By: William Chandler

Day 2 of the Write A Stupid Thing Every Day, or W.A.S.T.E.D, quarantine challenge that I’ve imposed on myself.

Shopkeepers in games give me anxiety. Much like in real life, I want to have a good, mutually respectful relationship with the people who provide me with goods and or services. I’m not trying to be best friends with the guy who serves me coffee or the merchant responsible for selling my weapon attachments but I try to be as nice to them as possible. Unfortunately, they don’t always make this easy. Sometimes they’re just rude to you from the jump. I get that people are not always immediately trusting, and I can respect that, but is exchanging niceties just too much to ask for?

I’ve been replaying Dark Souls 2 recently, the Scholar of the First Sin version, and I couldn’t help but feel put out by just how rude the blacksmith has been to me. I mean, I bought the key to unlock his shop for him and he didn’t even give me so much as a thank you in return. As if shopping in his store is a gift in itself. How about a discount, pal? The crusty, old skeleton lady gives me a discount and she’s a fucking transient.

However, by far the most upsetting part about video game store owners is when they harshly acknowledge if you didn’t buy anything from them. For instance, the very same blacksmith will scold you for wasting his time if you take a look at his wares but don’t fork over the dough for anything. Is that really a great way to treat your customers? I can’t imagine there are too many other folks showing up at this coastal town in the midst of this undead pandemic in order to buy a halberd.

Maybe we’ll grow closer over time thanks to the magic of capitalism but I’m not sure my wounded heart will ever heal after such poor customer service.