I must I'm rather enjoying my year in college so far. As a work-shy drama student, I am currently enjoying the many fruits that unemployment in a desolate, blasted town such as the one my college (and subsequently I) reside in; time, space, peace and intellectual oppertunity, if only through the process of thinking, dreaming and taking mental notes for future reference. I'm not rich by any means, but thanks to a rather generous welfare state, which I would give to life to defend, along with contributions I at least have enough money to keep myself reasonable well fed, with a roof over my head and a new CD every now and again and my own room on campus. My already prodigious game collection helps me resist the many and varied temptations of my local game store.

As far as rooms go, it's not a bad room. Bare, it closely resembles a high-quality prison cell minus bars, with a simple steel bed and matress, bare-brick whitewash walls and (for an extra £15 per week) an en-suit shower room about the size of a standard Ikea wardrobe, also included along with an undersized desk and shelves, as well as a small bed-side table. However, a couple of posters on the walls, fresh sheets on the bed, my trusty Half-Life 2 running PC squeesed onto the desk, 12" TV with attached GC on the bedside table, the curtains pulled back to reveal the stunning view (see bottom) and I feel almost as if I've lived here for years.

There is one problem with this room though, and it strangely enough lies with it's graetest asset - the broadband. Built into every room is a free broadband service. A FAST broadband service. I don't know it's exact speed, but at it's worst, it's usually at least twice as fast as my 2mb Wanadoo service back home. It sounds fantastic, doesn't it? Well, there is one problem with it - due to a quirk in local-area-network technology (which I won't go into here) online gaming is out. As in, not going to happen. Which is somewhat of a blow for someone, anyone, who has actually played Counter Strike Source. Many happy hours of running, gunning and declaring that there was "No way" I could've been hit by that weapon from that distance, have been canceled. Dawn of War now doesn't seem quite the same without someone complaining about me using Space Marine dreadnaughts, while the Battlefield 2 bots aren not the greatest conversationists. Additionally, The Lost Coast remains lost to me, while vulnearable wizards and heroic swordsmen must struggle on in the face of adversity without the valuable healing skills of my Lv.16 cleric.
I love online gaming, because i know I'm playing agains real people. Real people are a great game element - a new challenge. They're more likely to react to gunfire, make silly mistakes and yet still pull something out the hat to lead them to a victory you can't begrudge them. Better then the best AI. With friends the experience goes up a notch, allowing you to get immensily competitive but still keep it all in the realms of good, clean fun. This is one of the reasons I deserately wanted to be on the online gaming scene this year - my friends are all a considerable distance away, but without gaming I miss the thrill of either quoting sniper films at each other, screaming Japanese obscenities at the screen, or teaming up together and having the most fun anyone can have getting completely hammered by the opposition. I've been thinking about challenging the Liverpudlian fitness freak across the hall to a game of Smash Bros., but somehow he doesn't seem the type. Ah well, at least I can dream.


Lovely view, isn't it?

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