ayo dat gamecribs ep. 3 write up, spoilers ok
Paintball
the terms TSM use regarding paintball definitely bring to the forefront something about the gaming industry relationship to violence. paintball is already kind of interesting for bringing "war" and "play" into the same conversation, putting professional gamers into paintball (play into play, simulation into simulation), saying things like "I'm gonna kill 50 people" (regi) or "I'm kinda sad...I think I should have been an attacker" (dyrone), and even having a camera crew in the "warzone" (2003, I've covered wars u know) and having like dat FPS perspective forcibly creates that conversation.
here's a chilling quote from TheOddOne: "...it was like the Alamo. It basically turned out to be the Alamo...half of our troops were apparently children so they just hid in the corner...dyrus got headshotted like the first wave".
"The second time was way better than the first time", says Regi, in a heartbreaking allusion to all those who physically and materially died in real life "the first time".
recall the American Army's explicit use of video games to recruit in the game aptly titled "America's Army".
also it's fun to note that Dyrus hid in the back while Regi was in the front lines (dyrus having one of the better KDAs in the LCS, that famous aggressive playstyle)
Pet Shop
then they perfectly transition to the pet shop. lonely dyrus gravitates towards the bunny ("dyrus really likes the rabbit that eats a lot, because it's just like him"). chaox is uncomfortable because he "can't read them" (can't read dyrus). always business minded, regi wants to get a snapdragon, not realizing that a snapdragon is a flower. to add to that, they already have a name for the pet (snappy), but cannot visualize what type of animal they will get; regi posits a "catdog". but I think a pressing question is where did TSM Hunter go? probably to a "farm" (dead); Dan's talk of old meat in the beginning also begins to take on a dark meaning.
Go Karting
Go Karting is "fast" and "fun" like dominion. Chaox wins and Regi takes third; they argue in a really dumb fashion and Regi cares too much. Regi creates his own internal rules ("I had the best lap, gg I win", echoing Chaox's own "gg I win", showing more of Regi's defensive parrot strategy (akin, to an extent, to TSM's own mimicry of better League teams)), while Dan is more analytical ("How does the average work?!?!"), not trusting no scientist since they are always lying and making him pissed.
Dyrus is caught in the middle again, and provides context to his constant depression. "I don't have it the worst", he murmers, like a true good guy dyrus.
Regi ends the episode in cryptic fashion, expressing a want to "4-0 every team". what does that even mean? does he want his team to achieve four kills without dying? is there some sort of betting pool happening? just how much money was made when crs and dig did that ARAM last year?
The guy working there waving the flag looks like he wants to kill himself.
