Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Siobhan Magnus slaying it on American Idol, Bryan Danielson’s losing streak on NXT, or Jeff Hardy’s latest day in court, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today’s Coffee Talk is a suggestion from RPadholic N8R. What’s your favorite videogame cliche? To stick with N8R’s examples, are you a fan of doors that lead to nowhere? Do you love how waterfalls are used to hide important objects?

As for me, I’m a huge fan of barrels, boxes, and crates in role-playing games. Who puts treasure in barrels? Why do adventurers think it’s okay to break and plunder every crate they come across? It’s not like I’ve ever read townspeople in an R.A. Salvatore book say, “Oh crap. It’s that Drizz’t guy again. Better hide the crates before he and Bruenor wreck everything!” Yet for some reason, it’s totally acceptable in games.

[Tangent: Computers are a modern-day equivalent of crates. My friend and I love playing as Wolverine in X-Men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, just so we can shred every computer we come across. In our heads, Logan is frustrated that he never learned how to "work a computer" and goes into a berserker rage every time he sees a PC. This is a lot funnier is you're actually playing the game with me.]

So tell your fellow readers and me about your favorite videogame cliches! This should be a fun one. I can’t wait to read your comments!