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Why I Love the Internet — Videogame Walkthrough Edition

In the past I’ve written about specific reasons I love the Internet (here and here, if you’re curious) and tonight another one occurred to me; it involves something that may seem small to some, but I find myself really appreciative of its existence online whenever I’m in need of it. I’m talking about…

VIDEOGAME WALKTHROUGHS!

For those of you who don’t play videogames — you shouldn’t rule them out! There are so many great games, and they’re not all Mario-type games like you may think, or only for kids! No; there are also suspenseful mysteries, interactive novels, language-learning options and so much more!

Sorry, I digress…I meant to say, let me share what a wonderful thing a walkthrough is for those of you who don’t play videogames, or somehow haven’t used this wonderful resource.

A walkthrough is, essentially, a step-by-step outline or video posted online which shows you how to play a specific videogame. So, players who are stuck in a game and don’t know what to do next or how to beat a particularly difficult challenge or puzzle don’t have to do what I did back in the day before the Internet — stay stuck and frustrated until you either give up on the game, or wait to find someone who knows the game you’re playing, if you’re lucky.

To be fair, in those dark days, there were special videogame guidebooks and magazines which often offered tips on unlocking hidden modes or figuring out certain aspects of the game you might be struggling with. But, at least for me, those resources weren’t always that easy to come by — either the newsstands near me didn’t carry them or were out of stock when I needed one, or the issue just didn’t contain the specific information I was looking for. Plus, it could be pricey to buy them on a regular basis, especially since each issue would cover multiple games yet I might only be interested in a particular one. Besides, sometimes I was playing an older game that the magazines were no longer actively covering anyway.

If I owned the game I was playing, I did have a basic manual — but that just included general information on the game’s premise, what the console’s buttons did for that specific game, etc. No inside tips or solutions to hard-to-get-past challenges. And I had no access to a manual at all when I rented a game from the local video store (ah, remember those?!). While many games are easy enough to pick up and start playing, some are not — so some of those rentals that looked good at the store would be really frustrating once I got it home and got stuck, with absolutely no information to help!

Today, that’s no longer a problem for kids (and adult players, ahem), thanks to the ability to share tips and gameplay videos online! Here are a few examples of the kind of resources I’m talking about; as an example, I’m using a game I played some time back called The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks:

And here’s a list of video walkthrough results that pop up for this Zelda game when you search for it in YouTube.

Obviously, there’s a wealth of resources out there compared to the “old” days!

What also stands out to me about these helpful resources are the people behind them. While some may be from commercial ventures which benefit from advertising and other incentives, I often come across others which seem to be posted by players who just want to help other players, with no obvious benefit to themselves besides perhaps being seen as an expert in the industry. I have to say I find this pretty impressive, considering typing up an in-depth guide or playing the game in full just to demonstrate it for others via a video is a very time-consuming process (especially since most of the videos I’ve seen are from people replaying the game, once they’ve figured it all out). And I’d suspect this is a thankless effort a lot of the time — yet there’s still no lack of people posting these tips and videos!

So, this is just another reason I love the Internet!

Neurotic note: My initial instinct here was to write “videogames” as one word. But as I was writing, I started wondering if it should be two words; I checked online (more love for the Internet) and learned that there’s actually a debate about this, but the industry itself seems to lean towards “videogame.” Bet you didn’t know that was such an issue, huh? I know I didn’t! If you like debates on words and grammar as much as I geekily do, you can read a bit more on this here.

Need a Quick Dose of Inspiration?

Then take a look at this entertaining short video, “5 Minutes of Epic Motivation!”

The video is by Lilly Singh, aka IISuperwomanII, a funny YouTube sensation who posts videos on a variety of topics ranging from “Annoying People on the Phone” to “Types of Parents.” Her delivery is very engaging and addictive; I find myself stopping to watch a particular video, then find I’ve watched 8 more in a row before I realize it!

She is a drug, I tell you. In a good way, though.

