Let's Play Games

I asked on my reactivated Facebook page, in Tagalog: are we playing?

I asked this (indirectly, of course) of three people. One was a classmate, who seemed to like me as a person and somehow as a friend, but did not act as I expected. The second was a student who seems to want to try to challenge me. The third, well, the third is actually the rest of the world.

Guess what. We're playing. The first one wants to play guessing games. The second wants to play hide-and-seek. And the third, well, the third wants to keep the game options open.

I think I sense mechanics for two of the games. Let me relate them to you.

1) Guessing games. There are three levels.

Level I is called "Act Act Revolution". It's like Dance Dance Revolution, but instead of stepping to hit the arrows, you act to hit the social cues. He laughs. I smile to indicate I am in agreement. He writes something in shorthand on his notebook, or some song lyrics in English. I try to also write in my notebook - in French, so he wouldn't understand. Sometimes, though, you shouldn't hit the social cues, and you should just listen in class. If you're able to match the cues that should be matched, you win!

Level II is called "Give It All You've Got". It's a conversational game, demanding lots of ostensible information about you and him, hence the name of the level. You try to make petty conversation about things that ostensibly matter to you. He will try to make petty conversation about things that ostensibly matter to you, too. You try to respond with two words at least. Then you try to make petty conversation about things that ostensibly matter to him. He will do the same, and respond to you in two words at least. If he has the last word (meaning he cannot make any more petty conversation about things that ostensibly matter to you), you win!

Level III is called "The Boat Is Sinking". Well, this is the level where you have to part. So when the boat is sinking, scram and quickly find yourself another partner/partners in conversation. If you can do this and forget about him, you win!

There are boss levels on Facebook, wherein he posts things that appear on your wall that may/may not pertain to you. The key is not to be fazed, and to (if you're proactive) post things that may/may not pertain to him as well. Kinda like war, but 1) on Facebook and 2) not acrimonious.

2) Hide-and-seek. This game has no levels. However, you are ALWAYS the 'it'. You must seek him out. You must find where he hides and how he hides. It's because you're responsible for his grade in your subject. Use your other students to find him, or better yet, try to make conversation. Degree of difficulty varies with him. The problem is, your other students will compound the difficulty by multiplying it with their own degree of difficulty. Choose wisely to win. You win if you last until the brief quarter is over, because the number of times he will hide has no limits - he will do it again and again until the quarter ends. You might lose strength and/or resolve. Drink Happy Drinks to recharge your strength, and make Resolution Potions to recharge your resolve. You see, it's more like an RPG than the original hide-and-seek street game.