1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: Ephemeral is a production of My Heart three D audio 2 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: for full exposure, listen What's that phones. This month on Ephemeral, 3 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: we've been talking about the evolution of video games, dating 4 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: back to the simple beginnings of Pown and Space Invaders, 5 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: all the way up to the supercomputers that power our 6 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: imaginations today. But in today's episode, we wanted to focus 7 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: on the world's inside those video games. Video games can 8 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: remove us from reality and place us in a magical 9 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: and surreal world. But given the ephemeral nature of video 10 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:49,639 Speaker 1: games saves all of this wonder, amazement, and experience can 11 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: be gone in the blink of an eye, leaving this 12 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: world to exist only in our memories. I could probably 13 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: give you a story about me being involved in like 14 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: a lost save file from pretty much any time period 15 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: of my life. My name is Matt Davidson, and my 16 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: qualifications as a video gamer, I would say are pretty 17 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: extensive just because of the generation I come from. So 18 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: I was born in which puts me right in the 19 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: middle of original Nintendo era, and I stuck with it 20 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 1: enough through current times to where I played every different 21 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 1: era of video games on pretty much every different console 22 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,639 Speaker 1: at one time or another. It wasn't necessarily me losing 23 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:36,679 Speaker 1: a save file, but I played the Diablo series, so 24 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: both in Diablo Too and Diablo three, there's a mode 25 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: that you can elect to play called Hardcore Mode. In 26 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: Hardcore Mode, you agree at the beginning that if you die, 27 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: all your progress is lost, and what it does is 28 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: it resets you from zero, no matter how many hours 29 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: you've sunk into this character. The ones that really hurt 30 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: the most were when you would lose internet connection and 31 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: then you would log back in and your character was 32 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: dead and deleted. Right. So I had a few characters, 33 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: one in particular that probably had close to five or 34 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: six hundred hours of playtime just playing a very pedestrian 35 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: part of the game, and my internet cut out when 36 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: I got back on that character had died to some 37 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: you know, trash mob. I went through this period where 38 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: I actually had to stop playing the game for like 39 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: three months because it's like when a dog dies and 40 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:41,080 Speaker 1: you like can't get another dog for like for a 41 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: few months because it's too painful. Like I uninstalled the game, 42 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: I had to completely walk away. I eventually did come 43 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: back to the game. I went through the whole process 44 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: again and lost another character and then I just had 45 00:02:56,160 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: to stop. I couldn't take the pain anymore. I guess, 46 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: like the funniest thing about it is like, it's so 47 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: painful to you, but anybody that doesn't play games, like 48 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: your significant other, like, has no idea how painful it is. 49 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: And my wife is just kind of like bewildered why 50 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: I was so upset If I'm talking to somebody that 51 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: doesn't play video games. I'm almost a little embarrassed to 52 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: tell the story because a the number of hours I 53 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: sunk into playing a video game and be I sort 54 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: of set myself up for that, right, Like if you 55 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: play high stakes like that, you're gonna lose at some point. 56 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: I almost feel foolish for thinking that I was gonna 57 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: be able to, you know, ride the lightning forever and 58 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: never have a fault. Somebody would call and my mom 59 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: would be on the phone for like half an hour, 60 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 1: and I'm sitting there, like, Mom, I thought my carriages die. Hi, 61 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: I'm Josh Chandler. Have been playing video games pretty much 62 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,920 Speaker 1: on my wife. That's the I started playing card games, 63 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: and then I guess in my later twenties I got 64 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: very good at it, and I guess my biggest claim 65 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: to family is I got Top one hundred and Magic 66 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: to Gathering and her Stone and soon to be the 67 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 1: new You gear game. So you're good at video games, 68 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 1: card games, I've got a card games. Back in middle school, 69 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: there was a game called Rinscap and Rindscape was like 70 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: one of the first like MMO games where you could 71 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,159 Speaker 1: go in and interact with other people. But that was 72 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: back in the time of dial up. It was pretty 73 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: bad when people would call, dial up would go out 74 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:46,279 Speaker 1: and DSL was still not another not available. I'll never 75 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: forget this one instance. So I guess our friend Michael, 76 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: we were like out in what's called the wilderness where 77 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: you can kill other players. I was with him and 78 00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:01,919 Speaker 1: my internet went out, and then he killed me. My 79 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: friend that I was supposed to be like my ally 80 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: killed me and took all my stuff. And then when 81 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 1: I wrong in im just like, what how did that 82 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: make you feel at the time this is happening, and 83 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: how do you feel about it all these years later? 