Chatting to my girlfriend, I noticed she was playing Bejeweled on facebook again (It springs up all sorts of annoying sounds in the background on skype). I’ve tried getting her before to play my kind of games, but as I’m not there to guide her they’re highly unintuitive to a novice and such efforts have proved futile. As she loved Plants Vs Zombies I’ve basically started small, generally giving her PopCap games that she scarily burns up. This conversation started as me noticing she wasn’t playing Bejeweled 2, but after moving on to talk about it I realised there wasn’t alot to say on what is essentially a pub machine game. I then steer the conversation down a meandering path trying to talk about casual games in general and what she’d look for in an ideal game.
EGTF: What happened to Bejeweled 2 that I bought you?
ACM: I beat it :)
EGTF: I thought you couldn’t beat such a thing?
ACM: yea challenge and puzzle mode,
ACM: and the graphics are better on the fb one though
ACM: grrr
EGTF: grr?
[pause as a random idea strikes me]
EGTF: Do you want to review it?
ACM: like in an article i write myself?
EGTF: Write about it here, and I’ll copy it onto the site and post it with some screenshots and a little intro by me.
ACM: hahaha!
ACM: write it how?
EGTF: Ok, I’ll give you some questions.
EGTF: 1) Why do you like Bejeweled so much?
EGTF: 2) How come you prefer the Facebook version?
EGTF: 3) What’s the appeal of Facebook games?
EGTF: 4) Have you ever thought about buying the full copy of a game you enjoyed on FacebooK?
EGTF: 5) What do you do in Bejeweled?
EGTF: 6) Does it annoy you when I play games for long periods instead of talking to you?
EGTF: Etc. You can talk about it outside the questions I mentioned
ACM: 1) I like it so much because it is mindless and distracting and somewhat rewarding
ACM: 2) I like the facebook version because it has been upgraded and the graphics are better, and the sounds made are more “exciting” instead of gay trancy music in bejewled 2
ACM: 3) facebook games provide more distractions so i can spend more and more time on facebook
ACM: 4) no? and i was dissappointed that this game sucks when the fb one is so awesome
EGTF: In response to 2 – don’t you feel that guy’s voice is fucking annoying every time you reach the end of the countdown? [I'd decided to play it on facebook to see what the fuss was about, then she went and played it on my account and gave me an attrociously high score I can never hope to beat.]
ACM: It kind of scares me when i’m not watching the clock and it’s funny how dramatic it is when you’re doing well.
ACM: Like “EXCELLENT” in his powerful sexy man voice
EGTF: Do I ever have a powerful sexy man voice?
ACM: Will you put it in your post if i say you do?
EGTF: So long as it makes me look manly.
ACM: I’d play it even more if you could record your voice over it
EGTF: 7) Why don’t you like playing games with story or that are more attention demanding?
ACM: why are your questions so judgemental?
EGTF: Only to understand why my kind of games don’t grip you the same.
ACM: ok…I just have more important things to do with my time
ACM: because if i get hooked on a game, it’s all i’ll do
ACM: like my lovely bf spending over 6 hrs playing borderlands
ACM: im not ready for commitment
ACM: i want to keep my gaming light
EGTF: What about self control though surely?
ACM: dont have any
EGTF: Have you ever been tempted to buy a casual game from steam yourself?
ACM: probably if i browsed the store more often
EGTF: What would be your ideal game?
ACM: ummmmm
ACM: Something that was so into battle and fighting, and something that doesn’t have the stupid point of view of the character
ACM: I can’t ever get that right
EGTF: The first person view?
EGTF: And do you mean “wasn’t”?
ACM: yea
ACM: and yea
EGTF: Right then, I’m going to buy you Braid. Thank you lovely girlfriend for your time.
ACM: :S ..what?
EGTF: (I’m ending the questions)
ACM: oh :(
EGTF: Do you have a closing line?
ACM: umm haha no i’m so awkward
EGTF: Just say something weird/sassy/funny
ACM: like what?!
EGTF: You’re you! I can’t tell you what :S.
ACM: I’m embarrassed :(
EGTF: “Right then, I’m going to buy you Braid. Thank you lovely girlfriend for your time.”
EGTF: That’s my last line, just respond to it in a closing manner.
ACM: idk? i’m going to buy you (insert something embarrassing as though we live together)?
ACM: i dont knowwwww
ACM: thanks for your __________
EGTF: I’m going to put Penis.
ACM: haha ok!
EGTF masquerading as ACM: Thanks for your penis.
I wasn’t sure about this when I’d seen what you’d done, but it actually made for a really fun – and quite informative – read. What does ACM stand for?
Alyssa Charee McVey. We failed to actually talk about the gameplay of Bejeweled amusingly enough, and yeah I thought it might be a bit rambly a post. But I felt it turned out quite nicely where our conversation went, even if it didn’t have much coherence.
I lol’d. She’s on my wife’s friend list on steam! I think Bejewelled 3 should be a first person shooter. Thanks for your penis.