“Who's on
first?”
Babe Ruth*
Well my friend
CJ is going to come over tomorrow. I'm also going to go to my anime
club tonight. We're going to be making these Japanese doll things. I
don't know what they're supposed to look like but the club person
said that they were going to be cute. Even though she said that
knowing my crafting skills it'll come out an abomination. A cute
abomination. But an abomination nonetheless. I like abominations
though. Like Cthulhu! He's one of my bestest friends. We play
charades from time to time. Anyway onto the flash fiction!
Anything and
Everything Can Matter
Hello, my name
is Jennifer and right now I am playing a match in my favorite video
game “League of Space Wars”. LSW for short. And this three round
match is one of the most important moments of my life.
I bet you're
thinking “How could something like a video game be so important?”
Well think of what makes football important or any professional sport
for any matter. Even though they may have many more years of history
than video games. Even though you may say they are “better”
because they require athleticism there is one detail. They are still
a game. No matter what sport you pick it's just a game where once
it's all over the field is just the same as it was yesterday with
perhaps a few skid marks from what the players did before. A game
just like video games.
But sports are
very important. Why? The
answer is simple. The money. It's entertainment that generates so
much money. Though the players may love it to some degree it is also
their source of income. When they are on the field they aren't just
playing for fun...they're playing for their livelihood. So in a way
it has evolved beyond simple fun for them despite the fact it is a
game. So the game is still a game but so much more.
And
the match I am playing right now? It's at a tournament and that ever
so valuable money is on the line. We're in between rounds right now
but people are chattering about the $50,000 cash prize. You may think
$50,000 couldn't possibly be the most important moment of my life
especially since I split it among my team but it's all a chain. You
should know how fame works...once I win this my team will get invited
and allowed into bigger tournaments and the money will keep coming
in. Heck we'll get sponsors and we'll be wearing their logos on our
shirts like NASCAR drivers. (Not nearly as much revenue though
sadly...) That's how it all works.
So
this match is much more important than the ones sitting on the couch
with my brothers. It is much more important than the ones playing
against the immature twelve-year-olds cursing in their squeaky
voices. It's more important than the practice with my friends. The
only thing nearly as close to important were the ones that qualified
us for this final match and the ones at lesser tournaments that got
us lower cash prizes. You have to spend hours and hours and hours
practicing these games with your team to play to stand a chance
against other professional players. Just like someone at sports.
The
last round has begun and our scores are tied. It's the first team to
10 kills that wins. With every single headshot either I or one of my
teammates gets I see the cash prize get closer. Though considering
how much work I put into this I consider it my paycheck. And I bet
that's what people see when they play professional sports see.
Because they aren't playing for fun or the honor of sports. They are
playing to pay for their meals, house, fancy cars, house or whatever
else they want...they may make less if they're lower on the ladder.
Anyway, I doubt they're playing for the sake of the game. They want
that wonderful check. And I understand. Everybody has to eat.
We're
up to 9 kills and the other team has 7 on us. We're in the lead but
my palms are sweaty. I'm right behind the other guy. Just a few more
button presses and the 50 grand is mine. Well our teams but soon
we'll be winning tournament after tournament and even branching out
into other games possibly if we can muster the time. A few more
moments and I can get a head shot. Idiot won't know what hit him.
Then
I drop the #$*$&%& controller.
My
palms had gotten so sweaty and I leaned to far forward...even then it
should have been impossible. Even then these things are made out of
freakin' plastic. They shouldn't “slip”. I scrambled for it
between the seats. The crowd was chattering about it while I heard
myself getting shot. I mumbled several curses. A few I didn't know I
knew. As I respawned I heard another shot. I looked up at the scores.
We were now even with the enemy.
I
couldn't play conservatively as I usually did. I knew Jeremy. Usually
our best with the machine gun he was good at getting himself killed
and he's probably the one who gave the enemy the kill to 9. I'd hate
to be a hypocrite getting made at him for dying since I got killed
myself but I had only been killed twice through the match but he had
died so much more. But he was responsible for several of their
deaths. He's our glass cannon really.
But
now I had to take on that role. Especially since I just respawned
next to our team's weapon reserves. I picked up all of our grenades.
We were on our last kill so really risks didn't matter much anymore.
As long as they died first it didn't matter if I died too.
“I'm
going to do the raging monkey!” I yelled to my teammates. We didn't
care how stupid or silly it sounded we always came up with bizarre
code words for what we were going to do so we could disguise what we
were going to do from the other team. My team mates spread away while
I ran to the enemies and wildly threw the grenades at them. We came
up with the nickname “raging monkey” comparing it to a monkey
throwing it's poop. Okay, don't blame me, I didn't come up with the
nickname. It was Sarah our immature yet brilliant sniper.
The
match ended with my raging monkey maneuver scoring the final kill. The fifty
thousand dollars was ours. We split up the money, some of it going
to travel expenses. Sponsors loved us because of the raging monkey
bit and me dropping the controller and still winning(underdog/twist
moment anyone, it made me seem less skilled than I actually was) The
enemy team said “Good game.” with disdain in their voice. After
all they wanted the money as well, and they were so close.
And
as I predicted time followed and we went to more tournaments and made
more money. We haven't become as rich a sportsman we don't win
everything and not as much money is on the line in video game
tournaments. As time went on I started see less of a game and more
and more of a paycheck. I wonder if I'm right in my thinking that's
how the professional sportsman see it all. I doubt they'd ever admit
it though. But I'll say it right here. When there's money in
something it completely changes what that thing is. It can go from a
game I simply played with friends to something that's now my job. No
matter how much I rub my eyes I don't see much of a game
anymore...I'm seeing a paycheck.
Author
Comment:
I don't really agree with this character. Though I do believe that money
changes people's perspectives on things a great deal I also believe
that some people participate in these tournaments and professional sports for the sheer love of
whatever they do and the money is just a lovely, awesome bonus instead of "a paycheck" if they manage to get it. (But I think some people treat it as just a job too.)
--------
On
a fun side note there are paper airplane tournaments. They are pure
awesome with people using specific paper and only folding to attain
amazing feats of flying.
http://www.redbullpaperwings.com/en/information/infopoint
“Official World Record holder in this discipline is Stephen
Krieger (USA, 2003) with 63.19 m/ 207 ft 4 inch.”
Something so
simple has been elevated to sheer awesome.
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