This is not a “poor me” entry about traveling.  It’s about a pair of episodes I had during my latest trips - little things that stayed with me.  The first involves an airport and a PSP; the second involves a train and a DS.

I was in the airport, standing in a line to get on the plane.  In front of me, there was a cute couple.  The woman was playing a PSP - I never asked what game she was playing.  It didn’t particularly matter.  I try to mind my own business, and I don’t usually start conversations asking strangers what their favorite game is.  The only time you’ll see that side of me is when I’m among “my people” at a gaming event.  A line in the airport does not count.

Anyway, she was playing her game as we inched towards the gate.  The woman in front of her saw the PSP and asked what it was.  “It’s a PSP, it’s for games and movies,” the lady replied.  The other woman nodded.  “My two boys have gameboys." They then proceeded to talk over all the positive and negative points of both systems.  PSP Lady mentioned that she liked the ability to play movies, but not the short battery or breakability.  GBA Mom said she understood.  She was glad the GBA’s stood up to rough handling because she just knew her boys were hard on them.  She’d never be able to get them something like a PSP.  “Still, it’s pretty neat.” That seemed to sum up their little discussion.  I didn’t hear it all, even though I was shamelessly eavesdropping, fascinated by this display of savvy from two people who seemed so...normal.  I pulled out my DS on the flight.  Yeah, that’s right, screw the PSP’s battery life.  It won’t even finish out an airport layover and flight.

The second interesting episode happened on the train home from work.  I hate the idea of paying a bridge toll AND all-day parking, so I take BART to work.  That’s San Francisco’s version of the subway, except that sometimes it’s elevated as well.  From the time I arrive at the station, I have exactly enough time to take one of my nintendogs on a walk and give them food and water.  By the time I’m finished with the walk it’s time to hop off the train and walk myself to work.  Given the appropriate timing, nintendogs has become something of a commute ritual for me.  Sometimes I’ll feel adventurous and deviate - perhaps give my dogs a bath and enter them in competitions instead of going on a tour of the neighborhood!

I was engaging in one such adventure when an older gentleman sat down next to me.  He wore a suit, had a nice briefcase, and his hair was well groomed.  He looked every bit the businessman.  Imagine my surprise when, a few minutes into the tunnel, he looked over at my DS and asked about it.  “It’s a nintendo DS,” I said warily.  As I mentioned above, I’m a bit private outside my comfort zone.  “It plays games?” he asked.  I told him yes, and he asked after what I was currently playing.  “Um, it’s kind of like a tomagotchi on steroids,” I said.  I put it into the simplest terms I could, since most people would go “nintendogs? buh?” He leaned over and asked about the details.  I introduced him to my two dogs - Sheila the husky (<3 Red vs Blue) and Secret the dalmation (eat your heart out, suckers.  i unlocked it for Katscratch too).  I told him about the competitions, the unlockable breeds, the walks, and the toys.

My stop came up and I had to leave.  We didn’t say hello or goodbye, just sort of went our separate ways.  It was interesting to me, being the first time anyone in the non-gaming public had approached me about what I was playing at that very moment.  Even more interesting was that he seemed to take it all in stride, even showed interest.  It’s awesome to imagine some random suit-and-tie businessman walking his nintendogs on the train to work.

In spite of all the proof that gaming is becoming mainstream, I still feel like we’re our own little world, that everyone else moves in a different universe, even if we overlap sometimes.  Little things like overheard conversations and random encounters really batter that perception for me.

- jinx

im afraid i cant help it