ZAP Chronicles-1

Hi everybody
i know i'm back after a long hiatus. sry abt that.my mistake.
Quite a many would be wondering what ZAP is.Its nothing but one of the best gaming centres in Chennai.Its in Adyar and is quite close to my house.I started frequenting that place with a few of my friends who share my passion for games(it was actually one of them who ignited that passion to a new level).
By now most readers would hav felt that this person is certified idiot,immature and acts like a 10 year old who cant leave his toys free and his diapers from getting wet.Believe me ppl thats absolutely wrong.The stuff ur gonna read from now on will show u that computer games are not for 10 year olds or geeks of the highest order.I will try to bring in the spirit and the passion of games thru this and the coming posts.If u dont get yet get intrested then sit back and enjoy the post cos there are more stuff than games like friendship,laughter,wisecracks and most importantly kicking others ass without hurting them(except their wallet:)).

Enough chit chat.now on to some serious business of laughter galore.
lemme introduce the cast of characters
1. Chandramouli--hey thats me,the most smart,handsome power packed son of a gun.Jus kidding.i am a fat ass who got into gaming thru Anir Vachan aka Raptor.Forgot to mention.All the gamers will hav a new name which resembles little of their personality but shows what they want to be like.I am called Claw Viper.
to be frank many gamers hav names related to movie characters,cartoon characters and of course swear words.
now then my first visit to the gaming parlour(gamers call it) or den was with my friend anir.he introduced me to this cult of gaming and am quite thankful to him.and most importantly ZAP was the first parlour i visited.

2.Anir Vachan--hes my best buddy from 11th even though we hav known each other in 10th.He was a beacon of light to me when i was there in my 10th thinking i am a pro in 8 bit catridge games playing daredevil games like Tank,Contra,Duck Shoot,Mario etc.to be quite honest these games are kick ass and mind blowing to ages from 10-15 years.since my stunted brain could not grasp more abt other games i was there sitting in the class cocky and big headed until i was put out or should i say busted my ass by M.Arun.He did not tease me but showed me the other world of games.But it was anir who did the honours of actually imbibing the PC games into head later in 11 th.More abt anir is that he is the best gamer who has kicked everyone im our set and has proved quite a challenge to other serious gamers.any doubt in game installation to repair anir knows some tom,dick and harry sites to help him out.but hes arrogant enough and never agrees when hes lost badly or a fair fight.he knows how to make a person feel bad but at the same time helps him out.

3.M.Arun--he also known as tds mapper.I really cant call him a gamer but it was he taught me abt elite and classy games and anir helped me refine it.this bugger knows how to tweak the very structure of a game to create something new and totally mind blowing.but sadly he seperated from us after 10th.i hav seen him twice in ZAP.but he often used to play a lot in his house and rite now extremely studious.if there is another word to put studious to a much higher and a technical level i'll definitely use it on him.

4.Kumar Siddharth--aka Samurai.hes a bit different.alas i knew him only for a little while bfore he got shifted to another school.he is a person who gets the fact rite all the time.even though his remarks r more often rite but u wont be in a mood to grasp it.but later u'l make sense of what he told u.eventhough he plays less games and is more intrested in pursuing a career in music but i hav been comfortable in discussing strategies,pro players,ups and downs of a game with him.he has an assured way of saying stuff which makes u wonder whether he has been thinking this up rite from home or just at the spur of the sec.rite now we both are allies to whip anir the egomaniac's ass.

