Brick Wall
February 12th, 2021
Starring: Lead (35-40), Codeling 1 & 2 (25-35)
A tech startup office, a common area. Lead is finishing up a task at their work pod, typing away on their laptop.
The Codelings bustle in from the cafeteria, holding biodegradable cartons of salad and kombuchas. They sit down on a sofa, toss their work laptops off to the side, and pull out their phones, turning them sideways. They use their phones like game controllers, aggressively tapping away with two thumbs. As they play, the Codelings engage in moments of intense, hushed concentration, randomly punctuated by a noisy verbal expression of anguish like “GAH!” or “OH!” or “NOO!”
This cycle continues, growing louder and more animated. Lead tries to concentrate, but can’t seem to, watching the Codelings as they go through their cycle, eyes glazed over, entranced.
At some point, Codeling 1 happens to glance up and notice Lead noticing. They nudge Codeling 2, who stops and looks up:
LEAD
How’s the integration coming along?
CODELING 1
Oh. Hey. Sorry about the noise, we’re on a little Kombucha breather break.
Codeling 1 holds up their phone:
Playing some Brick Wall.
CODELING 2
Do you play too?
LEAD
Sorry...what is Brick Wall?
CODELING 2
Wait...you haven’t heard of Brick Wall??
CODELING 1
It’s this new game that everyone’s playing. Top of the app store this week.
LEAD
Why is it popular?
CODELING 2
Because it’s impossible.
CODELING 1
It’s not impossible—
CODELING 2
It feels impossible. Nobody in the world can get past the first level.
CODELING 1
Just watch this:
They pull up the game on their phone and show it to Lead. The screen shows a virtual stick figure, following with the moves as Codeling 1 narrates:
CODELING 1
I slide under the barrel, around the trash can, up the ladder, double tap over the dumpster, dodge the feral cat, and jump onto the platform. Now here’s the brick wall. I’m going to get a running start, I double tap to get over it and....
CODELING 2
Wham.
CODELING 1
See? It looks like I have plenty of space, but I still hit the brick wall.
CODELING 2
And that happens to everyone.
CODELING 1
Somebody in Canada put up a clip of them jumping it—
CODELING 2
It was obviously edited. There’s no real proof.
CODELING 1
People are saying it’s a glitch, and the developers just haven’t fixed it.
CODELING 2
But there are no bugs in the code! They analyzed this!
CODELING 1
If there are no bugs, then how can nobody get over it!?
CODELING 2
Because there’s a way! There’s always a way, we just haven’t found it yet!
The Codelings’ eyes start to glaze over again, moving towards their phones, but Lead speaks up before they can:
LEAD
What if there isn’t a way?
…
CODELING 2
Huh?
CODELING 1
You mean like...it’s programmed to be impossible?
CODELING 2
Why would you make a game impossible? Then it’s not even a game.
LEAD
Sure it is. It’s a mind game.
CODELING 1
But...Brick Wall is a game game. You can control the avatar and everything—
LEAD
What if they want you to think it’s a game game? What if that’s the game? What if the game is a bigger game to prove how badly people want to beat games?
...
Just think about it. How many hours have you spent playing?
CODELING 1
...28 hours. All outside of work, of course.
LEAD
And you?
CODELING 2
...29. All outside of work too, of course.
LEAD
So together, you’ve spent 57 total hours trying to beat the game.
CODELING 2
Yeah—
CODELING 1
Good math—
LEAD
And now that you’ve spent 57 hours trying, I assume you’d be willing to spend 57 more if it means you might beat it…
CODELING 1
Probably—
CODELING 2
Yeah—
LEAD
So if we decide that the game is impossible, and the object of the game is to prove humanity has an insatiable thirst for victory, then...
CODELING 2
...then what?
LEAD
Then you win.
…
…
CODELING 1
Wait...yes. We win.
We...we win!
CODELING 1
We win!
CODELING 2
We win!!
LEAD
And now that you’ve won, I guess it’s back to work then, hm?
...
CODELING 2
Um
Yeah—
CODELING 1
Yes. Absolutely.
LEAD
Well I’m glad you got over it. The Brick Wall, I mean.
...
You two keep integrating, I’ll be back around.
The Codelings nod, sheepishly. Lead smiles and spins around back to their work pod. The Codelings slot away their phones and boot up their laptops. All is quiet again.