(Okay, so it's not Saturday. I couldn't get the site to work last night. Desculpa-me!)


People go on and on about how video games are bad for kids, turning them into ruthless killers and car thieves who like their coffee like they like their women: pixilated. And hot. Or something. But what about when video games save lives? I give you: Hans Jørgen Olsen. Yes, I know his name is totally awesome (although my friend Jeff says the vowel "ø" sounds horrendously ugly when spoken aloud), but more importantly is the fact that without the help of a certain beloved RPG, the only place left to marvel at that name might have been on a tombstone.

What kind of world are we living in that children are being attacked by a moose? What's next, flying squirrel kamikaze missions? On the other hand, it must be nice to live in a place where you can just stroll through a nearby forest with huge wintry animals roaming about. But I digress. So in the face of fearsome antler-wielding forest animals, this kid not only had the fortitude to take charge and get the moose away from his little sister (what a great brother!), but then to follow the lead of his Warcraft hunter character and drop like the dead, throwing his enemy off the track.

Pure genius. Can you even imagine what kind of bloodbath might have gone down if the kid has been playing Mortal Kombat? Then again, that would change the story from "heart-warmingly quirky and showing a more productive side of video games" to "child goes crazy on forest animal and proves video game stereotypes right -- berserker!" So it's probably for the best that it didn't come to that.

As it does stand, this kid deserves some sort of medal. Bravery, heroism, and the right to get his WoW on for a little bit before digging into homework. Hey, after all, it's not like it never taught him anything.



_DictionaryGirl_ is saddened by the fact that, should she have found herself in a similar position, she would not have had the same brilliant options. Despite her best efforts, in real life she can neither cast arcane missiles nor turn enemies into sheep. She is also not sure what the benefits of turning a moose into a sheep might be.