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The windy city, Ur. The damage from the earthquake that occurred here was relatively slight. Most of the people were convinced that the wind crystal must be living in the underworld and protecting them…and they were right. One day the wind crystal arose from the underworld and chose four youths to find the remaining three crystals that would save the world. Off on their journey, the youths ventured forth; and, as a soft breeze whistled gently through the trees, the group of four strained their ears to hear hopes, dreams, desires. The wind spoke of all, and the four valiant youths listened sympathetically to the wind, believing that in return, the wind crystal would shower them with light again.

I’m going to put myself in a position I rarely subject myself to.

I’m not really the most stable person in any particular flock. In fact, as solid as a person that I am, I’m also human, and there are time where I actually fall into the rut of depression.

While I have found myself in this predicament many times over my life, my biggest go to for equilibrium has been video games. Sure, some would suggest talking with someone about what’s on your mind, and that’s fine (I’ve used that option many times, and I recommend it if you have no love for gaming). Video games have allowed me to tackle through those times in which I have been stuck in the middle of not giving a damn about anything going on around me, and making a mountain out of an ant hill all at the same time. Those times when life seems too heavy, and there is nothing worth putting an effort towards have always been met by the amazing escape tools that video games have supplied to me.

No matter what, we fight on.

Many of my early memories of feeling down and out is connected with the RPG genre. Not because RPGs have been the cause of my depression, but because they usually take me to a world of hard work, incredible stories and conclusions that in a sense, helped me to focus on a mission much bigger than my small problems (who isn’t more concern with saving the world than feeling inadequate?) Many games, from Chrono Trigger down to Final Fantasy (mostly 1, 4 and 6), gave me an avenue of escape, filled with worlds and character development that have taken me from my realistic holes, to a fun an engaging environment that for the least, allowed some kind of numbness over whatever situations bugged the hell out of me withing those times. RPGs also allowed me to open up in conversation with other fellow gamers, which once again, allowed me to take the focus off of my perception of whatever shortcoming were bugging me, Chrono Trigger being the biggest culprit of them all (who didn’t discuss all of the possible endings and scenarios as if it was a conspiracy in a Coast to Coast segment?).

Sometimes the four valiant youths thought they heard the wind calling softly to them…and they really did. When the four youths were feeling depressed and at a loss for where to turn next, the wind’s voice encouraged them to keep trying. When they were lost and didn’t know which way to turn, the wind gently led them in the right direction. While the four youths suspected the wind was helping them, little did they know that the great Doga was also watching over them.

These stories, these characters, all in one way or another, allowed me to ignore any negative junk that would continually try to convince me nothing is really worth doing, and gave me progressive stories that consistently filled me head with imaginative, healing thoughts about my adventures, and even still, original daydreams of my own.

These are the stories that heal.

To those who are seeking an escape to help calm the nerves and feelings of paddling a boat up a waterfall, I recommend you give video games a try. It may not remove your problems completely from your life, but that’s not the purpose; it’s a fantastic way to escape the negative thoughts that beat us down, and keep us on the floor in times in which things appear hopeless.

Of course, the RPG genre wasn’t the only remedy in the medicine cabinet. Find what you love. Fighting, SHMUPS, puzzle; there are endless amount of genres waiting to soothe your mind.

Lastly, if you have an issue with depression, and you can’t find yourself finding peace in any activity in life, I beg you to get help. Don’t be scared to reach out and talk to someone about where you’re at, and where you want to be. It’s almost unavoidable to get hit with harsh scenarios in life that can change and break your will. In turn, it’s also our job to face these challenges, and grow from them.

We can’t be the heroes of light, if we do not seek out the crystals. Don’t allow the evil elements throw you into hell on earth. The battle is rough, but the outcome is amazing once you get through the battle.

I know for myself, I will have dark days in my future, just as I have had them in my past. The one thing that I know is for certain, is that I understand that there is no benefit in staying in that rough patch. There is an adventure waiting for all of us out there, and there is no better time to live it like the present.

Dark days are coming. but the wind crystals will shower us with light again.

Be a hero of light.

For the four valiant youths, this mission was a novel experience, and each of them was overflowing with curiosity. Everything they saw appeared extraordinary, yet they were completely void of fear. Thoughts of ghosts and evil powers didn’t even enter their minds. They felt as if they could journey on like this forever, traveling to the outer reaches of the universe.

Read more at www.gamingworldunited.com!

Gather ’round the campfire ladies and gentlemen. Oh, and make sure you bring a clove or garlic and a tin foil hats, cause the territory we’re about to head into can only appear to be normal if you actually lived in the Twilight Zone.

Okay, so it goes like this: apparently, there’s this big mystery in the world of arcade gaming that I had no real idea about until recently. From what I understand, this game is frequently played by Big Foot, which holds the world record score to this very day. Okay, I’m just kidding, the Chupacabra is the real world record holder on the particular game. The title of the game you ask?

Polybius.

#FOH

Now, I’m not one for tall tales, unless they are extremely tall, which this one appears to be. Long story short: the ordeal seems to have originated from Portland, OR (what a shocker!), as some new arcade game cabinet titled Polybus made its way into several arcades. So apparently, this game can leave you dizzy, out of breath, stressed the hell out, and broke because of it’s addictive nature. To add even more mystery into the mix, Men in Black frequented the arcades to do what seemed like data mining on these cabinets, leading people to now believe this was some kind of grand government experiment to measure “responses to psychoactive effects” on the demographic who played arcade video games.

Sounds exciting and everything, but let’s be perfectly honest, things of this nature can reach some real silly heights. For starters, I find it absolutely insane that a game that had this much impact in the arcade scene was not well documented by those of that particular generation, even if the game was on the floors for a short period of time. I find it almost impossible to believe that so far, no one has been able to supply any kind of concrete evidence that points to Polybius actually existing. And by concrete, I mean, more than just a simple “I played it”. No picture of it in the arcades. No picture of anyone playing on the machine. No concrete gameplay descriptions (although most people claim it was somewhat comparable to Tempest).

Since I’m not one to simply dismiss notions so quickly, I decided to do some digging just to see if I could get anything, and I mean ANYTHING, to find out if this shit is the real deal, or just some crazy gamers who probably had way too much time on their hands. Let’s start with the fact that nobody can tell what the damn GENRE to this game was. To add to the trouble of looking into this mystery, no one has been able to clearly tell me how the game played as well (not a shocker, since the genre can’t be defined as well). Sorry, but there is no way, and I mean, NO WAY that a game that has this much clout is also a game that is so secretive and illusive, that the people who played it simply don’t remember what the hell they were playing to begin with.

Truth is, the more I dug, and the more I continue to ask around, the more I can conclude that this legendary legend is in total fact, legendary bullshit.

BULL, with a side or SHIT.

Of course, the Polybius myth isn’t the only one that ever floated around. Who can remember the Sheng Long EGM prank that had gamers in arcades attempting the impossible, even if it was CLEARLY an April Fools gag? Likewise for the Akuma Resident Evil 2 Joke that still has some people swearing they actually did the otherwise impossible? The list goes on and on, and truthfully, there’s no way of stopping things like this from coming to light. Sure, it adds spice to the culture, but when it gets to the point in which we’re looking for Leprechauns and Minotaurs, it’s time for a reality check: much like them, this game does NOT exist.

Just ask the Loch Ness Monster, he’ll set you straight.

Do you have any evidence Polybius existed? We would love it if you shared with us! But you don’t.

Read more at www.gamingworldunited.com!