Word of the Day: stygian

It was a complete coincidence, the pairing of today’s word and the holiday. Today is Evaluate Your Life Day. It would have to land on a Tuesday. I’m not particularly thrilled that such a holiday exists, but, it has given me the excuse to actually acknowledge that, most weeks,  I’m not able to hack five stories a week, three is more realistic.  Maybe one day I will get there.

I am planning to keep writing everyday,  and I am still “evaluating” how that will work, and what form that will take. I’ll keep you all posted.

Today’s Word:

stygian

As in:

The surprise smash-hit video game “Who Would Jesus Freeze,” has hit a new record for the highest sales of a video game with superficially religious content, which is only about 10% of the sales figures of the highest grossing game which leaves religion out of it, thank you very much.

The game, which is a first-person-freezer, puts you in the role of the title deity, and allows you to freeze people in their tracks so that the frozen can think about what they have done wallowing in their own guilt and shame.

The game will not allow the player to freeze anyone that Jesus would NOT freeze, thereby answering the question posed by its title. It turns out that Jesus will not freeze babies, mothers pushing strollers, or random guys driving hot dog trucks.

Jesus will freeze burglars, murderers, pornographers, programmers of malware,  politicians of all platforms, televangelists, people who take His name in vain, CBS executives,  and guys that look like Glen Beck.

The game was doing very well in sales, but a sharp increase was noted when the press released pictures of Sasha and Melia Obama purchasing the game for their father’s birthday in August.  President Obama has reported that he was surprised at how much he enjoyed the game, and freezing people.

Besides freezing people, there are mini games in which you can turn water into wine, and a “feed the people challenge” where you try and maximize the number of people you can feed with small amounts of food.

Game designers are pleased that the game has done so well. They credit the game’s title. “We were going for something light-hearted, and really, built the game to answer for ourselves the question of who *would* Jesus freeze? It’s much more interesting than simply asking what would he *do.* We wanted to take our premise, and make as fun a game as we could.  We didn’t want to make another stygian, overly moralistic and judgemental sorts of game, but, something that provoked thought and discussion about real issues. We never dreamed it would take off like it has, and make no mistake, we’re thrilled about getting that outcome as a bonus to meeting our design goals.”

Production has been increased to be sure to meet the likely demand for the game this holiday season.

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I actually dreamed this yesterday. In my dream, we were having a birthday party for President Obama, and he was playing the game, in a suit and tie, while Sasha and Melia, and me and the other guests, watched him freeze people.  Any dream that gets me a story idea is a good one.

stygian / STI – gee – an / extremely dark gloomy, or forbidding