I don't know why I'm getting so upset over the repercussions in a video game, but it might be because it also connects to real life. See, I'm a big fan of Animal Crossing. It's wonderful!! I've got all four games.... and now I'm playing New Leaf after three months of abandonment. I have realized a lot about myself through these games, actually. I found that I think that no matter what I do or say, I will mess up and people won't like me. But when I play any of the Animal Crossing games, I see that I over-react and that the characters are much more forgiving than I originally thought.
"God dammit, Xan, this is just a fucking video game with video game characters. What the hell."
But, no, you see, people are forgiving. Just because you mess up on what to get them for Christmas (or Toy Day) doesn't mean that they will hate you forever. People get over themselves. And my counselor has taught me that you are not responsible for their reactions: so you thought getting them a cactus was the awesomest present a cat could ask for, but when they get it they throw a tantrum about wanting a lovely end table. It's not your fault that you thought a cactus was awesome. Who doesn't love cacti? (Me, for one) But maybe they should have told you what they wanted beforehand. Or maybe you should have put more thought into what cats really like, especially cutesy ones with the entire Lovely furniture set besides the end table.
Uh, I kinda got off topic. Way off topic. What I really wanted to talk about was whether I should leave my town as it is, or if I should add a whole bunch of shit onto it to make it look.... kind of glamorous, I guess? Like, natural look, or completely controlled. Or maybe somewhere in between. I'm having issues because, to, I guess, "beat the game," I have to create public works projects, get all the stores... plant lots of stuff. And my problem is that I have so much freedom. I can go crazy. I can build a dark world, I can build a happy world, I could probably try to recreate heaven if I tried. Or hell, either way. I read a saying once that went something like it is not our limitations we are afraid of, but our enormous potential. But this world, this Animal Crossing world, was made for me, and you and your dad's kalamazoo. So I have the right to do whatever I want.
But it kind of conflicts with life. The world does not belong to us, and was not made explicitly for us. We cannot do whatever we want and expect to come out on top every time. We have to think about other people and other living things.
But then there is this conflict. You can call me an airbender: I like choosing the way of least conflict. Because one thing is that people want what they want, whether they need it or not, and if they don't get it they will piss all over your floor (sometimes literally). And another is that we gotta' do what's best for the community and the other living things and the freakin' world. I don't like upsetting people, but I don't want my descendants to die before they reach the age of two because it's too hot or they get cancer or they don't have enough food. But sometimes doing what's right gets you killed. And what if there's nobody else there to take on the fight? I mean, things have to be put into perspective....
I dunno', I guess I'm one of those, "Save the Earth!" green people or something. It just makes so much sense to me. We all gon' die because of our actions, and if we don't start thinking about other people and other living things we're dooming our descendants.
"Ugh, stupid internet blogging girl is at it again. Why do I even read this crap?"
