COMMENTARY
CS game networks our social skillz
By James Phee
There is a place teens like to gather.
It doesn't matter if you're a self-proclaimed jock, a skater or an "A" student.
And when you hear all the different cliques talking about the same thing, it's pretty amazing.
I'm talking about Counter-Strike, the somewhat addictive online game and modification to Sierra's Half-Life. It attracts all sorts of people — all of whom claim to be the best at it, too.
Go figure.
People you'd least expect to go home every afternoon and hop on the computer to shoot at friends — and foes — online. (Homework can wait, of course.) Sometimes, the quick sessions last far past midnight. (At which point homework can't wait.)
The funny thing is, it's not so much jocks and skaters "admitting" they're into the Internet game as it is they proudly talk smack about how elite (in gamer speak: l33t) their skills (skillz) are.
We love this stuff, no matter the social background.
The other day I was talking with a goofy emo-kid, a class clown/surfer dude, and another friend for over half an hour about our favorite CS gun, map, server and the tactics we use.
The surfer, for example, told us how he'd pull the pin on a High Explosives grenade or flashbang and run at the other team (it never turned out too well for him).
Mind you, I just met these guys two weeks ago after overhearing them talking about those same sorts of things.
It's quite shocking when you at first realize that everyone from school-oriented "nerds" to football stars all play these games.
Surprisingly, it's also a decent way to break the ice and meet people from other crowds.
Truthfully, I've yet to run into any gun-obsessed psychopaths, and don't see it happening anytime soon. People might play the games as though they're addicted, but it really is just a game to all of us.
For all the blood and guts people mention when it comes to shooter games, many of them aren't especially gory.
CS, for example, really uses blood only as an indicator that you hit your target a little. A bloodstain on the wall your target was standing behind lets you know you did some damage.
People actually have to make modifications to the game for their particular servers if they want to make it gory, and some actually do.
It goes to show that it's the crazy people making the games gory, not the games' gore making the people crazy.
And it's not just here in Hawai'i. CS is an international phenom. Servers are hosted 24/7 all over Canada, Europe, Asia and literally every state.
Some people join a server and immediately start asking questions in German or French or various other languages I can't even identify
Some have installed text modifications that let them type Japanese or Korean symbols, which come up as blank lines for the rest of us.We sit there scratching our heads, wondering why they're sending blank messages.
Then we get blown away, and next round stop caring about it and just play.
That's really what it's all about: just getting on and playing. It doesn't matter who you are, or where you're from; all sorts of people from every conceivable area hop on to CS to let off some steam or just indulge the addictive, competitive fun.
Sadly, it seems girls are an endangered species when it comes to the CS picture, or most any action-oriented Internet game.
It's hard to blame them when the testosterone is so choking. Being brashly hit on or accused of having an elephantine weight can't be very enjoyable (yes, it's either one extreme or the other).
But if you're a CS player, you'll occasionally be treated to the sound of an actually female voice yelling, "Eat that!" as she blows away a hefty chunk of the opposite team. With other less violent games, it's actually more common to run into a guy masquerading as a girl (to try and get free gifts from the actual guys).
Disturbing.
And why do we play? It's not "an escape from reality."
Rather, it's just something exciting and competitive that we can do at any time of day or night, right from the home.
People really do play it at all hours of the night. At near-midnight here in Hawai'i, I'll run into people connecting from New Jersey.
All it takes is a computer, the game, and a lot of ego. And once you get the game up and running and the taunts are flying with the bullets, the ego comes very easily.
Jame Phee is a senior at the Kamehameha Schools. To submit an article or suggest an Our Turn topic, e-mail Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.
