Killing Time with Swine...and Angry Birds

Have you heard of Angry Birds? The computer video game, made popular for its comical challenge of shooting birds from a slingshot at annoying pigs protected by various barriers has been taking the world by storm. I first heard of the game when my son suggested I purchase it for my new laptop computer. Priced rather inexpensively, I bought the game.

I have never been one to get hooked on video games. I do remember enjoying a game of Tetris once in awhile when we first bought a Nintendo and then there were some Hoyle casino games that I found fun to play on our first IMac computer. For while there was also a tile matching game that had me competing for higher scores. I enjoy playing the Wii every once in awhile but I become bored quite easily and would much rather browse though a magazine or read a book. still, playing Angry Birds once in while has had its appeal.

I tend to turn to the game when I have a few minutes of time to kill before going to pick up one of my children. I attempt to progress through a few levels before I have to leave. Often however I reach a point (usually only a few minutes into playing the game) when I think, "What the heck am I doing?! This is pretty stupid. Am I seriously wasting time on this?!" However at other times, playing the game is a nice distraction when I am struggling a bit with Writers Block. It does not happen too often but every once in awhile I cannot think of what I want to say in the middle of a story or when I'm brainstorming ideas for a blog post.

Tonight as I looked at the clock and saw that I did not have much time before midnight to post my daily discussion, I saw the little Angry Birds icon at the dock on my laptop. I did not click it to begin playing but I did think of the game and of the challenge of blowing up the little green pigs who sneer and chuckle at you when you fail to crush them in a level. I've got to say that there is something strangely satisfying about aiming wingless birds at wood, stone, or ice beams in an attempt to crush all the chuckling pigs. I am not sure I understand why I continue to play it, but what can I say? I do. Heck, tonight it even inspired me to write.

I still do not know why the game is as intensely popular as it is but hey, who am I to judge? I suppose if flinging wingless birds at little green pigs makes people happy or allows them time to be distracted from their concerns, then more power to the silly game!