Dominic Trezza

2nd period
Old vs. New (Allegory of the Cave retelling)
Chuck was a retro gamer. In his opinion, Duck Hunt, Ninja Gaiden, and Contra
were the best games of all time however, the topic was often heatedly discussed
amongst his friends. They would throw out names like Mario and Sonic, but Chucks
opinion was immovable. None of them had played a new game since 1997, when
Chuck had won a Quake tournament with the top prize being a lifetime supply of
Cheetos and bottled water. They (being Chuck, Frank, Hank, and Leif) shut themselves
away in Leifs basement with no outside contact other that bi-weekly Cheeto and water
deliveries and nothing with them other than their massive collection of old video games.

Now lets skip ahead a few years, 16 of them to be exact, to a different time.
Video games have now become known as art. They can be insightful, intelligent, and
cause real emotions. On August 31, 2013, Chuck was playing Duck Hunt just like any
other day. On September 1, 2013 however, he was doing the same thing. That is
because September 2, 2013 was the fateful day that Chuck realized all of the pleasures
modern games could bring. His 3 companions were sleeping but Chuck never slept, he
was a god among men. A knock came upon Leifs cellar basement door. Chuck knew
better than to answer the door, Leif had outfitted it with hanging bear traps that made it
a perilous trip. Youre probably imagining a bear trap to trap bears, but youd be wrong.
Leif had actually captured bears and hung them from his ceiling so no one could get in
unless they had a tranquilizer gun, which we all know is just a myth. Anyways, without
warning, other than the knock of course, Seal Team Six punched through the door!

They reached for Chuck with their massive hand and plucked him from the dungeon he
had so willingly placed himself in. The light blinded Chuck as he was extracted via
flying gorilla and he passed out. He dreamt of pepperoni.

When we awoke, he had a bizarre device in front of him. It had two handle like
protrusions coming from the bottom and two more knobs on top. A voice boomed from
the ceiling KNAVE! YOU SHALL LEARN JOLLY COOPERATION! This befuddled
Chuck. Now scared and befuddled, he began to cry dragon tears, which we all know
turn into jelly beans! Suddenly a bright flash! A man was standing in front of him, a man
as bright as the Sun. Chucks mind went blank and he only had one wish, one need
and it must be sated. If only he could be so grossly incandescent. Overcome by this
sudden urge, he stood and stretched his arms as high as they could go. Parting them as
if YMCA suddenly started playing, he excalimed, Praise the Sun! Another bright flash,
and Chuck passed out again. He was RIP in peace for sure this time. He dreamt he
was galloping through a mastodon made of octopi, cacti, and fungi in nothing but a pair
of high heels.

I was wrong. He found himself back inside of Leifs dungeon, body intact, with
his homies playing their games. Thinking what had just happened was a dream, he
picked up his trusty NES controller and popped in Contra. The bleeps and bloops didnt
ring as well in his ears as they had formally. They sounded more like a banana peel on
yak hair than glorious retro hipster. None of this made sense to Chuck. The man
appeared next to him. The familiar glow and warmth emanating from the man calmed
Chuck, but not for long. The mans presence reignited something in Chuck. He needed

to be praise the sun. He needed to participate in the jolly cooperation. If only he could
be so grossly incandescent.

Chuck of course, had played Dark Souls in the heaven that Seal Team Six took
him too. Once you have played the masterpiece that is Dark Souls, nothing else can
suffice. Nothing else can create such an explosion of glory! Chuck could no longer sit
and watch as his compadres played such classics as Friday the 13th and Paperboy,
no. He would remove them from this hell.

He tried convincing them, but nothing could make them budge. They were
obsessed with these old abominations and he was powerless to stop it. Chuck began to
do the dance which would summon Seal Team Six and he was escorted by them back
to Gamestop. Chuck bought a Playstation 3 and Dark Souls that day. Now all he plays
is Dark Souls, thats what I call an awakening.