5.Gem Mohan--aka jehovah.he was quite intrested in games when i used to talk with anir abt games and stuff.we were introduced to warcraft3 a popular game which i regard it quite close to god.i find solace in playing that game.we wasted 11th getting to know the basic ethcis of the game and in 12th we were frequently warring with anir to see whos the king of the ring.he was of my wavelength.we would think nothing but strategies and how to counter anir if he does this and does that.we got so obsessed that it was during our modal and study holidays,we talked nothing but plans and strategies as if like naepolean and genghis khan who r abt to conquer the world.rite out of the blues gem would call me when i'll be busily studying and come up with a new idea.i'll shut him up with a counter and this ass will go study while i'll be thinking abt new stuffs.finally in zap we would never implement our elaborate plans cos we were nervous or anir was too quick.
but now he is studying in a medical coll and is not very much in contact with us.i got 77% in 12th std.serve me rite for letting my mind wander
PS:i am not gonna tell u how much my dad whipped me for the low marks.Ohhhhhh"""""it still gives me the shivers.so u continue on with the tale of a legendary soldier who has faced many hells to come up:):):).

so how abt then.so much for our band of gamers.i believe u readers would hav enough with intro and would like to get on with the story.

this story starts from 10th and ends with 11th std.
12th and college to be continued later. sry for the inconvinence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

as the story goes i got introduced to a PC game called DIABLO by arun.i bough that game in Bangkok along with Counter Strike.in 10 th i was smitten by the diablo.arun and kumar(kumi)
had an irritating habit of keeping me in the middle and used to talk abt that game.at first it was a great insult to the 8 bit catridge champ in me.later as i started applying those talks to other friends ,only then did i find out that i was biggest moron and wasnt fit to graduate to 11th.
moreover arun gets into those wild fits and has the nasty habit of re-encating the spells(game special movements of a character) on me.more than often i had to bear with that 90+ kg and 6 ft monstrosity while kumi has the knack of spotting the urge and relocating himself with someone else and talking abt the world and enjoying my misery.
the atmosphere will be like a calm bfore the strom.its in our social science period when the 6+ foot khaali will announce "LEAP ATTACKKKK" and swamp me out of the desk.or else his milder version the "LEAP" where i'll be splayed on the desk gasping for breath so as to get ready to block his nxt attack or better move out of the desk when he comes charging on me.

i believe my readers are good in math.force=mass*acceleration.his acceleration is nearly 15 metre/sec.plzz do the math.my weak heart cant take in those damaging moments.

in the begining i'd be lying face down on the floor luckily with no injuries apart from a dirty shirt.but i got sick of ppl laughing at me.this joker has a uncanny habit of hiding his tonnage after bringing me down literally.in the end i look like a goof ball and he would be seen having a book.during subject hours i would frequently stand up on the bench while he would be gloating over my downfall.this made me take a resolve to stop the steel truck.i faced his leap attack in social period and blocked it successfully.but then the pain started shooting up my arm.i had nearly dislocated my arm in the first attempt.it was then i decided that i'd rather sit at the edge and get up at moments notice than to get pounded by him mercilessly.by the time i got proficient in the tactics of evading and blocking(i would hav done my karate sensai proud if he been to see me do the moves) it was time for boards and all of us got serious and had no goof ups.