84 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 1: I mean I felt freaking angry at Michael. I mean 85 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: he was supposed to be have my teammate, he's like 86 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: my friend right now, I just have trust issues with 87 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: I quit ultim online that day because everything I had 88 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 1: fought for for years was it. God. This is Matt Frederick. 89 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: I am an executive producer on Ephemeral officially also a 90 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: host of stuff they don't want you to know. Let 91 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,599 Speaker 1: me take you back to middle school. I'm playing ultim 92 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: online with my friend Victor. We're playing all the time. 93 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: He's got a couple of characters. He's really good at it. 94 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: And I've got one character. Character's name is Malachi. And 95 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: I'm doing everything I can to get my fame and 96 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: my carma up. I'm trying to make money. I finally 97 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: get there. I'm the illustrious something Malachi, and I just 98 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:14,359 Speaker 1: got enough money to buy a boat, which was a 99 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: really big deal because in the game, you can either 100 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: have a house or a boat where you could store 101 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:21,599 Speaker 1: all the stuff you've gathered, or you've got to just 102 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 1: put it in the bank, which is just kind of 103 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,040 Speaker 1: you know, that's fine, whatever, But if you really want 104 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: to be somebody in ltimonline, you need a boat or 105 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: a house. I got this boat. I used all my money. 106 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: I took it over to the water, and I placed 107 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: my boat in the water, and I teleported onto my 108 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: boat and I started putting my best stuff into the 109 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 1: cargo hold of this boat, and I was so excited 110 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:48,240 Speaker 1: and I was going to transfer that stuff over. I 111 00:06:48,279 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: was gonna get to see the world in ultimonline. Some 112 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: other character unbeknownst to me kind of walks over and 113 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 1: just hanging out on the shoreline, and then they just disappear, 114 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: and like, oh, that was weird. Well, it turns out 115 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 1: they had cast an invisibility spell on themselves and then 116 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: teleported onto my boat. All of a sudden, I see 117 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: all of my stuff coming out of my ship's cargo hold, 118 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: all of my most important, most fought for magic items, 119 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: my money, all the rest of the money that I had. 120 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: Everything just goes onto this guy, and I'm freaking out. 121 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: I'm trying to figure out what's going on. So I 122 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 1: try and take everything else out of the boat and 123 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: then teleport off of it, because if you do that, 124 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: you could double click on the boat and it shrinks 125 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: down and you can put it in your backpack, basically 126 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: like it's an item. But this guy had taken my 127 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: spare key from my boat out of my boat, and 128 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: he was able to click on it and take my boat, 129 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: and then he just got the kind of there. It's 130 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: not cool. I'm still to this day upset. I think 131 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 1: just a not knowing and the amount of energy you 132 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: put into something that you can never get back, where 133 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 1: it's like it's just gone. Those are the two things 134 00:07:56,880 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: that strike the deepest. Hi. My name is Kevin Cool. 135 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: I reside in Portland, Oregon. I've been playing video games 136 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: for over twenty years, and in two thousand and seventeen 137 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: on Madden Online for the Xbox I was ranked with 138 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: the top twenty three percent of online participants. So I 139 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: feel like I'm pretty good. I was kind of young, 140 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: so video games are pretty big. The game was on 141 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 1: the Nintendo sixty four console. The legend of Zelda, okerry 142 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: enough time, and if I remember correctly, you got three 143 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: safe files in Zelda. The one that it hurts the 144 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: most was what I'd call my master one. This is 145 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,079 Speaker 1: one where I had beat the game, gotten everything that 146 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 1: all the little side quest you can save it right 147 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 1: before you beat the final boss. You can go back 148 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: in fight the boss continuously over and over. So that 149 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:46,439 Speaker 1: was my third safe file, just because it was like 150 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:48,079 Speaker 1: I beat the game, I had all my cool stuff. 