6 min read
Pray, Give Me MMOre Time
March 18, 2018
It was late. Later than Ryder had realized. There he sat, glued to his computer screen, the clicking of his mouse and keys on his keyboard roared as they were simultaneously being pressed over and over again. It was this night that Ryder stayed up until dawn playing his new game that he had just received a week prior for his birthday.
Reuben knocked on the bedroom door at five a.m., calling to him from the other side. "Ryder, are you awake already?" he questioned his charge, placing an ear against the door, listening to the furious bustle of keys and mouse clicking and the video game music playing softly. He turned the knob and cracked the door only to see Ryder hovering weakly over his chair as his eyes darted back and forth across the screen.
"Ryder, did you hear me? Playing that game again? You really like it, huh?"
Ryder simply nodded in response, not speaking whatsoever, but fully enthralled by his computer.
Reuben chuckled a bit and shook his head, closing his door and moving on with his morning. He was glad to see Ryder putting some effort into things again. It was different, he hadn't seen Ryder so happy in a while, and he couldn't really tell why. Ryder seemingly stopped reading, and he hadn't caught him practicing his magic for a little while now, but regardless, Reuben loved that the computer brought him joy.
Ryder continued to play throughout the morning, still following the powerful storyline and intrinsic gameplay. He enjoyed the many, many hours he had put forth into the game and couldn't help but feel alive while he played. It was as though his muses were returning, if that were so easy. To say the least, it definitely felt like a decent replacement whilst his creative muses were away.
Though, over the course of the rest of the day, Reuben noticed how obsessive Ryder played the game. It was as if from dawn until dusk Ryder would just be sitting at his computer, pressing buttons and playing the game. Reuben understood the love of video games, but he did not play all day, never in his life could he say that he sat there from morning until night playing a single game. That's what began to worry the guardian slightly.
When Reuben returned later that evening to let Ryder know that dinner was ready, Reuben realized the boy hadn't moved a single budge. Bathroom breaks were lost on frei, and he seemed to feed off of the game somehow, maybe? The visuals, the imagery, the fantasy, it was as though the entire game had swallowed the boy, and he was like the energizer bunny continuously playing, never taking a break.
"Ryder, it's time for dinner," the guardian spoke through the cracked door to Ryder's bedroom.
"Yes, okay," the boy muttered in a monotonous, uninterested tone.
"Well, come on out and eat with me. I gathered some rotting wood while on my walk this morning that I knew you'd love," he said, opening the door and sitting on the frei's bed behind him.
"Okay, I shall be out shortly."
Reuben's eyes narrowed as he watched the flashes on the screen, the bursts of images from the character's attacks and swings of his mighty sword. It was definitely a dungeon he was in. Reuben realized right away. "I think you should come out right now. You've been in here all day."
"I shall leave when I have concluded this dungeon," the boy stated, frantically pressing keys and clicking his mouse.
The way he spoke even seemed somewhat different. Ryder would typically not answer so...formally. It was the only way Reuben would be able to describe it. What was this game doing to him? The guardian took the benefit of the doubt and nodded. "Okay, come out as soon as you're finished, alright?"
"Mhmm." the boy hummed, not once taking his eyes off of the computer screen.
An hour had come and gone in an instant. Reuben had given up and eaten his food, Ryder never had come out of his room and Reuben had had enough of it.
The guardian took a deep breath as he approached the frei's bedroom with a plate full of rotting wood.
"Ryder, I think it's time we had a talk about this game," Reuben stated, waltzing in and placing the plate on the desk next to Ryder before going to the bed and sitting on it.
"Hmmm?"
"Ryder, turn that game off and listen to me."
"Give me one final moment."
"No, Ryder. Now."
With a heavy, unenthused sigh, Ryder stopped what he was doing and spun around in his little chair, the boy's ribbon falling all over the chair and down almost touching the floor, a very loose curl to it. Even his rune had dimmed to the point where it almost didn't shine whatsoever. Ryder looked annoyed, had bags under his eyes which were strained red against the bright green pupils.
"Ryder," Reuben began, eyes widening at the sight of his charge so disheveled. "I think it's time we give the game a rest. You've been doing nothing but that nonstop the past couple of days."
Ryder shook his head. "But Reuben, it hath been a wondrous day. Pray, give me more time with it?"
Reuben's brow shifted upward. Hath? Wondrous? Pray? He knew what it meant in this context, but was the game really affecting his charge that much in just a short period that he changed his speech? Reuben shook his head in disagreement as he stood up. "No, it's time we turned it off for the night and limited your playtime to an hour or two a day. Nothing more."
"Reuben!? No! You cannot do this to me! Pray, do not do such a thing!"
Reuben rolled his eyes. "Ryder, I'm not going to fight with you. Turn off the game. We can talk more about this tomorrow if you'd like, but it's late and I'm heading to bed."
