MUTLI-ARM BANDIT GAMER
Once upon a time, I crossed the pathway of a multi-arm bandit mortal combat game coder. I was modernizing my CS skills at the computer lab located on campus. Suddenly, a young lad half my age dressed in a badass T-shirt showed up to sit right beside me. I was flattered that my aura did not scare him away and then concluded that we all need human presence. The computer lab was deserted because the weather forecast announced blizzard blind cold conditions for the coming 24 hours. The young man noticed that I was writing a short-story about crime. I noticed that he was navigating the internet for disturbing mortal combat videos.
He initiated the conversation: «Are you a novelist?»
I responded: «Not quite, I've held many occupations in my life and moved around frequently striving to preserve my incognito status. I recently moved back to this city which I happen to know very well. I could not see eye to eye with my people so I write to resume my nomadic life findings.»
He asked: «Nice! So, what's the story about?»
Looking to redirect the attention on the young man, I asked: «The plot is still in seed stage and I had a rough day at work so my brain in pounding like a volcano. Why are you viewing such disturbing mortal combat videos?»
He responded: «I am a game programmer. I recently travelled to Asia for new ideas to code mortal combat games. I watch disturbing videos because I am looking to pitch my team a new supervillain idea.»
I asked: «Now, I understand the badass T-shirt. I was not born in a digital era and all I could remember from my youth is Pac-Man but do feel the vibe from the gaming industry because it boosts jobs in the city. Is your supervillain a boy or a girl?»
He answered: «I want to create a special force military agent who can do all the cruel stuff that make the headlines.»
I answered: «You must be careful where your imagination leads you especially if it creates violent propaganda towards game players. The mind is a tricky little thing and there are people who cannot decipher fake from real and imagination from reality.»
He asked: «What do you mean?»
I answered: «A soldier carrying an extra 50 pounds backpack is trained as a soldier not a supervillain. He cannot portray a supervillain intending to blow, rape and do sordid things to people. Do you believe that a man can be at once a gynecologist, an IT whiz, a sexual debauched lunatic, a crypto king and mortal combat at once?»
He asked: «You mean he can be anything all at once?»
I answered: «Do you believe in real life a supervillain can divide himself in 5! Can a man play crypto king to penetrate stolen wallets and then pursue debauched sexual stuff such as rape pregnant women and deliver her baby by C-section. There will always be good people and bad people but the illusion that a human being can multitask villain things like a machine is no longer reality. It doesn't make sense and these videos become sensational for the wrong reasons. These videos are often fabricated to vilify humans in some parts of the world.»
He asked: «You really do not like the idea! How about gangsters and terror groups?»
I responded: «If it applies to soldiers than it applies to all groups trained in tactical defense.»
He asked: «What do you propose as a supervillain?»
I answered: «How about a fit woman dressed in a lycra black suit, covered head to toe with only her face features appearing like a balaclava, and you choose options to arm her for a match in a wrestling ring.»
He asked: «What features do you imagine?»
I answered: «How about a peruque 5 meters long to twist around her opponent's belt and suffocate him, a chameleon tongue to eject saliva in her adversary's face that blurs his sight, high-heel boots that hook inside the adversary's ear to flip him round and round until he falls on his face K.O., fireballs that pop out of the supervillain's mouth to push back the opponent.»
He responded: «Not bad at all! It sounds like a mix of martial arts and Western wrestling. I'll try to pitch my team the idea of using the multi-arm bandit algorithm to test various supervillain features in a wrestling ring.»
I answered: «I'm glad I could help. Stay away from the crazy stuff you see on internet videos.»
He responded: «I understand your concern!»
I responded: «I gotta go home before the weather gets worse. Thanks for the companionship and stay out of trouble!»