As it turns out, I'm a complete psychopath.

I didn't know this before I played Half-Life Alyx. I haven't made my way very far into the game, but already I've proven it to myself.

In level 1, I did lots of karate with a broom, lots of great kicks and stick swings, and boy did I stick that handle into every hole I could find. I lay down on a park bench and spooned the broom. I hung my broom up on a series of antennae and gave it a good spin - yay! The broom liked that more than the spooning, I think. I didn't clean much with the broom, but I did let it go the moment I found a traffic cone and found it made a nice megaphone to yell at people with.

In level 2, I found a cute rat in a trash can. Actually it wasn't cute, it was giant, and also dead. But I named him Squirrely and brought him everywhere with me. We found a park and I put him on the slide a few times, whee! Then I spun him around on the merry-go-round and Squirrely would have had such a great time if he was not dead.

But it was the exact moment that I began wiggling my dear dead rat friend Squirrely into a character's face and whispering into his ear, "My pet smells good, doesn't he," that I realized I'm a psychopath.

I'm glad Half-Life Alyx has gotten me in touch with who I really am.