So it's been over 10 years since I was at Kunsan, South Korea. If you want to know its impact, just scroll back to the 2005 entries, as I was on my way out. Please contain yourself.
But I digress.
Instead, what I will mention is the fact how one specific video game made all the difference.
HALO 2
See, back in 2004, I was essentially holed up in my room for an entire year. Perhaps you could call it a self-imposed curfew, however this was the third time I had been to Kunsan, and I knew all too well what douchebags people were like in general there. Senior NCOs ran around like Darth Vader's storm troopers, looking to bust anyone for the smallest thing. The base commander was a Dudley Do-Right Mormon who imposed his religious values on everyone mafia-style, and my chain of command was out to burn people left and right. Seeing that the odds were stacked against me, I decided to do what I could to avoid any unnecessary consequences, and I went into hibernation mode. Self-preservation at its most extreme. I left my dorm room only to go to work, the BX and Commissary, and my 0530 morning physical fitness program because the Air Force had a supposed issue with my weight at the time. Once a month minimum I would take the Wolf Pack Wheels up to Osan to get away from the crap, and to recharge my batteries. "Machine Maintenance" I called it. It was the only way I could deal with the dysfunction I saw going on around me.
I spent countless hours playing Halo 2 on my X-Box. Everything about it was the coolest. The storyline, the graphics, and the replayability factor all had me hooked on it. I had my Playstation 2 and my Nintendo Game Cube as well, but my X-Box got the most useage. Fighting the Covenant and the Flood was a great way for me to escape and help me mentally regroup from the daily crap and negativity I was forced to deal with. The Kunsan asshole leadership was my Covenant and all the negativity I saw from my chain of command as well as all the crap on base was my Flood. I was the Master Chief doing everything I could to survive, and Doctor Meredith was my Cortana. I played Halo 2 non-stop until Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas came out a month later, in December of that year. San Andreas was my other way to balance out the insanity by going to a virtual Southern California on my PS2. It was the best I could hope for at the time.
HALO MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION
Well, Bungie just released the 10 year commemorative anniversary Halo 2 edition, and called it the Halo: Master Chief Collection. Not only does it faithfully recreate the original Halo 2 for the X-Box One, it has been remastered for 1080p Hi-Def resolution. You can play either version of the game, and relieve this wonderful gem. Bungie even went one step further and included all the other Halo games for you to enjoy.
Most people won't know or appreciate the significance a video game can hold in someone's life. Video games have been there for me, through good times and bad times alike. Music has been there for me as well, however the older I get, the less I listen to music. I've lost that muse living in Germany, amongst many other things. However, put a PlayStation or X-Box controller in my hand, and I will Keep Calm and Carry On. As soon as I am done with the current semester (yes, the Machine has started his MBA program), I will sit down and devote an entire weekend to a Halo 2 gaming marathon....without being stuck in a shitty location for a change.
Heh.