I’ve been watching her work for almost 2 years now, after having been told about her by my best friend who liked her work. (Does saying “best friend” make me sound like a ten-year-old girl? Well, I’m not; and I’m sorry, but she is my best friend, and I will refer to her as such even when we’re both 100!)

Anyway, Lilly/IISuperwomanII is very talented, and I think her popularity will only keep growing exponentially. I can picture her one day doing mainstream comedy shows or movies, if she wants; her talent is mix of a lot of great entertainers from our time. I think she’s similar in some ways to the following celebrities:

  • Will Smith — I always marveled at his ease delivering funny lines and acting so naturally when he was on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (who didn’t love that show?). Plus he’s a talented musician and dancer as well, and Lilly is too. And they both have an edgy, fun vibe.
  • Tina Fey — particularly in her role as Liz Lemon on 30 Rock, Tina was great at portraying a likable, real woman, oddities and all. Lilly does this too, making fun of herself often and openly sharing her pet peeves and other quirks.
  • Tyler Perry and Eddie Murphy — I actually like Lilly’s work more than Tyler’s or Eddie’s, but I’m referring to their versatility playing different comedic characters; Lilly also plays multiple parts in her videos, even the male roles — and it’s amusing!
  • Oprah and Queen Latifah — in terms of their positivity, warmth and ability to uplift others and yet come off “cool” at the same time.

What Lilly brings to the table that many other entertainers in the mainstream don’t, however, is a certain world sensibility and cultural awareness. Since she’s Indian, her jokes often relate to Indian culture, which is refreshing to see since I feel we don’t see enough of that in the media. Overall, we still have a long way to go in terms of seeing the wide range of people and cultures that exist in the world being portrayed in our entertainment. And she doesn’t just focus on Indian culture, but will also throw in impressions and observations from other backgrounds — I think she brings a global approach to her comedy that is so sorely needed!

I also like how she’s willing to look and act silly whenever necessary. Although she’s a pretty woman, she’s not afraid to make herself look like a hairy man or a nerd, making zany facial expressions throughout. She also adds to her humor by wearing unusual shirts in her videos (check out the Simpsons shirt she’s wearing in that “Types of Parents” video!). Usually, I wouldn’t like this approach because I’d see it as gimmicky, but with her it really works — in fact, she actually somehow makes the odd things she wears seem funny and cool! Like if I wore it, people would laugh, in a bad way — but when she wears it, I can see people thinking, “What a crazy shirt! Where can I get it?”

I feel like too many female comedians are either one extreme or the other; the pretty girl trying to appeal to the male audience, or the I-don’t-give-a-crap-at-all girl. Lilly manages to strike the right balance between caring how she looks yet being willing to look hilariously weird, and does so in such a way that I think her comedy appeals equally to men and women. In fact, this quality makes me realize I should have added someone else to the list above in terms of the celebrities Lilly reminds me of: Lucille Ball. Lucy was a pioneer for women in comedy, and although she was attractive and dressed nicely on the I Love Lucy show, she also didn’t hesitate to look zany, like when she’d dress up like a man (often to try to infiltrate Desi’s show), get messy (like in the famous episode where she’s stuffing chocolates in her mouth on the job since she can’t keep up with the conveyor belt), or portray being drunk (like when she didn’t realize that a medicine she was drinking for a commercial had alcohol in it). These were things that women weren’t seen doing on TV at the time, so it was especially groundbreaking. (I love those reruns; even though they’re from way before my time, I feel like they’re still funny today.)

So if I were in any position to offer Lilly a starring role on a sitcom or in a movie, I would. I could just picture telling her, “Now look here, see…kid, you’ve got it! I’m gonna make you a star! Your name’s gonna be in lights, kid!” with a cigar dangling out of my mustached mouth, as we chat in my office overlooking the Hollywood sign. (Not sure why I picture myself that way in this scenario, as I am neither a man nor a smoker nor a resident of California in what sounds like the 1940s, but I digress.)

Not that she needs anyone’s help, really. She’s come very far on her own and I know she’ll go even further. And she deserves it! So if you haven’t seen her work yet, check it out — her YouTube channel with access to all her videos and more information can be found here. Enjoy!