My friend and her Nintendog
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
The newest Nintendo portable system (the DS) has an adorable game: Nintendogs!
Everything about it is cute. It looks cute. It sounds cute. You can even do cute things like rub its belly with the stylus pen that comes with the DS. Even the Nintendogs website is super cute.
My friend from school recently got a DS specifically for the game Nintendogs. She happened to read the having a pet is very good for stress relief (of which there is plenty of in school!). Another key factor is that she is Korean but has spent thirteen years of her life in France. English is her third language. In any case, she got the game, decided on her puppy and was faced with the question: What do i name my puppy?
Being heavily into philosophy, she decided to look into philosopher names. She decided upon Emmanuel Kant. The thing about Nintendogs is that it’s very interactive. It’s even voice activated! So you have to get your puppy to understand his name by saying it repeatedly into the handheld device until he responds to it. So, the next day, she decided to teach it its name. At work. In a quiet office where educational material is produced.
The screen came on, showing her new pup looking up at her expectantly.
“Kant!” she said loudly into the DS.
The dog ignored her.
“Kant!” she repeated.
He still seemed to have no idea that he and the great philosopher had anything in common.
“Kant! Kant! Kant!” she screamed.
(Note that this is all said in a slight Korean/French accent)
A co-worker, who was watching the entire episode with some amusement, sauntered over and tapped her on the shoulder. With a big grin, he said, “I think there might be another meaning in English for the word that you’re screaming...”
Oh yes. Fun with English slang.
lol. I knew where you were going with that. But word/name aside, it’s also pretty funny that she got so worked up over naming her digital dog, in public no less. Is it the Frenchness or the Korean-ness, Kat?
Posted by on 09/15 at 12:00 PMhehehe. funny story.
The other day, I had to watch this bar/bri training video, and one of the guys talking is from Ireland, and has a heavy accent.
He kept saying account, but the way it was coming out sounded like a-kant, so to speak. This other dude kept snickering and turning around to me, trying to get me to join in laughing.
Come on dude, we’re not in sixth grade.
Posted by BRY on 09/15 at 01:34 PM