Tales of a Former Admin

[Garrett Jax]

With sad eyes, Garrett Jax gazed upon the care facility. Unlike care homes where older folks lived out the remaining years of their life, this one was a bit different. Instead of people, it was a nursing home for older games. Games that once were full of life and popular, but now settled in for as comfortable an end as possible.

Garrett couldn't recall when Discovery Freelancer first entered this facility, but there was no denying it now lived here. He remembered fondly the days when the server was bustling with activity. Now, the numbers in the Community were dwindling, and thus the life of Disco. Occasionally, he spent time wondering if he should have done things differently during his time as a Green. A different decision that would have prolonged the good times. It was true Disco wasn't dead. Not yet, at least. However, watching it reach an inevitable end made him more than a little sad. He made it a goal to visit Disco as often as possible, but the visits became more and more infrequent. The last time he checked in was several months ago.

At the entrance, was a posting listing five games that had finally passed on in recent months. None of them looked familiar to Garrett. He walked on in the facility, relieved that Disco was not on the list. As he signed in the logbook, he overheard screaming from some old game toward its visitors, "WHY DON'T YOU PLAY ME ANYMORE? DON'T YOU LOVE ME? I GAVE EVERYTHING I HAD FOR YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?" Garrett watched as the gamers fumbled for words in response, trying to reassure their game that it was still loved. He sighed. Some games didn't end with as much dignity as others.

Garrett entered the room where Disco lived. The room was small and sparse. A mechanical recliner, a wooden dresser, and a single sized bed were all that furnished the room. Disco lay in the bed, sleeping. He forced himself to remember this wasn't a real person, this was only a game. It was his perceptions of the state of Disco that was projected onto the bed. But it was hard to remember that when he saw the frail old woman snoozing in her bed.

Disco startled herself awake as he entered. Her eyes lit up when she saw who it was. "Garrett Jax!! What a joy to see you again."

Garrett couldn't help but smile in return. "It's so nice to see you too, Disco."

"Tell me, are you a ghost?"

Garrett looked confused. "A ghost?" He hoped senility wasn't creeping in.

Disco laughed. "You know, a lurker. Someone who hangs around, but doesn't really play anymore. I see a lot of ghosts. They visit me from time to time with promises of playing me more often or making excuses about why they can't. I don't mind. I just love all the visits. I must have touched the hearts of so many to get so much attention."

Garrett nodded. "Yes, you have. And yes, I'm just a ghost, I'm afraid. I won't bother with excuses."

"That's fine," Disco said. "Don't feel bad. Nothing good lasts forever you know."

"I understand you're under new management," Garrett said, trying to change the subject. "I have to admit, I was concerned about you when I heard of the change. How's that going?"

Disco waved her hand dismissively. "Games don't care about management, Garrett."

Garrett frowned. "Well, I tried to enforce the rules as best I could when I was an Admin."

"Games don't care about whether rules are obeyed or not either."

Garrett's frown deepened. "But what about the cheaters, the trolls, the furries, the bronies, the powertraders, the jumptraders, the basshunters, the non-English speaking players and all those that simply tried to ruin the fun for others?"

Disco grabbed Garrett's arm reassuringly. "Garrett, Games don't care about any of those things."

Garrett's shoulders slumped in despair. "You mean everything I did, everything every Admin did, didn't matter to you?"

"I'm sure you did what you thought was best for me," she said, smiling. I'm sure the new management is doing the same and I appreciate that. I really do. But the only thing that really matters to Games is people actually playing them. We don't care how they play us, what their intent is, or whether they are following the rules. Other people can worry about those things. Our sole purpose is to make life a little more fun for all of you."

Garrett finally relaxed and smiled. "Well, I want to tell you, Disco, life was more than a little fun when we were together. Thank you for that."

Disco settled back into bed with a contented look on her old wrinkled face. "In that case, when I finally pass, I will die a happy game. Thanks for stopping by, Garrett. Don't be a stranger."

Garrett Jax stayed a little longer with Disco, until she fell back asleep. When he finally left, he felt encouraged by the visit. He wasn't sure how much longer Disco would last in this world, but he felt comforted by the fact that he had helped it fulfill it's life's purpose.

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