Posted December 19, 2010 (edited) I'm a huge fan of the footballer Zidane, and I've probably seen the "film - a 21st Century Portrait" a good half a dozen times or so already. Anyway, there's this one bit in the film where he talks about himself as a kid, and whenever he watched a game on telly, he would imagine having a commentary in his head and would run towards the telly at important parts, such as when a goal was scored. Sometimes I have these moments and I pretend about certain things. When I'm playing a Fifa game, I get really into it. There was one moment last week where I was playing a match between Liverpool and Man City, and due to my shitness I (Liverpool) was down 4-1. But, I begun to launch a comeback. It was 4-2, then 4-3, and all the while I imagine that I could hear the crowd getting behind the players. I imagined that I could hear a commentator in my head describing every single piece of action. I imagined that I was the player in control of the ball, thinking their thoughts and urging the others to get forward. I tuned out of what was around me in the room and was focusing on every single thing on the field, even if they weren't necessarily there. In the 89th minute, I had the ball on the edge of the box at a player's feet, after receiving a throwing and decided to shoot. It flew into the top corner and I let rip a YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH! I actually threw my controller onto the bed and went up to the screen, like Zidane, imagining it was me who had scored that goal. I clenched my fists really hard and for that moment I was on the field celebrating something beautiful that I had done. In extra time, I had a player sent off, and I lost 6-4. Again, I imagined that I was a face in the crowd, that my reaction had turned from ecstasy to despair. I'd like to say that this doesn't happen often when I'm playing games, but...it kinda does. When the red card was given, I imagined hearing the groans or the voices of disapproval in the stadium around me. When the goals went in, I was silent. I could feel my head lowering and I knew I wasn't going to win the game. Recently, I had a conversation with a friend at work and told her that I had never owned an iPod, because I didn't like the sound just coming through headphones. The reason is because I want the sound around me. In the room. It's very hard to describe, but if I hear the music around me, I feel it around me and sometimes I feel that I can touch it. I like hearing everything, because then it helps me feel connected to everything around me and that is how I feel. I can't feel if I can't see or hear. So, when I'm listening to music, sometimes I imagine myself floating, or re-enacting a particular scene from a film or a part of my life that has already happened/or will happen. Whenever I hear "The Surface of the Sun" from Sunshine, I imagine Capa making the jump. No matter where I am, I tune out and imagine that it is me making that jump. So, are there times where you pretend or imagine that you are someone else. Or even somewhere else. What I'm trying to look for are particular examples. Also, I find detail very important. So, don't hold back. Edited December 19, 2010 by Fierce_LiNk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 19, 2010 Only examples I can think of with music, I almost always imagine a music video, or some sort of "visual" for songs. Sometimes it involves me, sometimes (usually) it doesn't. I sometimes put my itunes on shuffle and don't skip over a track, and then pretend that those songs are a setlist for some fictional experimental band I'd be in. I did that the other night actually. I imagine performing Professional Widow [Mr. Roy's Cosmic Cottage Mix] (all 8 minutes of it) on stage with some friends of mine. I was wearing silver trousers/jeans. That's probably my closest example. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 19, 2010 Well when it comes to music, I often find myself listening to songs from various Sonic games and whenever the really up-tempo tracks (so every one of Sonic's Adventure levels or anything from Unleashed) comes on, I always kind of image that I'm running at ridiculous speed, grinding along rails, leaping over buildings and so on. Nothing even comes close on it's own to absorbing me like music does. Sometimes a game might suck me but it's pretty rare. If I can see my character onscreen, I can empathize with them better but I have difficulty actually being them. But the music can put me in their environment and make me feel as though I were them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 19, 2010 Recently, I had a conversation with a friend at work and told her that I had never owned an iPod, because I didn't like the sound just coming through headphones. The reason is because I want the sound around me. In the room. It's very hard to describe, but if I hear the music around me, I feel it around me and sometimes I feel that I can touch it. I like hearing everything, because then it helps me feel connected to everything around me and that is how I feel. I can't feel if I can't see or hear. So, when I'm listening to music, sometimes I imagine myself floating, or re-enacting a particular scene from a film or a part of my life that has already happened/or will happen. Whenever I hear "The Surface of the Sun" from Sunshine, I imagine Capa making the jump. No matter where I am, I tune out and imagine that it is me making that jump. Buy yourself a good pair of headphones. It will make a difference. I promise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 19, 2010 Buy yourself a good pair of headphones. It will make a difference. I promise. I don't want headphones. I don't care how good the quality is. I'm quite funny about this for the same reason that I don't like hearing music on buses unless everybody else can hear it (through a radio or something). I like to hear sounds that fill the room, so natural sounds, but also additional sounds. I don't want to hear "just the music" because to me that can be quite artificial. For this reason, I love hearing the sounds when I'm driving my car, hearing the engine, the sound of the cars passing by, the wind, the heating system, the radio in the background. I want that. To me, if I hear something through the headphones, although it is personal I do feel cut off from my surroundings. Like in the gym. I can't have headphones because I like to hear the sounds of weights clattering to the ground, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 19, 2010 Whenever I cook I imagine I'm a TV chef, telling the world why I'm adding a bit of paprika and how to judge when you've chopped enough onions. I will be audible if my girlfriend is in teh room. I also walk down the street and imagine what it'd be like to be hit in the face by a baseball bat. Quite a lot. it's one of my milder psychotic thoughts. I've physically flinched a few times. When I was a kid I used to try and repeat what the newsreader was saying at exactly the same time that they were saying it. It amused my sister a lot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 19, 2010 Whenever I cook I imagine I'm a TV chef, telling the world why I'm adding a bit of paprika and how to judge when you've chopped enough onions. I will be audible if my girlfriend is in teh room. That's the best thing I've ever read from you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 19, 2010 I'm not really sure what the hell you want from me Karl Flinkington but have you ever seen Son of Rambow? I think you'll like it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
