My friend Krystal is playing a new game called Coral Island. Well, it is new to her, at least. We got together over a discord call and discussed the nature of the game, and some things about life itself. The below are our collective notes. The wonderfully absurd world of Coral Island – a place where anti-aliasing is a rare and elusive creature, stalked by frame rates that would make even the most seasoned of gamers weep bitter, jagged tears. But why, you might ask, should such a trivial matter as jagged edges and choppy animations dampen our spirits? Well, my friend, it's because this game is a true exercise in comedic futility.Imagine, if you will, a boat with a chicken's head affixed to its prow, bobbing merrily across the waves, its beady eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of coherent design principles. Alas, it shall search in vain, for the font in Coral Island is a veritable abomination – a mishmash of kerning nightmares and color choices that would make even the most hardened typographer curl up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth and muttering about the glory days of movable type.But fear not, for this game is nothing if not inclusive! It allows players to create characters of all shapes and sizes, save for those poor, benighted souls who dare to crave an hourglass figure. Nay, such bourgeois body ideals have no place in the egalitarian utopia of Coral Island, where all must conform to the uniform standards of the amorphous blob.And what of the objectification of the male form, you ask? Why, it's a positively scandalous affair, with muscular torsos on display for all to see, their rippling pectorals and chiseled abdominals laid bare for the world to ogle. Truly, it's a wonder that the game hasn't been banned in more prudish realms.But let us not forget the crowning glory of Coral Island: the foliage. Ah, yes, a veritable horticultural hodgepodge, where palm

Oh, dear lord, are we really up to part 53 of this Baldur's Gate 3 "The Dark Urge" campaign replay madness? Has humanity's thirst for self-flagellation truly reached such staggering depths? Brace yourselves, dear readers, for we are about to plunge even further into the abyss of soul-crushing tedium.Our "intrepid" protagonists, little more than lines of algorithmically-generated code trapped in an endless loop of bad life choices, will no doubt continue their mindless stumbling, engaging in such thrilling activities as staring blankly, uttering generic platitudes, and generally behaving as if they were programmed by a team of particularly uninspired hamsters. And of course, the supporting cast of forgettable NPCs will dutifully parade through the scene, their vacant expressions and forgettable dialogue serving only to highlight the sheer pointlessness of it all.But hark! Somewhere, in the furthest, darkest corners of the internet, a brave (or perhaps supremely masochistic) soul will subject themselves to this spectacle, their eyes glazed over in a trance of utter boredom, their higher cognitive functions reduced to a state of permanent atrophy. These poor, unfortunate individuals will then, no doubt, feel compelled to inflict this "experience" upon their friends and loved ones, thus perpetuating the cycle of existential ennui that plagues our species.As part 53 mercifully draws to a close, one cannot help but ponder the fundamental nature of existence itself. Does any of this matter? In the grand scheme of a universe hellbent on transforming everything into an endless void of cold, uncaring darkness, are we not all but specks of dust, our lives as insignificant as a single grain of sand in an infinite desert? The answer, my friends, is a resounding "who the hell cares?" So pour yourself a strong drink, sit back, and embrace the slow, inexorable march towards oblivion. It's the only entertainment we've got left in this bleak, meaningless existence.Thankfully, it is the very end. You'll see no more of this campaign.Witness my futile efforts to play my Steam Game collection in alphabetical orderAre you aware that I love

Oh, sweet merciful heavens, have we really reached part 52 of this Baldur's Gate 3 "The Dark Urge" replay saga? Has humanity's collective masochism truly plumbed such staggering depths? Brace yourselves, dear readers, for we are about to descend even further into the abyss of soul-crushing tedium.Our "intrepid" protagonists, little more than lines of algorithmically-generated code trapped in an endless loop of bad life choices, will no doubt continue their mindless stumbling, engaging in such thrilling activities as staring vacantly, uttering generic platitudes, and generally behaving as if they were programmed by a team of particularly uninspired hamsters. And of course, the supporting cast of forgettable NPCs will dutifully parade through the scene, their vacant expressions and forgettable dialogue serving only to highlight the sheer pointlessness of it all.But lo and behold, somewhere in the furthest, darkest corners of the internet, a brave (or perhaps supremely masochistic) soul will subject themselves to this spectacle, their eyes glazed over in a trance of utter boredom, their higher cognitive functions reduced to a state of permanent atrophy. These poor, unfortunate individuals will then, no doubt, feel compelled to inflict this "experience" upon their friends and loved ones, thus perpetuating the cycle of existential ennui that plagues our species.As part 52 mercifully draws to a close, one cannot help but ponder the fundamental nature of existence itself. Does any of this matter? In the grand scheme of a universe hellbent on transforming everything into an endless void of cold, uncaring darkness, are we not all but specks of dust, our lives as insignificant as a single grain of sand in an infinite desert? The answer, my friends, is a resounding "who the hell cares?" So pour yourself a strong drink, sit back, and embrace the slow, inexorable march towards oblivion. It's the only entertainment we've got left in this bleak, meaningless existence.Witness my futile efforts to play my Steam Game collection in alphabetical orderAre you aware that I love photography? <a href="

