For most portable video games, you’re not being particularly
brave when you play them out in meatspace. The button-pressing and
D-pad-pushing is fairly surreptitious in the vast majority of on-the-go titles;
you can play without making too much of a spectacle of yourself. But other
games make you look like an idiot during your morning commute.
For me, it was Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. I loved how the DS title’s
stylus-centric control scheme made the combat feel quick and brutal but holding
the system vertically made me feel like a weirdo on the subway. And those fight
sequences where you have to slash frantically on the touchscreen? I got a lot
of stares for that.
Other games have had similar mechanics—seemingly created
with the express purpose of embarrassing you outside of your living room—like
when you blow into the DS microphone for The
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, smile into the PlayStation Vita’s
camera for Tearaway or talk for voice
commands in a Phoenix Wright game.
So, have any games made you feel weird for playing them in
public? Ever had anyone tap you on your shoulder and inquire as to your
well-being as you spun around looking for stuff in an AR game? Share your
stories below.
Top image credit courtesy of pop culture geek
