Junk and Other Stories

Play the Game

George set down his bowl of cornflakes and placed his head in his hands. He had a tough choice to make, and it wasn't going to be fun. There were several objects laid out on the table in front of him, each one wonderful in its own way. George wanted to have them all, but he could only choose one. It was a difficult decision.

"Which video game would my viewers want me to play next?" George wondered aloud.

His hand hovered over Mario Kart, which was one of his favourites. He quickly drew his hand back after remembering how many times he had played it already. He also didn't want to play games like Skyrim or GTA or Fallout. Those types of games were extremely long and difficult, and one game play could last well over an hour. George didn't have time for that.

"Oh well," he sighed, pushing the pile of games aside. "I'll just have to play one of those games I downloaded the other day."

George rose from his seat and ambled up the stairs to the computer room. It was a room specially reserved for all of the band's computers and electronics. George flicked on the light and scanned the room. He found the four computers standing proudly on their desks, one against the left wall, one against the right wall, and two at the back of the room. The computers' owners were all seated in front of them, staring at the screens, completely absorbed in the World Wide Web.

It was easy to tell whose computer was whose. John had a really fancy emerald green computer, complete with a matching keyboard, mouse and mouse-pad. He had also stuck motivational stickers on the wall behind it. They said silly things like Courage: Do one brave thing today... then run like hell. George shook his head fondly at John.

Paul's computer was a stylish shade of blue. He had decorated the frame around the screen with all sorts of things: photos, stickers, Post-It notes, all sorts of things. There was a neat stack of papers beside it, held down with a shiny paperweight in the shape of a puppy. A pencil cup also stood there, practically overflowing with pens and pencils of every sort.

Ringo had a red computer. His desk was always cluttered with useless junk, from loose papers to broken pencils, and countless notebooks to discarded phone numbers scribbled on slips of paper. It was difficult to see Ringo's computer and keyboard through this vast sea of mess, but he got on with it just fine. He didn't have a pencil cup or a paperweight of any sort. Instead he had a miniature drum sitting on the desktop that he liked to tap on when he was bored.

"Hey, lads," George said, waving his fingers at them.

Ringo glanced up from his screen. He had been hard at work editing his latest YouTube video, which was a vlog listing the reasons why drummers should get more appreciation. He grinned at George but didn't take his headphones off. John and Paul didn't even look up.

"Hi, Georgie," Ringo said cheerily. "What's up?"

"Just about to shoot a new let's play," George replied. He paused for a moment, then asked slyly, "Do you guys know if there's a special occasion on today?"

Ringo stopped to think, then he shook his head. "No. Nothing comes to mind. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," George murmured.

Ringo shrugged and went back to his editing.

He sat down at his own plum-coloured computer and switched it on. Being a gaming YouTuber, his desk was full of all the basic filming necessities. His camera and tripod were present, as well as a large stack of video games and his Kindle. (He often liked to read in between filming sessions.) George switched on his camera, took a deep breath and began his video.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to Geo-Gaming! Today I'm playing a highly requested game called -"  

"Hey, George!" John interrupted.