Bioshock 2: Target Acquisition

The research camera in Bioshock 2 outlines targets in gold, so Deirdre is using it as a target finder, keeping it out so that targets are easier to see in dark areas. It's like night vision!

Bioshock 2

Deirdre likes the exploring and solving puzzles part of first person games most, so while I play Halo: Reach she is starting Bioshock 2.

Half-life 2: Episode 2

Deirdre started and finished Episode 2, and said "whaaaaaat" to the ending.

Also, the reloading noise for the shotgun sounds like someone snacking on something chewy.

Half-life 2: Music

Thumpy beats start playing during a firefight. Deirdre, in a dramatic tone: "Oh noooo, it's adventure time musiiic!"

Gunfire Recognition

Games tend to dramatize gunfire with tracer effects, so that a) you can sort of tell where your bullets are going and b) you can sometimes divine the location or your attacker.

Recognizing the direction of fire in games also seems to be something we pick up. On multiple occasions it has been tactically useful to know where gunfire was coming from. The years spent staring at screens of simulated gunfire have taught me to triangulate attackers, but Deirdre doesn't have that experience, and so doesn't necessarily get that information.

For the sake of science, I asked her: Can you tell where that gunfire is coming from? She gave me a negative response.

Half-life 2: Episode One

Though we now own Bioshock 2, Deirdre opted to play through Episode One because her mind was "in that zone."

She's being a trooper and trying to make it through without firing more than one bullet, to get the achievement. Also we agree that Alyx is annoying, and talks way too much.

Half-life 2: The End

"That... suuuuuuucks."

Asking her for favorite parts: She liked wandering around and occasionally killing some bitches with a crossbow from three "feet" away. She liked finding the lambda caches, and smashing up supply boxes. And she liked her bug friends (she was sadder about her bug friends dying than her human followers later on).