Gaming with Bots

Summary: It turns out that most people at Hunter Base play video games.

Rating: K/G

Genre: Friendship/Humor

Shippings/Pairings: none

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: Mega Man is the intellectual property of Capcom.

A/N: I love bouncing headcanons with my friends. You know who you are – thank you!

During the rare pockets of peacetime that present themselves in the world of Mega Man X (or Rockman X, depending on the preference) the personnel of Maverick Hunters all have their own little hobbies that they can choose to indulge in. For instance, the 17th Unit is well aware of their beloved commander's love for all things antique, which, along with his bibliophilia, has earned him the reputation of being somewhat a packrat. Unfortunately, this is only compounded by the commander's other life-long hobby: that of collecting figurines and model kits – a pastime that he used to share with the late Dr. Cain.

However, for the purposes of this story, let us mention a peculiar quirk of fate: for some reason or another, almost every Reploid in the Hunter Base plays video games – some more and others less, but almost everyone plays them from time to time. (Some even organize tournaments!) For example, our titular character X has always been rather fond of what many often call "cozy games": life simulators – farming sims in particular. Cute aesthetics and a soothing atmosphere are a definitive plus – that's why you can find X playing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon. If he can, he often names NPCs after his friends and acquaintances, which has sometimes led to misunderstandings such as–

"Oh, I forgot! I've got to breed Zero soon–"

"...what."

"Zero the cow, I mean–"

"X, why on God's green earth did you name a virtual bovine after me?"

"Well–"

"Don't answer that."

Speaking of Zero, it is well known that the commander of the 0th Unit spends most of his freetime training. However, on the rare chance that he is unable to do so (usually on Lifesaver's orders) he can choose to fulfill his need for practice by training in a more virtual medium; namely, that of fighting games. It can be a traditional 2D arcade fighter, a beat 'em up, or a hack and slash – as long as there is enough strategy involved, he can make it work. (If he is in the mood for even more strategic play, he can also spend time on tactics games like Fire Emblem or Advance Wars.) He also enjoys the occasional spectacle fighter like Devil May Cry or Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

In fact, Zero quite enjoys the entire Metal Gear Solid series, finding its meta commentary on war politics poignant, if perhaps a tad too close to home at times. And although he will never admit it – least of all to himself – the series' main character Snake resonates with him on some level, perhaps because of their similar circumstances in life. Zero's colleague Axl finds the series entertaining as well, and sometimes he joins Zero on his gaming sessions. However, their approach to the game could not be more different.

"...I see. So that's why the Boss chose to–"

"Who cares?! C'mon, skip, skip, skip – I wanna get to the fight already!"

As for Axl, although he likes the occasional stealth game like the aforementioned MGS or Hitman, shooters are his genre. If he is playing for an audience, he often chooses to play a more family-friendly game like Fortnite or Splatoon (X is fond of watching him play the latter) but when left to his own devices, he has a big library of games to choose from: from Team Fortress to Halo and Counter-Strike, he has played – and trolled – them all.

As for the Navigators, both Alia and Layer are long-time fans of visual novels. Alia prefers to spend her time on stories that focus heavily on intrigue and mystery. She also likes VNs with puzzle elements, so games such as Ace Attorney or Zero Escape are right up her alley. She has also read through the entirety of the When They Cry series. Layer, on the other hand, reads mainly romance. She has a rather refined taste and gives out fantastic recommendations. (X is still not over CLANNAD.) Behind closed doors, however, she has sunk countless hours into different dating sims.

Pallette and Douglas both live and suffer in gacha hell. The two can often be seen playing together in the cafeteria, where it is not uncommon to witness one do a pull or two for the other – though to little avail, as both of them seem to possess equally rotten luck.

And Signas?

Signas plays Candy Crush.