"Life is no game!"
Anybody who likes videogames ahs heard those words at one point; in jest or otherwise. And I agree; there aren't any 'save points' in real life, you need to make informed decisons, etcetera. What bugs me about people who say this is that they are just as guilty of treating life as a game in one way (most people, including me, are, I think.) Treating people like NPCs
An NPC, for those of you who are vague on the definition, stands for Non-Player-Character. In other words, any player that isn't 'you' in the game is an NPC. More specifically, it refers to thsoe fillers who operate the shops and populate the streets, but serve no real purpose. The "I am Error" guy in LOZ 1 is a good example, the toads in Mario games are another. Nobody really thinks about them much; they're just there to decorate and give you items so that your character isn't just randomly grabbing stuff off the self of some shop.
A lot of us are guilty of treating real people like NPCs. When was the last time you said more to a clerk at a store than 'where can I find this?' 'thanks.' Many people will exchange words with a cashier, but really; if they were faster with your items and you werne't stnading in silence for a few minutes waiting to leave, would you feel the need to make conversation? Probably not; it's just the clerk. Just an NPC.
Now I know not everybody is like this; everybody recognizes that workers are real people, but they have jobs to do and as a worker I agree; it can be cumbersome when you're trying to get your work done and some random customer insists on chatting with you. And store uniforms and dress codes make it harder for indivicuals to express personality through appearance, so it's easier to subconsciously think of them as NPCs
People on the street are another matter, though. It boggles my mind soemtimes that two people can sit next to each other on a bus for half an hour and not exchange words. Before I got my car I went through this several times a week on my way to school. Usually I try to start a conversation (I think it's unnatural and antisocial to sit in close proximity and dead silence without exchanging words) and usually my responses are hesitant and confused; as if the person is wondering why I'm talking to them; after all, we don't know each other.
Well duh; how are you GOING to get to know people unless you have a first conversation? I don't think of myself as an intimidating person; I definately don't look like the small fragile type (5'9", cowboy boots and hat, long coat; you get the picture.) but still; I could undestand taht reaction if I looked like some kind of drug-dealing neo-nazi. But I don't; it's just socially unusual for someone to talk to an 'NPC' such as a bus driver or fellow passenger who isn't even getting off at the same stop.
I'm nto sure why this is, but I'm pretty sure it can't be healthy. and I'm not exactly a social butterfly, either; you put me around a lot of people whom I do not know and I'll get nervous and usually end up making a fool out of myself. But one or two people...unless you REALLy have solidarity issues; treating 'NPC's like plot characters won't kill your game.
Hiraetha Community Member 
|
|
