Yellow Starred Purple

A sweet, repetitive jingle rolls on endlessly, punctuated only intermittently by soft plopping noises. It is inexplicably satisfying to watch the pastel-hued lumps of virtual ice cream soar through an imagined sky that morphs realistically with altitude, albeit rather rapidly: starting from a muted cityscape, coursing through the stars, past the moon, a ruddy Mars, and (as far as I have gotten) white-ringed Saturn.

Seafoam green mint chip! Golden lemon! Cream vanilla! Speckly blue tutti-frutti! The most magnificent rainbow 'wild scoop'! ... that strange but enticing nonetheless lilac dollop!

Unfortunately, there is the matter of those vexing vegetables... that self-satisfied tomato, those sanctimonious white and violet onions. The villains of the game Scoops. Three accidentally stacked onto one's cone signifies death. Game over. Even brushing against one of these dastardly dessert-ruiners is enough to provoke a ghastly wail: "WHOOOAAAH!"

Of course, in reality, it is clear vegetables are far superior nutritionally to ice cream. The game even offers a little disclaimer: "veggies ARE great apart from icecream!" Therefore, the issue here is not the negative portrayal of innocently fibrous, antioxidant rich onions and tomatoes.

What is interesting about the game is that it offers a 1UP chance in the form of a special ice cream scoop. Imagine your complete dismay as you tilt your screen in hopes of snagging that beautiful chocolate scoop and instead hear a sickening squelch as a dumpy tomato splats on top of your cone. One life vanishes instantly; the rate of the falling ice cream slows as if to mock your failing. Now picture the renewal, the cleansing sensation that you feel when, as if by magic, a glittering amethyst scoop emblazoned with yellow stars careens gracefully down the screen.

It is a savior! You regain a star denoting another life, and are imbued with new confidence and delight as you continue the game.


It is a pity that Scoops cannot mirror reality. Who would not enjoy polychromatic lumps of sweet, cold dairy falling from the sky? More importantly, who would not give anything for the real-life version of the godly purple scoop--an instant fix-all, a global panacea? Unfortunately, it takes time, effort, motivation to earn good grades, lose weight, cure a disease.

Perhaps this can be for the better, however--sometimes things mean a lot more when you have worked for them. It can be so much more fulfilling to stand back and realize where exactly the outcome was directly impacted by your own efforts. Would you be as inclined to maintain your success had you not understood the struggle that came before success?

Yes, WT, for the record, the tomato is scientifically a fruit.

4 Comments:

  1. Unknown said...
    hahaha
    WT believes you now
    Unknown said...
    tinar this is super duper =]
    i love this game... and ice cream.
    though i disagree with your conclusion. i like getting things without earning them. :D
    Miss Red said...
    this game sounds very familiar =D
    as usual, a PLETHORA of SAT words. rock on.
    Sean said...
    very welll written
    where did you find this game?

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