151 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 1: So you know, when your friends come over, you gotta 152 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: show off, so it's like, oh I did this, like, 153 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 1: oh you got the mirror shi, oh you got to 154 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: have her boots. I don't know if it was like 155 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: a glitch or what, but the state was still there. 156 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: You could access it, but it just froze. It wasn't 157 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: the exact set point that it would freeze at, but 158 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: you always knew it was gonna glick. So it was 159 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 1: like the countdown. It is either thirty seconds, thirty minutes, 160 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 1: you know, whatever it is. You could load the save, 161 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: but you could never actually beat it and continues to 162 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: play it again. There's always a wish. We're just paused, 163 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: and it would just stay there and there's nothing you 164 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 1: could do. It was very painful, as most people are. 165 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:30,079 Speaker 1: At first, I'm in denial. It's not broken, it's that's 166 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 1: whatever happened. So you do the old run around, takes 167 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: the game out, blowing the cartridge, lick the cartridge. Yes, 168 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: we went there. Lick the cartridge. I think even like 169 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,600 Speaker 1: try to like put a fork or something metal on. 170 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,559 Speaker 1: It's like remagnetize it, even though that didn't do anything, 171 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 1: you know, kid magic. And then I'm pretty sure I 172 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,559 Speaker 1: went to Anger and ran around screaming and yelling at everyone, 173 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:54,880 Speaker 1: and I hated the world for probably a week. I'm 174 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 1: gonna say a month. I don't really remember, but I 175 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 1: know I hated everyone because I was so mad because 176 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: I've spent so many hours and I could never do 177 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: that again, and that was the perfect file and nothing 178 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: would ever come close to that ever again, and nothing 179 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: in my life mattered anymore. And I was not gonna 180 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: pass the seventh grade, and my girlfriend was gonna dump me, 181 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,240 Speaker 1: and my mom was gonna make meat loaf for dinner 182 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: for a week. Life, as I know it had ended 183 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:20,480 Speaker 1: at that point, as you can tell, is rehash some pain. 184 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: There's that song that was playing when the barrow went out. 185 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 1: I still can't listen to it without getting like, Hi, 186 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 1: I'm Annie Reese. I'm a podcast host for the show's 187 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: stuff I've never told you and save her. My brothers 188 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 1: were notorious for just erasing my save file. So one 189 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 1: of my favorite games, Final Fantasy three Slash six, they 190 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: would just erase it before I could get anywhere, and 191 00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: it would be heartbreaking every time. Once I was playing 192 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,439 Speaker 1: Final Fantasy ten and I put hours into Final Fantasy tin, 193 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: I normally am not somebody who like levels up to 194 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: go fight the ultimate Boss. I did in that game. 195 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: It was Christmas. Eve had gotten this weapon that you 196 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:05,200 Speaker 1: needed to fight this ultimate boss and all the stuff. 197 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: For me, it was a huge deal. I'd never done 198 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: anything like that. Power went out, Power went out, lost everything, 199 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 1: the entire hundred fifty hours gone, and I was right 200 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: at the part where I was going to fight it, 201 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:29,199 Speaker 1: and I could have saved right after that, and I 202 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: was so scarred by I could play it, and I 203 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: never tried to do it again. It's not worth it. 204 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: Game Shark was a very attractive idea. Oh, I can 205 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: just use these cheet codes and I can get everything 206 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:46,400 Speaker 1: I want in the game. This is awesome. But as 207 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: a youngster, what I didn't know is that what game 208 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 1: Shark really does is it goes into the game and 209 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: alters like the code in the game and like basically 210 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 1: screws the entire game. Up. Hi am Trevor Young. I 211 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 1: am a producer on Ephemeral. I was playing also Final 212 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: Fantasy ten And I don't know if you remember this, 213 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 1: but back in the late nineties early two thousand's, there 214 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: was the think called game Shark, and it would allow 215 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,840 Speaker 1: you to install these sorts of like cheat codes and 216 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 1: all these other various ways to get items in the 217 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:22,360 Speaker 1: game without actually having to do anything. I had this 218 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,560 Speaker 1: final Fantasy ten Say file that I had dumped hours 219 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: and hours and hours into doing all sorts of stuff, 220 00:12:28,559 --> 00:12:31,440 Speaker 1: beating every bus, every endgame thing you could possibly do. 221 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:33,080 Speaker 1: But there was still like a handful of things that 222 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: I was really frustrated that I couldn't do, like I 223 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: think a couple