Now They've Got Me Playing Games!

Arrr! That's pirate-speak for those of you who haven't played Puzzle Pirates. According to the official Pirate Thesaurus it "can be used by a pirate in almost any context. It can be used to express a pirate's approval, as a verbal declaration of his or her anger, or sometimes as simply a way to ensure everybody around knows you are a vicious, bloodthirsty pirate."

I don't see the Minnesota Historical Society Library hosting gaming nights anytime soon -- unless someone comes up with a killer Minnesota history game! But it is useful to know what this is all about, so I joined up as a pirate. (My pirate name was Akako, should anyone want to know.) I knew it was hopeless to try Second Life with my slow dial-up connection at home and even at work I don't know if my computer has enough "oomph," so Puzzle Pirates it was. (Warning for anyone else trying to download the game with dial-up: It takes a very LONG time.)

This was fun, addictive, and could be really time-consuming. But I see why kids would like it.