Ever since I got my new Android phone, I have discovered one thing about myself that I am not a very normal human being. I was living a happy, peaceful life with my Nokia handset which had the harmless little game called “Snakes” which I played for only a few minutes that too, only during national holidays. But now, I have Android Gingerbread 2.3.6 and access to the ginormous Google Play Store.
Now, thanks to all the games available out there, my mind has been reprogrammed. I can’t go to sleep before “finishing the level”. Thanks to Angry Birds, I know imagine hitting a building in such a way that it falls to injure maximum pigs, I hear them chuckle when they snort. I two see pigs together and I know in my heart that they are talking about where they’ve hidden the eggs. I think all problems of the world can be solved by summoning the mighty eagle.
Now, I see fruits and I try to slice them by running my fingers across them. I even touch the screens of non-touchscreens, trying to zoom in or out by pinching the screen.
Thanks to Ninjump, now I see squirrels crossing the road and feel the urge to kill them with a sword before they reach to the other side. I see blue birds and I imagine killing three of them at one go and getting the power to fly myself. I see a high score on someone else’s phone and take it as a challenge. It has become a matter of pride! Ninja pride!!
Worst is the case with Chess. I never was much into chess for two reasons- first- the hassle of arranging all the pieces on the board and making sure that no piece falls out from the board or gets displaced, secondly- the embarrassment of losing. Losing in a game of chess to someone is a big blow to one’s ego. It means acknowledging that they are smarter than you, that they have more brains. Now with chess right on my mobile screen, I can lose all the time and to restart a new game, I just need to tap on the “Restart game” icon. Now I make strategies in my sleep too. I shuffle my knights, rooks and pawns trying to check the opponent’s king. The whole world has become a giant chessboard and all thoughts centre toward moving the pieces in an orchestrated, confident manner.
Not to forget the bike and car racing games- I am a nervous wreck while playing them and every time I smash into a vehicle, my whole life from childhood plays before my eyes. I’ll soon be needing blood pressure medicines if this madness doesn’t stop.