of ultimate weapons and some other things 224 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: that like are just like really hard to do in 225 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:41,720 Speaker 1: that game, in the endgame, And so I used the 226 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: game Shark to get those few things. And what the 227 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: game Shark did was it like blitzed out my whole file, 228 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:54,959 Speaker 1: so like it gave me those things, but like everything 229 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: else was like glitch out after that, Like I don't 230 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:58,800 Speaker 1: know what it did to the code. It was basically 231 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: an unplayable safe in the game. Every time I would 232 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,440 Speaker 1: log on, like the characters would just be like moving 233 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 1: across the map without me touching it. I'd have like 234 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,559 Speaker 1: these kind of random encounters, and then like the random 235 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,560 Speaker 1: encounters would just be like these monsters that would move 236 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,320 Speaker 1: around a lot and like didn't do what they were 237 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:16,360 Speaker 1: supposed to do. It was really weird. Basically, like the 238 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: game was unplayable after that, Like the game Shark just 239 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: completely screwed up this same file, and so I basically 240 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: just had to wipe the whole thing and start over. 241 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:24,840 Speaker 1: Like there was nothing I could do. There was no 242 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:27,440 Speaker 1: way to play it. Luckily, Final Fantasy ten ones itself 243 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: pretty well to replayability, but still I was pretty heartbroken. 244 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:32,600 Speaker 1: I don't think I played it for like two years. 245 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:36,719 Speaker 1: Last question, this is a quick one. Let's say I 246 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:39,680 Speaker 1: knocked on your door tomorrow and said, here you go, 247 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:43,120 Speaker 1: here's your system. Would you try to do this again? 248 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: The answer to that is yes, I fully intend to 249 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 1: when Diabolo four comes out. That's the kind of insane 250 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,319 Speaker 1: thing about it is, even though I have so much pain, 251 00:13:55,720 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: the pain drives me to do it again. I don't 252 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:03,200 Speaker 1: think I would ever try to do like what I 253 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: did in my example of losing it. I wouldn't try 254 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 1: to get every Ultimate weapon again. I would play it again. 255 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: I'm not going to try to get all those weapons 256 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,240 Speaker 1: and fight all those Ultimate bosses ever again. I think 257 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 1: I would try, Especially now with the last two years 258 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: being a pandemic, that's an extra time on my hands. 259 00:14:23,520 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: So all things considered him like plotting out, I could 260 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: have easily done it over the past two years. It's 261 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 1: more so, like I said, the emotional investment. Do I 262 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: want to put that much energy into something where I 263 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 1: know it could be taken away in an instant and 264 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: there's nothing I can do. But I would probably say, yeah, 265 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: I would probably do it again. I quit playing with 266 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: him now I still have trust issues twenty years later 267 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:49,440 Speaker 1: with him. Could you see yourself going through the wilderness 268 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: with him again? No, I would definitely try again, but 269 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:55,640 Speaker 1: it would take a lot of time. I would need 270 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: some healing, some self reflection. I would have to like 271 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: take a solo trip to a cabin in the woods 272 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: in a mountains somewhere and really like think about my 273 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: life for a couple of months, and then I'd come 274 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:09,800 Speaker 1: back to it and start a new game, a final 275 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 1: Fantasy ten. If you came up to me with the 276 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 1: old Dell computer and you had ultim Online loaded up 277 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: and it had a secure connection to the server, There's 278 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:26,080 Speaker 1: no way in hell I would try and play Ultimate it. 279 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: This episode of Ephemeral was written and produced by Max Williams, 280 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: with special thanks to Jesse Funk. Those were the voices 281 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 1: of Matt Davidson, Josh Chandler, Matt Frederick, Kevin Cool, Any Reese, 282 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: and Trevor Young. Some of the great music in today's episode, 283 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 1: like the piece you are hearing now, comes courtesy of 284 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,680 Speaker 1: the artist mon Plies here. If you have listened to 285 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 1: Ephemeral for a while, you've heard a lot of their work, 286 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: and we are happy to announce we will have an 287 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:02,600 Speaker 1: upcoming episode in interviewing the artists for now here more 288 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: at loyalty Freak music dot com. What's been your most 289 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: heartbreaking experience with the safe tell us on social media. 290 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 1: We're at a federal show and check out the two 291 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 1: part exploration of the history of video games and other 292 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:19,400 Speaker 1: podcasts from I Heart Radio by visiting the i heart 293 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,560 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 294 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:23,240 Speaker 1: favorite shows.