Just had an odd experience (and yes, I'm a geek).

One of the ways I spend my copious amounts of free time is by playing video games. Occasionally, I use my Nintendo DS to go online and play complete strangers in MarioKart, or PuyoPuyo.

Today it was MarioKart. Fired up the DS, selected Wi-Fi たいせん, set it to find people on the same level as me. After a few seconds, the Nintendo Wi-Fi service hooked me up with three other players. Two of them were on a similar level as me. One of them...

Warning sign number one: His chosen character was Shy Guy, a character that's normally only playable if you don't have a MarioKart game of your own, and you've downloaded the game from your opponent (who has to be in the same room). Warning sign number 2: His win/loss record was 999999off the screen/1167.

First course was "Rainbow Road," a favorite of mine. I managed to get the rocket start off, and took first place immediately -- only to be hit by two(!) blue shells in succession. This before we get to the first item boxes...

This guy would then race just ahead of the rest of us, give himself an invincibility star, then go back and forth continuously knocking us over until we all fell off the track. Then, during the recovery time, he'd travel a short distance down the track and do it again. If anyone managed to pass him, blue shells until he could catch up.

Apparently, this guy's goal wasn't just to win, but to humiliate us in the process. Some people find that fun, I guess, but not me. I mean, what's the point in playing at all if you hack the game and take all the challenge out of it?

One player dropped out after the first track; I quit halfway through the second. Took a hit on my win/loss record, but so what? I was gonna lose anyway, and if this ShyGuy got his jollies off of me quitting, whatever.

I tried re-connecting right after, and ran into a more common opponent: the Guy who's Mastered the Mini-Turbo. Kicked my ass on the easiest track, 8 Cross. However, I'm the Guy who's Mastered One Track, and when Rainbow Road came up, I returned the ass-kicking.

I lose more than I win online, but I still enjoy playing. (when it's fair, of course.) So, if any of you play Mario Kart DS still, and see someone with the handle ロバート and a StrongBad emblem, that's me.