10th moved on and it was 11th and arun had gone to state board while i continued with anir in the same school.it was at this time that we really got to know each other.he was lonely with out any friends and i with out any with gaming knowledge.in the begining i thought he was a creep who was not to be trusted.but as we got to know each other better(frequent cycle rides) did we do some serious gaming.in 11th we had our sports day.the entire school was on the field or in the class relaxing.we were having a talk abt diablo in the kiddies park nxt to our ground.all of a sudden he asked me whether u'd accompany me to the gaming parlour.i had wild fantasies abt it like in the alladin and the genie.so i agreed and we jumped over the gate and went to ZAP.it was in the basement.when i got in the atmosphere was so differnt to what i imagined that i was totally downcast and had my misgivings when he asked me to sit with him and watch him play.but i wanted to give ZAP another chance.so i sat there watching all the other things happening apart from anir playing.
it took me quite a while to register the atmosphere.in the begining when i entered the air was full of sounds of swear words and jubliation with team mates that i felt this was a sacrilage to gaming.while i was sitting quietly and noticed that each and every one was totally engrossed to their monitor.i believe even if a riot broke abt or shakira or jennifer lopez came in front of them,they would not even glance or if they did turn,they would quickly turn to their comp and analyze the strategies and the opponent's style.
if truth be told shakira or lopez would grab a comp and start playing with them if they got the chance.its no pun i tell u.i didnt know abt the games so i sat there looking like a lost puppy.:(
also bfore the start of a tournament the atmosphere will be so tense that u can cut it with a knife(this will be experienced by first timers and diehard loyal gamers).
then anir started winning warcraft3 which he played with someone in korea(wonders of telecomm).he started explaining me abt that game.i felt confused in the begining and he took me quite a few time so that i got a feel abt that game.in that period i was a major fan of diablo and often compared it with warcraft.poor anir had to exsasperatedly tell me that both of them are of different generes.its like comparing tiger woods and roger federar.
my second visit was when anir had his 2 other chummies from his old school coming to ZAP.he asked me and i jumped at the offer.he made me play warcraft of which i had no idea.he told me the basic commands and i did it.he trounced his partner with a complete ignorant person.it was then i started regarding him highly.he let me play counter strike with him.the game goes as follows.buy a gun, point and shoot,duck and keep shooting for the win or die in that attempt.
sounds simple isin't it.i made the same mistake.there is more to it than it meets the eye.in my first game i din know we could buy ammo.so i bought a gun and saw the first person and started firing endlessly.it was later i found that he was my ally.nxt thing was another person game with a huge gun towards me.try as i might to fire i couldn't.i was out of ammo.i was bawling at anir that i couldnt fire and din know how to but ammo.this gunner changed his gun to a puny knife.i thought he was doing magic while he came in coolly and stabbed me.suddenly others were laughing.it was then i found that to be knifed,grenaded r very much worse for a gamer than heroically losing or getting beaten black and blue.

it was the very nxt week we had half a day and he took me to ZAP again.this time in the afternoon.fortunately only the 2 of us were there.he put me through a tutorial course in warcraft.it was really humiliating for me.but howmuch ever i protested he put on the game and dumped the headphones over my ears.in truth if i hadnt played the tutorial,i wouldnt hav improved or learnt anything of value later on.so i bit my pride and played the tutorial.it was challenging and i strted enjoying it.later after the tutorial he taught me abt counter strike.how to move,crouch,which gun to buy,armour,grenade etc.i valued these lessons very much.
then we couldnt meet in ZAP though we were very much talking abt the game in school.it was during the exams did he take me to Kouch Potatoanother gaming centre but with ok comps and cheap rates.its known for the unlimited credit u can keep if u had the knack and talent.there anir played war3 with another person in KP and he made me stand the entire session.sometimes hes really helpful and rest of the times anir acts like a stuck up jerk.
this time we had gem who also got smitten by the gaming bug.though we did not frequent the parlours but we had fun discussing strats and other stuff abt games.it was during the start of 12th did the three of us really start frequenting.

like i said i will continue the 12 std episode later.some would not hav enjoyed but the real treat comes in the nxt chronicle.
this is not a cheap publicity stunt i am putting for readers to keep awating the nxt issue but i assure u that if u didnt like the funnies and laughter galore,u can catch my collar and slap me.

PS:::::::
there are many things about games which most of us hav not explored including me.gaming is not for 10 year old.the person who designs these is a 20-30 year old.or even a 40-50 year old female.there is more to it than it meets the eye.gaming is taken as a cult in some countries sadly India is not among them.but India too are developing quality gamers.

finally last and not the least
i wanna thank anir vachan aka raptor aka rappy who has inspired me abt games,taught me and given me a great seal of support in helping me develop my hidden and unborn talents in gaming.
also it was he who made me come out of a long reverie and make me write this post and for the posts yet to come.
so cheers raptor!!!!!!!!the gamer who inspired me and made me proud of what i am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i dedicate this post to u anir vachan!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PPS::::::::
sry for getting sentimental but it happens to all of us who try to post their nonstalgia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bye and hope to give u yet another blast in the coming posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!