The Game Show MMO

When it comes to online gaming, there's many a flavor to be had. There's the incessant need to hoard "mad loot", level up and awkwardly attempt social interaction with a purple-skinned elf hottie that swears up and down that they are of the female persuasion. There's the cathartic need to shoot people in the head and crouch on the corpses of your enemy while asking if they'd like some crumpets with that tea while inventing new racial slurs. And of course there's the bombardment of public advertisement that comes from Facebook as you ask your friends whether they'd like to adopt a stray animal from your ranch or join you in the Mafia. Me? I play random trivia game shows that are supported by constant advertisements from Sprint while I stand next to a crowd of Avatars dressed as if they're mothers didn't raise them properly.

Such is the life of a 1 vs. 100 addict.

I've written about this game before; how it became this obsession with my wife and I, hoping we'd somehow use our collective vault of useless knowledge for fame and glory. Even with the odds playing against us, we thought surely we'd either join the mob or become the one; what with her sick knowledge of mathematics and cell phone etiquette and my love of history and Kevin Smith films. Sensing that maybe the gaming collective might get bored with simply answering questions about which actor was in both Dune and Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, they did what any good developer worth their weight in gold would: add a rudimentary leveling system that would put its barbs so far into you that you have no choice but to be hooked.

I may joke about it, but the ability to progress, even if only numerically, adds enough structure to keep people playing for a really, really long time. I don't think the multiplayer in Call of Duty would feel as unique without it. And it turns 1 vs. 100 into less a novelty and more a national obsession. Only instead of getting perks, you get dance moves. There's also medals for immediate consumption such as being speedy and correct or scoring better than the one. The game also keeps track of all you stats, egging you to keep playing just to beat yourself. There are now achievements as well, boosting your gamer score as well as your pride. Everything shines and sparkles just enough to get your attention, hoping to do it again. Just one more round.

It's pulled me in with what I imagine is the same kind of sleepless fervor a World of WarCraft player would have. Every day I scan the schedule to see what kind of themes the games will have that evening. Fortunately, my addiction will be kept in check; the game runs as a season, which'll force me to go without eventually, cold turkey.

Maybe it's for the best; no one needs to dream about Chris Cashman that much. Not even Chris Cashman.