Ryder kept quiet as Reuben walked to the bedroom door, turned around, and waited for him to turn off his game. He did as he was told, annoying as it was. But he climbed into bed as Reuben slowly gave his well wishes for the night and said he would see him in the morning. Ryder climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling for an hour before finally fading into a deep sleep, something he didn't even realize he was wanting for.
Reuben knocked on the bedroom door at five a.m., calling to him from the other side. "Ryder, are you awake already?" he questioned his charge, placing an ear against the door, listening to the furious bustle of keys and mouse clicking and the video game music playing softly. He turned the knob and cracked the door only to see Ryder hovering weakly over his chair as his eyes darted back and forth across the screen.
"Ryder, did you hear me? Playing that game again? You really like it, huh?"
Ryder simply nodded in response, not speaking whatsoever, but fully enthralled by his computer.
Reuben chuckled a bit and shook his head, closing his door and moving on with his morning. He was glad to see Ryder putting some effort into things again. It was different, he hadn't seen Ryder so happy in a while, and he couldn't really tell why. Ryder seemingly stopped reading, and he hadn't caught him practicing his magic for a little while now, but regardless, Reuben loved that the computer brought him joy.
Ryder continued to play throughout the morning, still following the powerful storyline and intrinsic gameplay. He enjoyed the many, many hours he had put forth into the game and couldn't help but feel alive while he played. It was as though his muses were returning, if that were so easy. To say the least, it definitely felt like a decent replacement whilst his creative muses were away.
Though, over the course of the rest of the day, Reuben noticed how obsessive Ryder played the game. It was as if from dawn until dusk Ryder would just be sitting at his computer, pressing buttons and playing the game. Reuben understood the love of video games, but he did not play all day, never in his life could he say that he sat there from morning until night playing a single game. That's what began to worry the guardian slightly.
When Reuben returned later that evening to let Ryder know that dinner was ready, Reuben realized the boy hadn't moved a single budge. Bathroom breaks were lost on frei, and he seemed to feed off of the game somehow, maybe? The visuals, the imagery, the fantasy, it was as though the entire game had swallowed the boy, and he was like the energizer bunny continuously playing, never taking a break.
"Ryder, it's time for dinner," the guardian spoke through the cracked door to Ryder's bedroom.
"Yes, okay," the boy muttered in a monotonous, uninterested tone.
"Well, come on out and eat with me. I gathered some rotting wood while on my walk this morning that I knew you'd love," he said, opening the door and sitting on the frei's bed behind him.
"Okay, I shall be out shortly."
Reuben's eyes narrowed as he watched the flashes on the screen, the bursts of images from the character's attacks and swings of his mighty sword. It was definitely a dungeon he was in. Reuben realized right away. "I think you should come out right now. You've been in here all day."
"I shall leave when I have concluded this dungeon," the boy stated, frantically pressing keys and clicking his mouse.
The way he spoke even seemed somewhat different. Ryder would typically not answer so...formally. It was the only way Reuben would be able to describe it. What was this game doing to him? The guardian took the benefit of the doubt and nodded. "Okay, come out as soon as you're finished, alright?"
"Mhmm." the boy hummed, not once taking his eyes off of the computer screen.
An hour had come and gone in an instant. Reuben had given up and eaten his food, Ryder never had come out of his room and Reuben had had enough of it.
The guardian took a deep breath as he approached the frei's bedroom with a plate full of rotting wood.
"Ryder, I think it's time we had a talk about this game," Reuben stated, waltzing in and placing the plate on the desk next to Ryder before going to the bed and sitting on it.
"Hmmm?"
"Ryder, turn that game off and listen to me."
"Give me one final moment."
"No, Ryder. Now."
With a heavy, unenthused sigh, Ryder stopped what he was doing and spun around in his little chair, the boy's ribbon falling all over the chair and down almost touching the floor, a very loose curl to it. Even his rune had dimmed to the point where it almost didn't shine whatsoever. Ryder looked annoyed, had bags under his eyes which were strained red against the bright green pupils.
"Ryder," Reuben began, eyes widening at the sight of his charge so disheveled. "I think it's time we give the game a rest. You've been doing nothing but that nonstop the past couple of days."
Ryder shook his head. "But Reuben, it hath been a wondrous day. Pray, give me more time with it?"
Reuben's brow shifted upward. Hath? Wondrous? Pray? He knew what it meant in this context, but was the game really affecting his charge that much in just a short period that he changed his speech? Reuben shook his head in disagreement as he stood up. "No, it's time we turned it off for the night and limited your playtime to an hour or two a day. Nothing more."
"Reuben!? No! You cannot do this to me! Pray, do not do such a thing!"
Reuben rolled his eyes. "Ryder, I'm not going to fight with you. Turn off the game. We can talk more about this tomorrow if you'd like, but it's late and I'm heading to bed."
Ryder kept quiet as Reuben walked to the bedroom door, turned around, and waited for him to turn off his game. He did as he was told, annoying as it was. But he climbed into bed as Reuben slowly gave his well wishes for the night and said he would see him in the morning. Ryder climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling for an hour before finally fading into a deep sleep, something he didn't even realize he was wanting for.