Still watching: Game Center CX

Recently, I moved house and got a new job (albeit temporary) which means that I haven't had time to look at a lot of jdramas this season. Add the fact that my job is deadly dull, you can imagine that at the end of the day I want something light and funny to help me relax.

And so, thanks to these guys, I've been watching some subbed episodes of Game Centre CX. I've written about it before, but that was years ago. I feel like I should mention it again since it's taking up so much of my viewing time.

It concerns a man who has a day (or two) to complete old video games. The format for most of the show is very simple: he plays the game while making comments about how well/badly he's doing. Most of the things he says aren't that funny, but usually raise a laugh from the film crew.

At first, watching a man playing video games seems pretty tedious, but before long you really get into it, and if he wins, it feels like a real achievement. And each episode has a segment where he goes and plays video games in an arcade somewhere, so at least they let him out of that room once in a while.

As an act of endurance, it's pretty impressive. I'd hate to sit and play one game all day, especially if it's one I haven't chosen myself. But he keeps playing on, the table gets more cluttered with snacks, and the whiteboard behind him becomes covered in notes. The way they've made video games into something like office work makes it something the viewer can relate to, even if they've never heard of the game being played.

It's like a morality play for the 21st century, except that instead of finding the way to a holier life, Game Center CX is about finding the way to the good ending.