Luke POV
Where did everything go wrong? Look at my room, cramped, dark, and dirty. As I brush past my table, quickly glancing at the overdue bills, ignoring them and heading straight to my computer. For an hour, I have so much fun, hysterically laughing at videos, yet, no matter how much I occupy my time, I can never shake this indescribable boredom. Despite having the world at my fingertips, there’s nothing to do. In the end, I simply click my mouse on the same browser, open the same sites and then close them again for hours on end. All I want to do is numb the pain, to pass the time until I need to sleep. A sleep that would release me from my misery, from my despair. Oh, where did it all go wrong?
It wasn’t always like this, I used to have friends, I used to get out a lot and played around with others. That was during University, when I was studying for a bachelor of, I don’t even remember anymore, what value was there for that degree? My parents had great expectations for me, they wanted me to be a doctor, a lawyer, an architect, and they wanted me to graduate University no matter what. But did they ever ask me what I wanted to do? There hangs my degree, in all its glory, there hangs 4 years of my life for nothing. All my life I’ve been living someone else’s dream, someone else’s life. In school I was told what to learn, in University I simply did what my parents wished of me, but now? After University, what should I do?
6 months has already passed since I graduated University, I tried to find a job, I really did, but nobody wanted me, and nobody ever told me I needed 5 years’ experience before starting my first job. Again and again I applied, only to be rejected, or worse, to simply be ignored. I wrote hundreds of cover letters and countless resumes, yet nobody is even willing to give me a chance. Instead of actually using my degree, I’m still working at the supermarket, stacking shelves. When I work day in day out, silently stacking shelves, I can’t help but be ashamed of where I ended up. Years upon years of University for what? A job that doesn’t even require a third of my brain is all I could manage.
I stopped seeing my friends, those great people I had enjoyed University with. After all, what was I going to say to them, they who managed to effortlessly secure top paying jobs, they who secured a job before even graduating. What could I say to them?
“Hey guys, I work at a supermarket despite the fact we all were in the same year level, despite the fact we were in all the same classes. Isn’t that funny?”
So I rejected their invites, their good will, their laughs and company, I rejected it all. After making excuse after excuse for not attending their birthday, meetups and board game sessions, they got the hint.
It wasn’t a pleasant surprise when Heath noticed me stacking shelves, and despite my best efforts, I was unable to avoid him. After all, I was supposed to be working and can’t suddenly rush off to the back. So, with much trepidation, I steeled myself and prepared several recited lines, hopefully enough to get him to leave. At first, he simply annoyed me, buzzing around with such cheerfulness and happiness. Why are you so happy to see me? Don’t you realise that I’ve been avoiding you on purpose. Yet, a part of me was thrilled to be speaking with Heath again, even if I was lying about what I’ve done and how I’ve been, even if I’m just spewing out some recited lines, I was happy to see my friend again. In the middle of all this, he invited me out for dinner and I couldn’t say no, after all, what excuse did I have, or perhaps I didn’t want to keep lying to myself, so I’ll be joining him later. Our conversation ended when I finally told him I had to get back to work and was able to cut the conversation short.
Heath is a strange person, I knew him since Year 10, about 5-6 years now. He’s a cheery guy with an endless amount of ideas, although, he never seems to complete any of them. A bit into University, as we started to drift off, but then, we played board games at a friend’s place and that kept us bonded ever since. For it’s been too long since school for us to truly stay as friends, we aren’t forced to be around each other anymore, nor do we have any common classes to take. Ever since school ended, with different degrees and Universities to attend, we’ve both been busy people. Although, when school just ended, we vowed that we wouldn’t drift apart, that we would remain tight. And this was true for the first year, constantly talking in the group chat, arranging schnitzel nights and common parties.
When he chatted to me at the supermarket, another one of his strange ideas came up, to make a board game. Knowing his history, I just agreed to get him to go away, after all, when he talked with great zeal about 30 other ideas that never left mere words, why would this one be different? Sure, we play board games, we played many different types of board games, from long and strategic ones like Dune, to fun and simple games like Spot it. But how do you even make a board game? Where do you begin? Just copying someone else’s board game? Trying to make a better code name? To imitate the feeling when playing a board game? Who knows where his mad mind is heading towards, yet, I cannot shake the interest in making a board game. After all, I’ve played so many, how hard can it be?
Haaa, my shift finally ended and there’s still a few hours left until 7pm, when Heath and I are meeting up for dinner. Let’s just think about this board game thing for a bit, I mean, sure he’s not gonna do anything, but I might as well right? Let’s start with what board games I enjoy, I love board games that’re simple to learn, nothing is worse than a 30 page rulebook. But more than that, I love the misunderstandings that arise from other players. A game like codenames is rife with misunderstandings about what the other player means and is hilarious as a result. Now, how do you make a board game about misunderstandings? Is there any how to make board games for dummies?
I’ve always noticed that it’s hard to find others I connect with well, although we always share similarities, there’s always this knowledge that we’re different. That’s why I like games that use misunderstandings because it allows me to get to know people better. Now, “normal” people would just talk to others to understand them, but nobody taught me how to be “normal”. Instead, I use board games to see who thinks as I see, who thinks as I think and then, and only then, talk with them more. There was this fun game a host of an anime and video game conference played, where we have to show out the words on the screen.
The twist was that somethings, it would say red, but be coloured in green, in addition, it goes faster and faster as the audience gets better. Eventually everything is a mash of words and laughter ensures. What if I made a game like that? In a similar vein to Spot it, players would flip their cards over and say the colour on top and whatever the object is. The twist is the same, the words are in a different colour, but the object is the same colour as the words. Would this be fun though? I have no clue, but it’s the best I got so let’s talk to Heath about it and see what he thinks.
