Video Gamin’

Remember when I said that I get paid to play video games? I wasn’t bullshittin’…. From E3 to beating EA Sports developers, the competitive nature of video games is as addicting as Cassie is to Ryan Leslie. But through it all, no one quite got a hold of my joystick like this young lady from the Chi.

Now, I have had my fair share of crushes, but this one was unlikely. Meeting through a mutual friend, this breath of fresh air stumbled onto the scene and into my living room from pure proof. You see, I didn’t like this young lady at first and anyone who knows can understand the suspicion that would come with meeting someone who talked a good game – and actually proved it – for the first time.

As she talked, her partly Southern twang eased my sensibilities and calmed my soul. “You never thought I was going to come?” she inquired. I said, “Yes.” We laughed as if we knew each other for years and proceeded to feel one another out. Her deep brownish eyes looked like big saucers as they glanced around my new apartment. “You have a lot of video games, Kevin,” she said. “Are you any good?“ Funny, I thought. “I get paid to play them,” I bragged. “Doesn’t mean that you’re good,” she retorted.

Taken aback, a sly smile crosses our faces and I knew in the back of my mind that she wasn’t joking that much. But before I could put her to the test, I was called away on business and had to go into the plantation. “Massa’s callin’,” I say. She stayed at the place while I did my thing and by the time I came back, shawty had unlocked mostly all of the characters and stages for Soul Calibur IV.

Around the office, Soul Calibur IV is often discussed with a few unknowns and superstars claiming they hold the crown. But yours truly is a professional adapter, and anytime those bums want to lose some pride (and/or money), Playstation 3’s online services are free and can be used at any point of the day. So, when homegirl showed me what she did, I non-sexist-ly wanted to put her skills to the test.

Boy, she beat my ass like I stole something. Of all people, it would have been her. It made sense the battle that I put her through is normally not enough for challengers looking to play this game we call life and love, but on Soul Calibur IV, she dictated the tempo at which she would claim victory.

I also learned from Soul Calibur IV that I don’t know shiite about the power of love. As she racked up an impressive 10-game winning streak, she kept saying, “It’s not that hard, just relax…” Now, for anyone that knows me, I’m not a rah-rah type of cat. But it’s been brought to my attention that I have a quiet intensity that is very noticeable.

In any game where combatants are vying for a prize, the aggressor fights for victory. In love, I felt there always had to be an outcome of some sort. That the word used in conversation was law. But you cannot control matters of the heart like you can on a video game, and you aren’t blessed with too many 1-UP’s to keep you on this Earth forever. So, while I eventually adapted and stopped her streak, I learned that you can never underestimate your opponent in love or on the battlefield and, when things get too testy, it’s always better to hit pause than eject the game and sell it to GameStop.

Ladies… can we ever just stop playing games and keep it upfront? Do we even want it to stop? Speak on it!