I have no fear of drowning; it's the breathing that's taking all this work.

I'm about to do the unspeakable. I know, it's insane, it's uncalled for, and it's got just about as much rhyme and reason as a pogo stick on a tightrope, but here it goes.

I'm going to relate a video game to real life.

Now I know some of you (or maybe all of you) reading this will roll your eyes and say, "what a nerd", but I enjoy finding interesting connections between two seemingly unlike instances. So there's my defense. Let the stones fly.

I recently purchased this game that I had been wanting since October of last year. I only remember that, because the game reminds me of a perfect thing to play during Halloween. The game is titled Demon's Souls, and it's been named a "hardcore medieval strategy", and for good reason. The setting is this:

In an effort to discover a power that would forever protect his people and himself, King Allant of Boletaria delved into the realm of the soul arts, hearing of it's tremendous strength. Going a bit too far, the King unwittingly awakened a horrible entity, known only as the Old One. The Old One is basically the demon of all demons, and in releasing him, unleashed both a thick, dark fog and a horde of terrifying, soul-devouring demons upon the land of Boletaria. Those overtaken by the demons either lost their minds or their lives, but almost everyone lost their soul. Adventurers from around the surrounding lands have now began to venture into the fog, and although many have entered, none but one has returned, to warn the world of the dark days that are upon those of Boletaria. This is where you come in. You are just another adventurer looking to rid the demons of this land, and the means in which you do that is up to you.

Now the reason this game is so intense is because of its difficulty level. To put it short, you are either outnumbered, facing 3-story tall giants with an axe that will cleave you in half with one swing, or falling into traps left by the environment. If you turn a corner too fast, you are dead. If you make a wrong move, you are dead. If you aren't prepared for anything and everything, you. are. dead.

So as you can imagine, there is a lot of dying. That's not so bad, you say, if a little frustrating. Well it wouldn't be that bad, if all that happened was you died and had to restart the level. No, Demon's Souls, isn't going to be that cute and fuzzy. No, when you die, you then become a spirit. You are basically the same as when you were alive, except that you can die much easier. The souls that you may have collected along the way are now gone, and every single enemy that you may have slain in that level is now back and ready to run you through.

Alright, enough about the game. How does this relate to life? The way I see it, this whole game is a story about going through life. I'm not saying from being born, to eventually leaving this world. I'm talking about choices. Everything in this game is a choice, and just like real life, if you make the wrong choice, there are repercussions.

Of course, you aren't alone, not in the game nor in real life. In the game, other players leave hints for you to "Beware of the next enemies speed" or to "Lay your body right here!". Ok, no, that was a joke. I think only two people would get that joke, and they probably won't read this, so, yeah... But anyway, you can also summon people to help you during your game, as in life, you have friends and family to help you out and give you advice about what is coming up next in your life. Again, just like real life, you have enemies. Enemy players. Sometimes you will be minding your own business, and someone will come along and invade your game. You cannot escape, and the only way to get them to leave is to kill them or be killed by them. It's intense, frustrating, and many times, unfair.

Just like life. Sometimes someone comes along and does something to you that just makes you want to break down and cry. It happens, but you have to learn to deal with it, and move on.

What I'm trying to say is, sometimes life sucks. It's unforgiving, it's unfair, and it's not going to slow down for you. Despite this, we have to find a way to move slow in a fast world.

So there you have it, the absolute dorkiest I can get. Relating a video game to life. It's sad, I know. How's that for an update, eh, friend?