From: ad329@james.freenet.hamilton.on.ca (Chris Cracknell)
Newsgroups: abg.acf-jugend,rec.games.roguelike.adom,rec.games.video.classic,rec.games.video.marketplace,rec.games.video.misc,rec.games.video.nintendo,rec.games.video.sega,rec.games.video.sony,rec.music.artists.danny-elfman,rec.music.artists.debbie-gibson,re
Subject: Re: 該是賭一下的時候了...
Date: 30 Jul 1997 20:41:14 -0400

In article <33DF9B8C.411B@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu>, Phillip Weiss <pweiss@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu> wrote:
>Chris Cracknell wrote:
>> No... I believe it was a comparison of Venture and Adventure (2600). And
>> it would seem that Adventure clearly came out on top.
>> 
>Ok, which one had the smiley face with the bow & arrow?  My mind is
>slipping in my old age.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~

The one with "Winkey" (the smiley face with the bow and arrow) would be
Venture. Adventure was much more RPG like. You had an actual quest (to 
recover the magic chalice) where as Venture was just about grabbing loot 
for points.

Adventure pits a brave hero against three deadly dragons and a bat in a
quest to regain a lost treasure stolen by an evil wizard. Your motivation
is the restoration of honour to your entire kingdom.

But what motivates Winkey to risk all? It would seem greed is his sole
motivation. Sure, the dangers in Venture are more and varied but where is
the honour? For what sake are these dangers met.

The brave knight in Adventure does indeed face the possibility of death
and may seek personal glory in the risk involved in slaying a dragon or
two. But confrontation is not of itself a goal in Adventure. Infact, when
you put your personal glory above the honour of the kingdom you may very
well fail. And what reward does the knight receive apart from honour?
The reward of peace. The chalice returned, the knight may hang up his sword
and live out his days in peace with family and friends. No more must he stalk
death and destruction. No more must he kill, or be killed. Peace is the
greatest reward of all, it allows him to live the rest of his life with
quiet and humble dignity which is the very heart of personal honour.

But for Winkey there is no peace. No... there is always another glittering
prize just beyond his grasp. Another item to aquire, and another monster to
slay. Winkey's greed dooms him to forever pursue material gains, yet never
allows him the peace to enjoy them. Always he is running, never at rest, never
at ease. He is controlled by his desires until ultimately he is destroyed by
them. And when death comes for Winkey it comes cruely, in the bowels of a 
dank dungeon, the air choked with the smell of decay, the foul odour of
death. Death comes for Winkey with savage claws to rend flesh and brutal teeth
to crush bones. And what gentle comfort is there for Winkey in his last
moments? Is the heavy burdon of gold a fair compensation for dieing with
with peace and dignity, an old man in the comfort of your bed? Is the
coldness of silver a fair compensation for the warmth of the loved ones,
friends, relatives, grandchildren, as they surround you to comfort you
in your last moments? Winkey's desires kept him from sharing his life even
with his treasures, and when death finds him alone they can ease his 
passing not. For he is even a stranger unto his desires. 

Who will mourn Winkey? Who will say "I knew him" or "I loved him"? Not the 
gold, not the silver, not the gems. The most he can hope is that someday, 
some foolhardy adventurer will chance upon his dry and brittle bones and may 
stop to ponder, "Who was this one?" And perhaps this adventurer may reflect 
upon Winkey's fate and come to the realization that life is to be shared 
with the living and not the vane pursuit of desires. The only peace that 
awaits Winkey is the peace of death but perhaps his death will help others 
to find the peace in life.

                                CRACKERS
                 (Morality plays in video games from hell!!)