Twice lately I have been having some rather strange experiences that essentially reflect the amount of time I sit in front of the computer.

The first time this happened was watching the rugby on TV. For a short while I could have sworn I was watching a computer game. The little men running around on the little field so resembled the other little men that run around on the little field that I have at times controlled with a controller that I had to do a double take.

I attiribute this to a few things. Firstly that I have played a lot of games over the years - although not as many as some - and they were bound to have some kind of effect on the way I view….you know, stuff…. Secondly, I have recently gotten hooked up to digital TV and while 90% of the time this means a nice sharp image, occasionally the image can get pixelated a little resulting in a vaguely rendered looking picture. I was not too concerned about this whole experience just a little bemused and a touch proud of how goddamn digital I am.

The second incident was a little more insidious. We were away for two days with the students, south of Newcastle, in the Glenrock State Recreation Area. Windswept coastline, meandering lagoon thing, majestic ships on the horizon, you know, like, nature. Upon reaching the top of the ridge looking back to the lagoon, valley, coastline etc I was immediately struck by how similar it looked to a level in Farcry. In fact it would have made a great level in Farcry. Finally the natural environment is beginning to catch up with the imagination of sweaty game programmers in the United States I thought to myself. Of course, I would not want it to resemble Farcry too much, some shit went down, on that island that should not have happened in any civilised society. Fortunately we did not discover any evidence of any genetic experiments gone wrong, however, Chris did find the ruins of what looked to be an abandoned mine shaft or something so there may have been untold horrors lurking beneath but we are not really in a position to say for sure. Suffice to say, the water was rendered very well and the grass swayed realistically in the wind and these traits that all natural environments, rendered or real, should aspire to.

One day the Ric The Plastriers of the future will wax lyrical on the weft and warp of some digital realm, lending credence and a sense of gravitas to my paranoid merging of screen and landscape and I guess I will feel vindicated and righteous. Writing this now I just feel like a bit of a dork.