{I had started writing this a while ago, and finally dug it out and finished it and put the images to make it seem longer. Enjoy!}

I was driving to school last week, going a little over the speed limit as I was a little later than usual, and all of a sudden, I slow down. Without even questioning why I did it, I remember that there's a cop usually parked on the particular street that I was going down, hence, I slowed down so I wouldn't get a ticket. Now I wasn't going that much over the speed limit (no more than 5mph) but I still didn't want to get pulled over. I also noticed that my heart beat increased a little as I went by the cop, as though I knew that he was going to pull me over for doing something that I was justified in doing, but it was still wrong. Why am I afraid of getting pulled over? Could it be the way that our fine, uniformed law-enforcers are portrayed in the media? Maybe. Maybe...



One of the first games that I played growing up was Road Rash. I always remember this game being fun, beating down my opponents with chains and pipes and other weapons, all while going really fast on a motorcycle. What more could a child, nay, anyone want? Best game ever, 10/10. However, there was always one screen that irritated me more than anything...



I just wanted to keep racing! Why did the cops have to stop me? It's not like I'm hurting anyone - except for my opponents - by driving down the road as fast as possible on my bike. The cops were just a buzz kill in Road Rash, and this has always carried over for me in real life (like that one time I skipped school and got pulled over for running a stop sign :D). I don't want to piss my pants every time I see a cop, and I don't want to have to act like I'm not doing anything wrong when I'm not doing anything in the first place. I shouldn't be intimidated by the people that are supposed to be protecting me and upholding the law.

Another angle on this is the corrupt/bad cops in the real world. You know, the Officer that just had a bad day and wants to let out his/her stress on the 'perp' (who usually isn't really doing anything wrong). This doesn't phase me, as I know I'd get a huge chuck 'o change from the ensuing lawsuit. However, The thought of wasting all of that time - and the possibility that I might not win the case – just pisses me off to no end. The fact that one person's bad day can ruin my life, really bothers me. No one should ever have that much power over someone else's life on a whim, without any thought to it (well, except for maybe a sniper or something).

I guess I really just don't like having people watching over me, be it in games or in life. I ought to be able to do what I want, when I want with little to no repercussions as long as I'm not inflicting pain or damage on others (be it physical, emotional, or to their property). Wait, that's a giant oxymoron for most of what takes place in gaming, isn't it? Most games have you in the shoes of someone who is fighting against the establishment, and not following the rules. I guess Road Rash was trying to tell me not to get into motorcycle gangs, or to be a scientist involved in the opening of the portal that essentially destroyed the future of our planet (fucking Combine...).