Deep in the heart of Iowa, the world’s greatest City Bus Simulator 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP1yddiEzpQ) player is just getting home from work. His name is Albert. Right now is the third best moment of Albert’s day: the 22.7 seconds when the tires of his ‘94 Dodge Stratus are touching the gravel in his driveway, when a tumble-crackling of tiny stones in his wheelwell can be heard.
It’s a prelude to what awaits in Albert’s single-story duplex: three and a quarter hours of pristine, uninterrupted city bus simulating. The hustle and bustle of the city-goers; the adrenaline rush of ambulatory stop-and-go traffic; the menacing passenger irritated over the 10 cent rise in bus fare are all familiar telltale signs that Albert’s home. And 4.3 seconds? That’s the amount of time it takes Albert to open and close the front and rear doors to let passengers off—a world-record.
By day, Albert is a lowly Nerd Team employee at his local electronics warehouse. But by night, Albert rules the influx of bus passengers. And the best moment of his day? The realization that comes from expertly deploying a wheel chair lift in downtown Manhattan rush hour traffic, and still getting that grandma to her 7 o’clock bingo tournament: that there’s an ecosystem of people that rely on him to get where they need to be.
Our efforts this week are wrapped up in similar concerns: our subscribers are relying on us to wrap up our latest, exclusive-first-look-at-an-incredible-gamingest issue so it can hit their mailboxes on time. Catch us next week. In the meanwhile, there’s Bios to Shock, Fields to Battle on, Stars to Trek, Lands to Border, and Dragons to Age.