Imagine if you lived your life like an adventure game.
Whenever you came to a location you had never been before, you would
examine everything closely. If there were any closed cabinets or desk
drawers, you'd have to open them and look at everything that might be
inside. If you came across a dumpster, you'd hop right in and start
examining everything.
Anything that was not bolted down, you'd grab it. You'd be some bizarre
kleptomaniac. If there was gum on the bottom of a bus seat, you'd want
it. And when you had more objects than you could carry (picture that
scene with Steve Martin from The Jerk) you would deposit them all in some
safe room. (Granted my apartment currently looks like it has been filled
with randomly collected objects.)
Whenever there was a problem that had you stumped, you would wander
around all of the locations you'd already been to and reexamine them.
If there was a locked door, you would just assume that you needed to get
to the other side of it. And you'd try any inane solution. You'd go
back to your apartment and get the jar of acid you stored there, then go
back to the door and pour the acid on the padlock. Somebody would see
you and call the cops. When they arrived you'd be sure to EXAMINE
POLICEMEN. Then you might try to GO NORTH, but the policeman would stop
your progress. Then you might THROW ACID AT POLICEMAN, but the policeman
would sidestep your attack and subdue you.
Then you would go to jail and your actions would mainly be limited to
taking INVENTORY and Z and SLEEP, but you would assume that you could
escape the prison if you had just remembered to bring some object along
with you.
Ban adventure games--they promote an unrealistic worldview.
-- ***************************************************************************** When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.-----------------------------------------Erik Hermansen (daedulus@eskimo.com)