10 THINGS GAMERS SHOULD DO BEFORE THEY DIE

by c.J
published by Rinie 13 August 2009



1. Beat Portal

Finishing Valve's mind-bending strategy game is necessary for two reasons. 1. It's more compelling to find out on your own that the cake is, in fact, a lie. 2. "Still Alive" rocks.




2. Buy a dedicated MAME cabinet -- or build your own.

There's a guilty pleasure in owning your own arcade unit, so why not treat yourself to a MAME arcade cabinet? You get bonus points if you build your own, creating the ultimate Bubble Bobble machine, complete with dedicated Bub and Bob artwork.






3. Get into a press conference

Even if you're not a member of the video game industry, you owe it to yourself to try to get into some kind of press conference. It's an experience, and if you're lucky, you learn something amazing before the rest of the world does -- like the Gears of War 2 announcement at GDC.





4. Visit an arcade in Japan

You NEED to see Japan arcades. Some are several floors tall, loaded with Street Fighter and Tekken machines. If you ever make it to the Land of the Rising Sun, wander around Lost In Translation-style and stop into one of these places. You'll be glad you did, even if you drop a few hundred yen in the process.





5. Dress up like a video game character and walk around in public

Cosplay is big with gamers, as indicated every fan event and comic book/video game show. You owe it to yourself to dress up like your favorite at least once, like Mario or Pikachu.





6. Play a game for more than 24-hours.

There has to be some game out there that earns the sheer devotion of being played for hours non-stop, be it Rock Band or Halo 3. So, with that, treat yourself to a non-stop gaming session, keeping a certain game on your system and playing the hell out of it. Of course, don't forget to give yourself bathroom breaks.





7. Take a sick day for a game release.

Do you already have April 29 as a day off? You should. Two of the year's biggest games, Mario Kart Wii and Grand Theft Auto IV, are right around the corner. It marks the perfect time to take a sick day and not get caught. Make up a new illness, such as Vitavetagerdness, which is a lung infection from Switzerland. Alternatively, just say you're sick and hang up before your boss can question you.





8. Play as a female character in an online game and flirt relentlessly.

It's time to tease members of the gaming community who are out looking for a good time with a girl. How? Simple -- play as a female character in a popular online game and try to hit it off with the strong, strapping dwarf characters. Then see their reactions and run away to make them think they did something wrong. Go on, do it for the Horde.





9. Work on your own dedicated video game blog or site.

Fan sites and blogs are becoming more and more commonplace in the game industry, with sites such as MySpace and Pwned.com. So why not put your own two cents in? Put together your own page, make a few friends and sound off with your own opinions. Finally, there's a place to speak of your desire to kiss Sonic the Hedgehog... or maybe not.





10. Import a game.

There are great Japanese games that just don't make it to the U.S., like Radiant Silvergun, X-Men Vs. Street Fighter or, most recently, Zombie Vs. Ambulance. Do yourself a favor and import one, and make sure you set up your system so you can play it without difficulty. You'll be glad you did -- especially with Zombie Vs. Ambulance.

Of course everyone DBD List (Do Before Die) is different. Whats your DBD List?