for untold hours I will eventually be a convert, when I really just find the entire process repelling. It is akin to someone telling you that milk is fantastically delicious and that you should buy a few gallons when you are lactose intolerant. It could very well be, but why should you have to suffer for the experience?

In other news: Felines.

- Ling

I'm not the type of person to force milk down the throat of someone for whom it is possibly fatal. If I had been told that a certain someone was allergic to a certain videogame genre, I would understand, and leave this person alone. Out of respect and fear of their livelyhood.

Was I notified? No. I was insulted.

I'm the victim here. A victim of a crime. A crime of passion. Passionate allergies.

- Leo