The Great Escape
The first was SSX 3. Largely constructed around the concept of being able to either take part in singular events or snowboard down an entire three-peak mountain, it was a step forward in the snow-sports genre – giving the player the same thrills of riding an avalanche, but with the added benefit of the freedom gifted to us by the Tony Hawk titles.
(That, and it was fucking cool…)
I was a big fan of Psymon from the moment he popped into my world in SSX Tricky. Spiky-haired, mentally deranged, and always forgoing proper snow-wear in favour of baggy jeans and a straight-jacket. His utterances were completely bizarre, from the odd comment about how beating fifteen-hundred tons of snow down a mountain was boring, to guttural noises and howls of pure adulation, fear and adrenaline release. He epitomised everything I wanted to be at that point in my life: brave, well-dressed, and emotionally open and honest.
Taking him on a free run down the side of The Mountain – an impressive feat at forty-five minutes for a relaxed run – allowed me to settle into a relaxed state of mind beyond anything achievable by good food, friends, or even sleep. Settled in a bean-bag, my SSX 3 expertise allowed me to pull off record-breaking time-runs down the peaks without even thinking, allowing Psymon to run his own course whilst the trance-rap soundtrack washed over me in waves.
On the other side of the spectrum was the business side to gaming – those few titles that allow you to attune yourself to a higher state of awareness in order to make split-second decisions and pull off multi-tasking to a level that would put Gordon Ramsay to shame. There are two videogaming experiences that will do this: high-end raiding as a WoW main tank, and Animal Crossing’s mortgage system.
From the moment you arrive, you’re thrust into minimum-wage work, debt, and a shoddy state of living. An odd experience for those wanting to simply enjoy a cutesy-cuddly animal game.
My digital compatriot was an expert fisherman – something I had tried to accomplish with my grandfather and failed repeatedly. He was fantastic with making money, whereas, well, I’m a journalist. But most impressively of all, nothing seemed to faze him, bar the odd collision of a spade with a tree or rock. Even then, the relaxed expression only left his features for a second.
Why do I mention this? It’s simple. I was dissatisfied with my life, my work, and my world. I decided to move to another. And Abnoba Town provided me with the love, safety and security I would need up until my girlfriend decided to make her entrance into my life.
I still wish I could sell salmon for a grand a pop, though.”
[Continues...]
[...] Lipscombe’s piece furthering his thoughts on games and escapism, “The Great Escape”, has just gone up over at Resolution Magazine. As regular readers of my blog will know, I was a [...]
I agree with pretty much everything everyone has written.
A good game can be a safe haven when its needed, a place to recharge ones batteries too. I think its much more than the usual “Let out some Steam” most people refer to it as.
Great post btw! Great to see so many great writers writing in one post!
[...] if you want to read it, it’s over at Resolution. I’m on page 4, but do take your time to also read the contributions from Daniel Lipscombe, [...]
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