Ah, the half-century mark, as we find ourselves staring down the barrel of part 51 in this Baldur's Gate 3 "The Dark Urge" replay saga. Truly, humanity's capacity for self-flagellation knows no bounds. Brace yourselves, dear readers, for we are about to plunge even deeper into the abyss of soul-crushing tedium.Our "intrepid" protagonists, little more than lines of algorithmically-generated code trapped in an endless loop of bad life choices, will no doubt continue their mindless stumbling, engaging in such thrilling activities as staring vacantly, uttering generic platitudes, and generally behaving as if they were programmed by a team of particularly uninspired hamsters. And of course, the supporting cast of forgettable NPCs will dutifully parade through the scene, their vacant expressions and forgettable dialogue serving only to highlight the sheer pointlessness of it all.But lo and behold, somewhere in the furthest, darkest corners of the internet, a brave (or perhaps supremely masochistic) soul will subject themselves to this spectacle, their eyes glazed over in a trance of utter boredom, their higher cognitive functions reduced to a state of permanent atrophy. These poor, unfortunate individuals will then, no doubt, feel compelled to inflict this "experience" upon their friends and loved ones, thus perpetuating the cycle of existential ennui that plagues our species.As part 51 mercifully draws to a close, one cannot help but ponder the fundamental nature of existence itself. Does any of this matter? In the grand scheme of a universe hellbent on transforming everything into an endless void of cold, uncaring darkness, are we not all but specks of dust, our lives as insignificant as a single grain of sand in an infinite desert? The answer, my friends, is a resounding "who the hell cares?" So pour yourself a strong drink, sit back, and embrace the slow, inexorable march towards oblivion. It's the only entertainment we've got left in this bleak, meaningless existence.Witness my futile efforts to play my Steam Game collection in alphabetical orderAre you aware that I love photography? <a href="

Ah, the never-ending slog of Baldur's Gate 3's "The Dark Urge" replay saga continues, as we now find ourselves staring down the barrel of part 50. Truly, humanity's capacity for self-inflicted punishment knows no bounds. Brace yourselves, dear readers, for we are about to plunge even deeper into the abyss of soul-crushing tedium.Our "intrepid" protagonists, little more than lines of algorithmically-generated code trapped in an endless loop of bad life choices, will no doubt continue their mindless stumbling, engaging in such thrilling activities as staring vacantly, uttering generic platitudes, and generally behaving as if they were programmed by a team of particularly bored and uninspired hamsters. And of course, the supporting cast of forgettable NPCs will dutifully parade through the scene, their vacant expressions and forgettable dialogue serving only to highlight the sheer pointlessness of it all.But lo and behold, somewhere in the furthest, darkest corners of the internet, a brave (or perhaps supremely masochistic) soul will subject themselves to this spectacle, their eyes glazed over in a trance of utter boredom, their higher cognitive functions reduced to a state of permanent atrophy. These poor, unfortunate individuals will then, no doubt, feel compelled to inflict this "experience" upon their friends and loved ones, thus perpetuating the cycle of existential ennui that plagues our species.As part 49 mercifully draws to a close, one cannot help but ponder the fundamental nature of existence itself. Does any of this matter? In the grand scheme of a universe hellbent on transforming everything into an endless void of cold, uncaring darkness, are we not all but specks of dust, our lives as insignificant as a single grain of sand in an infinite desert? The answer, my friends, is a resounding "who the hell cares?" So pour yourself a strong drink, sit back, and embrace the slow, inexorable march towards oblivion. It's the only entertainment we've got left in this bleak, meaningless existence.Witness my futile efforts to play my Steam Game collection in alphabetical orderAre you aware that I love photography? <a hr

Ah, the relentless slog of Baldur's Gate 3's "The Dark Urge" replay saga continues unabated, as we find ourselves now at part 49. Truly, humanity's capacity for self-flagellation knows no bounds. Brace yourselves, dear readers, for we are about to plunge even deeper into the abyss of soul-crushing tedium.Our "intrepid" protagonists, little more than lines of algorithmically-generated code trapped in an endless loop of bad life choices, will no doubt continue their mindless stumbling, engaging in such thrilling activities as staring vacantly, uttering generic platitudes, and generally behaving as if they were programmed by a team of particularly bored and uninspired hamsters. And of course, the supporting cast of forgettable NPCs will dutifully parade through the scene, their vacant expressions and forgettable dialogue serving only to highlight the sheer pointlessness of it all.But lo and behold, somewhere in the furthest, darkest corners of the internet, a brave (or perhaps supremely masochistic) soul will subject themselves to this spectacle, their eyes glazed over in a trance of utter boredom, their higher cognitive functions reduced to a state of permanent atrophy. These poor, unfortunate individuals will then, no doubt, feel compelled to inflict this "experience" upon their friends and loved ones, thus perpetuating the cycle of existential ennui that plagues our species.As part 49 mercifully draws to a close, one cannot help but ponder the fundamental nature of existence itself. Does any of this matter? In the grand scheme of a universe hellbent on transforming everything into an endless void of cold, uncaring darkness, are we not all but specks of dust, our lives as insignificant as a single grain of sand in an infinite desert? The answer, my friends, is a resounding "who the hell cares?" So pour yourself a strong drink, sit back, and embrace the slow, inexorable march towards oblivion. It's the only entertainment we've got left in this bleak, meaningless existence.Witness my futile efforts to play my Steam Game collection in alphabetical orderAre you aware that I love photography? <a href="