Like everyone else these days, I like to play video games. We have an Xbox 360, a Wii, & of course, computers. The Xbox seems to be the domain of my husband, the Wii gets used by the entire family, though the kids use it more than anyone & I tend to play computer games. My main weakness is those silly Time Wasters, I mean Time Management games. You know the ones- they suck away your life, 10 minutes at a time with clever names like Diner Dash or Sally's Salon, or Airport Mania. Some people prefer the Match 3 games like Bejewelled, others play the Hidden Object Games or Adventure varieties & the sad thing is, I know the difference.
At some point a few years ago, someone pointed out to me that several of the game developers allowed average gamers like me to sign up on their websites to be Beta testers for their games. Some of these Betas are nothing more than a glorified trial of the game- an hour of play & you fill out a very brief survey, but it's clear they just want you to like the game & buy it a week later when the game is released. Some however, still clearly have some work to do. They actually ask you for information about bugs you might encounter during game play, will actually fix the problems and send out the game again- these are also the Betas that allow you to play through the entire game (as long as you can do it in a week or three). Obviously those are my favorite ones.
Sometimes you have to fill out a survey to ask to be selected to participate in a Beta. This week I'm playing a game of this variety. I'm particularly excited because it's one of my favorite game franchises and though the reality is that I don't find it particularly difficult to play, it is a lot of fun and a great way to put off doing all the things I SHOULD be doing. Plus, just like anything else you get chosen to do, it's nice to make the cut, even when it's for something as silly as a video game.
So, I'll be playing tonight while watching the Academy Awards. A glance at the beautiful people, and some time on the computer. Good times all around!
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