O Game Oh O Game!

"I am quitting O Game come Saturday," professed iKelah subdued. "Are you for real?" I responded skeptically. "Yes, I'll be handing over all my possessions, the fleets, the planets and everything to the leader of my alliance." This leader, by the way , is a guy who resides in New Zealand. Yes, these gamers, all over the globe, play the game in the comfort of their homes and make strong alliances with others, regardless of race or religion. I feel a wee bit sorry when I heard of this self 'retirement' even though I have been nagging him relentlessly to put a halt to this cyber-game 'addiction'. " I am not addicted to it!" he retorted vehemently. " I have full control of myself and able to control my urge unlike some people." "Insyallah." I half snickered under my breath, not wanting to incite his angst.

iKelah was coerced by MFB, one day, few months ago, to join Darkthrone to help her banish an enemy. Later he was introduced to O Game and found it more challenging. Thus began a surge of online attaks. Whenever he's not working and has extra time in his hands, I would find him glued to the blue screen, unperturbed. He would diligently write down neatly, columns of names and numbers which I presume are coordinates of the planets/fleets he aimed to attack. Thus each time, after he's finished, I would find bits and pieces of papers (from old envelopes or used papers) with lists of numbers and words, strewn on the table. My hands would be so quick to throw them away but would often refrain, thinking, "What if he needed to refer them for his further attacks?" and feeling so much like the wife of Attila the Hun, a strong encouraging woman behind her warrior man, I would stash them away in the already stuffed-up drawer, :)

At times I would find him in deep thought, counting his fingers and jotting down numbers. Probably counting the hours for the next attack. Perhaps verifying the coordinates of the fleet for his next assault. Didnt bother to ask him. iFos had made similar observation and quipped," Mak, perasan tak abah, kekadang tu khusyuk benor, sampai kira jari, macam dalam serious mission je!" Well to him it was! " Do you know that this game teaches us how to strategize and plan?" he asked me once. "Should there be a war, all these tactics and strategy I've learned are applicable" ( Nauzubillah! Not a war in my lifetime!)

After some time, I find that his obsession towards this game has affected and at times influenced our daily activity. I can't be spontaneous and decide to go out somewhere in the spur of the moment. He'll frustratingly respond, "laa, kenapa tak beritahu awal? I baru hantar fleet. Nanti fleet balik susah la." or "Fleet dah nak balik ni sat lagi" Thus this lead me to ask him, " kalau you on-call 24 hrs, you tak takut ke fleet you hancur?" He was quick to reply, "kalau I on-call, I hantar my fleet to somewhere safe and let it linger there for a solid 24 hrs." Masyallah! If the real world was like this, then anyone can win a war, anytime, Sun Tzu or no Sun Tzu! And I can be the first-lady of a whole planet, pronto!

Sometimes when my urge to use the PC is so overwhelming and he is still strategizing away, he would ask me to be patient, saying, " Kejap lagi, give me 5 min (which is actually 10). And when I finally get to surf, he would interrupt me evey few minutes, "You dah check my fleet?" Then, I have to click his O Game window and see if there's any red writings which could mean soemone is attacking him. He once lost a big stong fleet. Later, he went all out in full vengeance to counter-attack and regain back his possessions.

Don't gt me wrong. This game is not all about attacks and aggressions. These people can be civil and chat with each other and exchange tips on war tactics. Soemtimes I see him smiling to the screen, probably getting a good feedback from soemone. But like real world, there are black sheep everywhere. These are those who can't accept defeat and would send profane messages.

So this morning, whilst I was surfing, he demanded that I let him use the PC, " you nak I berhenti main tak? Kalau Tak I berehnti next week, je" Not wanting to take any risk, I relented and gave the seat to him. So began the 'quitting ceremony. He handed over his possessions, his fleets, battleships, planets to his leader, giving him his account and password. He asid goodbye to his alliance members and to his 'civilized' enemies. I am sure there was a grain of sadness in his heart though he didn't show it. You see, iKelah is truly proud of his great achievement in this game although it was for a rather short span of time. He was a member of an alliance that ranked first in the world. He was personally ranked 40 something. Few weeks ago he ranked fourth in Millitary strategy or something. So I can't blame him if he has a hard time quitting.

Phew, alas, we can have more time for other things I thought. but I thought too soon, when I heard him say, 'lepas ni I nak main game apa pulak ye? *sigh* Boys will be boys!