The Games People Play (Closed for MissMarbles)

[Quelogue]

Scene - a sushi restaurant in Tokyo. A small group of young people are sitting at a table and discussing the day's events over dinner. What they are discussing is the beta test for a new MMO game called "Dragon's Bane" by Hoyamansu, which is a powerful Japanese electronics corporation specializing in entertainment products.

Hoyamansu's products, such as TV's, DVD players and game consoles are being sold throughout the world. They also have a software division that has put out a number of computer games, but "Dragon's Bane" is their first attempt at tapping into the internet gaming community. They are expecting to make a lot of money from this venture. Hoyamansu have invited a select number of dedicated gamers from all over the world for an all-expenses paid trip to Tokyo, with the express purpose of beta testing "Dragon's Bane".

The company hosted a gaming convention at the Hilton hotel in Tokyo and a handful of gaming teams were selected, and invited to attend. They were, of course, given free passes to the convention, on the understanding that they would play "Dragon's Bane" for no less that two hours per day.

After the first day, four players representing the United States contingent had spent virtually the whole day playing the game. Two of the gamers had mixed emotions when they found out that one of their number was in fact a girl, but a young man named Chaz was thrilled, and didn't feel at all bad to learn that "Jess", who had kicked his ass on numerous occasions in the games they had all played, was in fact Jessica.

Sitting opposite her at the table in the restaurant, he felt bad that his buddies, Stevo and Mickey, seemed to be uninterested in anything Jess had to say. Moreover, they seemed to be ignoring her. So, he decided to strike up a conversation with the mysterious "Jess" and hopefully get to know her better.

Looking directly at her, he began talking about the one thing that was uppermost on everybody's minds... "Dragon's Bane".

"Dude, I was like freakin' out when I ran into those stone golems at the entrance to Morg's castle! Good job I was Level 6 by then, otherwise I'd be toast!"

 

[MissMarbles]

Jess sat silently amongst her teammates at the table, stirring wasabi into her soysauce mindlessly. The guys seemed a little less than enthusiastic upon discovering she was, in fact, female. Not that she expected them to be overly excited, on the contrary - she thought it wouldn't matter to them at all. The team had discussed female gamers on several occasions and the guys always supported the idea. But now? They hardly let her get a word in edge wise. It seemed as if they went out of their way to disagree with her. In all honesty, it bothered Jess - but she wasn't the kind of girl who stood up for herself. So, she stared apathetically at the little dish of spicy sauce.

"Dude, I was like freakin' out when I ran into those stone golems at the entrance to Morg's castle! Good job I was Level 6 by then, otherwise I'd be toast!" she heard Chaz say, assuming he was speaking to either Stevo or Mickey. However, after a relatively long pause and realizing that Stevo and Mickey were still carrying on their side conversation, Jess looked up. Chaz was looking right at her. He was talking to her! Jess managed to chuckle, relaxing a bit as she leaned back in her seat.

"Yea, well that's what you get for leaving the rest of the group behind," Jess said with another laugh.

 

[Quelogue]

"Well it's not my fault you guys decided to stay behind and ambush that Orc party," Chaz replied in mock annoyance. He ran a hand through his braids as he continued. "Our objective was to get into the castle, not fart around out there in the gorge!"

Chaz found himself warming to Jess. Moreover, he was mildly irritated that Stevo and Mickey seemed to be ignoring her, just because she was a girl. That's not right, he thought, and when I get the chance, I'm gonna tell 'em about it!

Jess had appeared a little shy at first, but she had nevertheless proved herself a worthy ally in the game, and had obviously made a big effort at fitting in with the group. It was a shame that Stevo and Mickey were being such jerks about it. Chaz, therefore, felt that it was up to him to make sure she felt welcome.

"So, err...what other games do you like to play, besides Battlemech?"

 

[MissMarbles]

"Well it's not my fault you guys decided to stay behind and ambush that Orc party," Chaz replied. "Our objective was to get into the castle, not fart around out there in the gorge!" Jess couldn't hlep but laugh - after all, he was right. But she wouldn't admit it.

Jess was thankful that Chaz was socializing with her - it was a nice change from being completely ignored by the other two. He really was friendly and there was something about him that she found to be.. endearing. She watched him appreciatively as he spoke.

"So, err...what other games do you like to play, besides Battlemech?" Chaz asked her. Jess blinked as if not really expecting to be questioned.

"Oh.. eh.. Well, I play a lot of games, "she admitted with a nervous laugh. "Mostly MMO's, RPGs, RTS, FPS.. You name it, I've probably played it." The girl's cheeks flushed profusely - for the most part, Jess had kept her geekiness to herself - she never really talked about it "in the real world" before. Truth be told, most people probably wouldn't guess that she was a gamer at first. A little punk, perhaps, but it would be difficult to tag her as a "gamer" unless they saw her hanging around the game stores at the mall. Jess' hair was mostly platinum blonde, black underneath with a large chunk of her choppy bangs dyed a vibrant pink. Her left nostril and the center of her bottom lip were both pierced - along with multiple piercings in her ears. Large blue eyes were decorated with ample, artistically done make-up - not trashy at all. "I've even dabbled in a few of those simulation doll-house-type games," Jess concluded, averting her gaze back down to the wasabi as she poked at it with her chop sticks.

 

[Quelogue]

Jess's awkwardness was not lost on Chaz. He noticed her cheeks become flushed, adding to her cuteness underneath her bright pink bangs. All he did was to ask the standard question asked of all gamers, "What games do you play?" Even after she answered, she looked down and played with her food. She was an excellent gamer, and yet she appeared embarrassed talking about it.

She did not look at all like a gamer, preferring to disguise herself as a punk-chick. Even her nick on Battlemech had been "The_Jessster". Chaz, Stevo and Mickey had naturally assumed that she was 'one of the guys'. She had even joined in with their one-liners in the game's chatbar. Perhaps Stevo and Mickey were ignoring her now because they had been deceived by her, and their fragile egos could not handle it.

Chaz, on the other hand, did not mind at all. She had been a valued member of Roark's Raiders, as they collectively called themselves. On several occasions, she had had a lot of input on planning their frequently-successful raiding parties, making them one of the top five teams on Battlemech. Their impressive kill-scores, plus their regular contributions to the website forums had obviously brought them to the attention of Hoyamatsu. That was the reason they had all been invited to the beta test for Dragon's Bane. Jess had definitely played a major part in that, so therefore Stevo and Mickey had no right not to make her feel welcome. Besides, Chaz thought, Jess looks really cute, even with her multi-colored hairdo, and face full of piercings!

Chaz leaned forward in his chair, and looked at her with his pale blue eyes. "Pssst! Jess," he whispered, "it's ok to be a geek, you know. You don't have to hide it!" Stevo and Mickey shot Chaz a glance, but then returned to discussing the spoils they had lifted from the bodies of the Orc party, which Jess had most certainly helped to kill. Fuck them, he thought!

Chaz then sat back, and added, "Ok, I'll bite. What the hell are simulation doll-house games?"