Wednesday 30 January 2002

Pic of the day: Surprise, surprise ... screenshot from The Sims! It's Chaos & Super, in lifelike dialog!

Solitaire (or perhaps not)

Finally the (relatively) low price CD distributor Platekompaniet has opened a store in Kristiansand. We have not had much competition here, and their introduction prices are indeed quite good. The shop was well filled with eager customers. Personally I bought only one CD. I don’t have the time or interest to keep updated on music; the production is overwhelming, and I am not bored with what the other things I do. So I tend to rely on friends (in particular my best friend) to find good music. Since we can’t exactly share the same CD when we’re living apart, I tend to end up buying my own later. So also here. I bought "Sissel in symphony". Popular in Norway and probably in Denmark where she has lived for some years, Sissel (www.sissel.net) is a very impressive vocalist. If she is anything else, it is hard to say. The record company made her, and to the best of my knowledge she has never made any of the music or lyrics herself. It is unclear what influence she even has on the choice of songs. But she has a good voice - indeed, to most of us, she is a good voice. I am sure she has a life too.

I may have had some sympathy for her because she is a Westlander like myself (her original name was Sissel Kyrkjebø, a typical Norwegian West Coast name). But this time the reason for buying was simply the song Solitaire, which I have never heard anywhere else. SuperWoman played and replayed it, and kept singing it for quite a while, though I have no idea whether she thought about the lyrics at all, much less how they related to anyone.

There was a man
A lonely man
Who lost his love
Through his indifference.

A heart that cared
That went unshared
Until it died
Within his silence.

And solitaire’s the only game in town
And every road that takes him,
Takes him down
While life goes on around him everywhere
He’s playing solitaire.

What can I say, if the woman you loved kept repeating a song like that, wouldn’t you remember? ^_^*

***

I have heard people say that the productivity gains from PC’s in the workplace is offset by the productivity loss from workers playing Solitaire. I’m not allowed to write about my own workplace anymore, but I think I can speak for myself. I find the games on the workplace computers not to be much of a temptation. Who wants to play Solitaire, or even FreeCell, when you have such games as The Sims or Civ3 at home? Not to mention Dark Age of Camelot. I’m going to mention that later, of course. Not a day without, eh?

I’ve known Solitaire since I was a kid. It is called kabal in Norway, and yes this is clearly related to cabalism, the Jewish tradition of mysticism and magic. Perhaps it originated as a way of divination, though the actual use of this seems lost in history. The relationship between common playing cards and Tarot is fairly easy to spot too, after all, and Tarot is a well-known tool for divination. I’ve tried my hand at it myself but quickly stopped because it seemed to work. As a Norwegian Christian mystic once said (much to her own amazement): "It was the playing cards that helped Noah build the Ark, too, but themselves they did not come into it." We don’t want magic that works, thank you very much. We want fun and games, please.

The English name of the game, Solitaire, is far more descriptive. Actually there is a whole class of such solitaire games; one of them just happens to be more common, especially now that it is part of Microsoft’s cultural imperialism. I can safely assume that a majority of my readers know it, not that this is necessary to understand today’s entry. (In so far as it is understandable at all.) The point is, you can play it alone. You don’t need anybody’s help in any way. This attitude is also possible to have in other parts of life, and this is clearly the implication of the song. You don’t share anything with others, and you don’t let them share with you.

Not that I would act like that, of course. Would I?

***

Contrary to public opinion, computer games are not always solitary. There are, for instance, massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG), such as EverQuest, Ultima Online, Asheron’s Call, and of course Dark Age of Camelot. Let me also mention hundreds or perhaps thousands of text based RPGs, usually called MUD, MUSH, MUCK, MUX or some such (where the MU stands for multi user). These are usually free, and playable on low-end computers too. Just bring imagination.

Of course, it is often possible to play even these games in a solitary way. It depends on your mindset. And some treat their fellow players like non-player characters: Just cannon fodder to help them rise to higher levels. But many online games (and all the big ones) encourage genuine cooperation between players. It may not be the most romantic setting, but it does foster a certain camaraderie. It is not just "PvP" - Player vs. Player.

And of course, we are still waiting for Sims Online. If, as many fans believe, Sims Hot Date is a step on the road to Sims Online, then there will be a wealth of personal interactions possible in a contemporary environment. Shopping together, eating together, dancing together, even visiting each others virtual homes and marveling at their good taste (or perhaps picking up their trash) and trying out the cuddle couch ...

But even now, Solitaire’s definitely not the only game in town.