You’ve been lost and bewildered, alone in a very dark place, and you suddenly open your eyes and find yourself in strange, unfamiliar surroundings.

You have no idea where to go, what to do, or why you’re even there.

And so your search begins…

Alien abduction?  Post-apocalyptic trauma?  After-birth memories?

Nope.  My favorite video game.  :mrgreen:

For nearly a year and a half now, I’ve been unable to indulge.  I actually had to install a DVD player in the old computer to be able to play it again (and if you knew what a geek I was, you’d be applauding right now!).

The game is called MYST.   (providing a link for anyone who might be curious, but I am NOT promoting NOR selling the game).

MYST is basically one huge fantasy/mystery game, one giant scavenger hunt with fabulous graphics.  You must find the clues that enable you to find the clues to find the clues to solve the final mystery.  A library leads to a book, which may lead to a hidden staircase, to a tower, to a number, to another location, to another book, to a world within that world, and so on.  It involves probing, pulling switches, deducting, finding secret doors, memorizing musical notes, deciphering numbered codes, etc.

Absolutely fabulous.  :razz:

The first time I played this game, it took me nearly three weeks of spare time–yes, to get through it ONCE.  I was in love.

I read a couple’s testimony in which they swore they locked themselves in the house, took turns playing, had their meals delivered, and did not bathe until they’d solved the game–two and a half weeks later.

The interesting thing about MYST is that, once you get to the end, the resolution is almost anti-climactic.  I found myself slightly dismayed, thinking, “that’s IT?  All that work–and that’s the end??”  :shock:

Until I stopped to think.  And until I read a little blurb somewhere by one of the creators of the game which basically said, “MYST is all about the JOURNEY.”

And I suddenly realized that was SO true.  The journey was so intriguing, so challenging, it was worth every step.  I wouldn’t have cared if there was no ending.  (In fact, I went back and deliberately LOST the game, which held yet another surprise, lol).

Who said video games have no value?  :grin:

Although I don’t always manage it, I try to remember this lesson whenever I get frustrated about things not going the way I THINK they should (like right now…)

This is not to say I don’t believe in planning and goals–I certainly do.  But maybe the reason I’m on a particular path at a particular point is not to get what I want (dammit!).  Maybe I’m just there to pick up a few clues and learn a few things along the way.

And maybe that’s what the game’s all about anyway.

Go out and play.