Monday, March 3, 2008

Minesweeper: A Conceit

All I really need to know I learned in Minesweeper:

* It always starts with a blank slate.
* At first, nobody understands it. "It's too confusing" ... "What do all the numbers mean" ... "Eff you happy face" ... "I need help" etc.
* The first few steps decide the rest.
* Some games are given a lot from the start, other times I need to work my ass off to even get the slightest glimer of hope.
* The times I have to work my ass off are always the more satisfying.
* Any click could be my last.
* Risks must be taken to survive.
* Everyone takes too many risks.
* Time is my enemy.
* After every mistake, I learn a little more.
* I constantly forget what you learn.
* Things can, and will, get frustrating as hell.
* The last steps are usually the hardest.
* Victory is sweet.
* In the end, this combination of work, frustration, and risk fits together to create one seamless tapestry.


You have no idea how long it took me to get this screen capture. The time wasn't even good. Hurl.

6 comments:

PHSChemGuy said...

Minesweeper is a classic...so simple, so elegent, so frickin' frustrating...I'll always go back to it...

And congrats to your mom for winning one of our raffle baskets, dude...

PHSChemGuy said...

She won the big office supply basket, by the way...major paper clip envy...

cmorin said...

What is your best time? I've posted a 125 on expert and have the evidence to prove it.

joey said...

dude holy crap, thats MAJOR good news. ill have her ship the 'clips up to me asap! muahahaha

My expert time is pretty terrible (actually, i think that picture is my "best time" right now). I have 3 seconds on beginner and 61 on intermediate.

achilles3 said...

what a great post!
and for the record...I'm the second asterisk. I STILL don't know how to play that game.

joey said...

I'll be honest. I have had half-drunken dreams when I start to visualize the world according to minesweeper combos.

Talk about an xkcd waiting to happen...