Friday, March 09, 2007
Confessions of a Video Game Addict
In the past, I've referred to my interest in video games as an addiction or a compulsion. I'm only half joking when I say that. When I'm buying more games than ever yet enjoying them less, it's not hard to make the call that something irrational is going on here. This bothers me mostly because video gaming is a very expensive hobby. I want to buy something because I'll enjoy it, not just because I feel like I need it.
This weekend, for example, I decided to hit some of the local used book stores to see if I could find any more Animorphs stuff. (And I did indeed! Five whole books! Score!) Of course, since the local Gamestops are in the same area, I ended up swinging past them to see if they had anything cool in. And I came dangerously close to scooping up two portable game pills -- the Capsule and the Tablet, a pair of all-in-one portable video games much like that Coleco thing that I regretted buying during the Christmas rush. Fortunately, I won that battle of wills, if only for the moment. Even now, I can feel the strings of my heart being pulled by these devilish devices, and I dare not let my thoughts linger on them too long.
I want to stop buying things that I don't need. I want to be content. It shouldn't be hard -- I already have hundreds of games at my disposal. Why do I want more?
I'm making progress. My compulsive purchases have gone down in recent memory, and I'm starting to revisit games that I already own rather than chase after something new. Instead of buying Hotel Dusk, I replayed Phoenix Wright 1 and 2. Instead of following the progress on Wario: Master of Disguise, I started up new save files in the original 3 Warioland games. Instead of being seduced by the old-school, randomly generated dungeon crawling in Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, I reminded myself that I have a perfectly good dungeon crawler in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.
They're running out of games that I don't already own. And I'm starting to catch on to them.
Besides replaying my old games, I've started taking up other hobbies to try and fill in the void. I'm tracking down and reading the Animorphs series, digging out some of my favorite old board games, doing some crafts, experimenting with my cooking prowess... basically striving toward becoming a little more well-rounded.
And a funny thing has happened. I suddenly find that I don't want a Wii. Not that I've ever rationally wanted one to begin with, but... even that heavy fanboy heartache feels like it's just about played out. Of course I asked if they were in when I went out over the weekend, but I felt pretty ambivalent about what I'd do if by some miracle they had some available. I actually felt... afraid that I'd find myself with the opportunity to purchase one.
The thing about addiction is that you never fully recover. I know that I'm one good shopping trip away from a total relapse. But for the moment, I'm staying strong. And my bank account is thanking me.
This weekend, for example, I decided to hit some of the local used book stores to see if I could find any more Animorphs stuff. (And I did indeed! Five whole books! Score!) Of course, since the local Gamestops are in the same area, I ended up swinging past them to see if they had anything cool in. And I came dangerously close to scooping up two portable game pills -- the Capsule and the Tablet, a pair of all-in-one portable video games much like that Coleco thing that I regretted buying during the Christmas rush. Fortunately, I won that battle of wills, if only for the moment. Even now, I can feel the strings of my heart being pulled by these devilish devices, and I dare not let my thoughts linger on them too long.
I want to stop buying things that I don't need. I want to be content. It shouldn't be hard -- I already have hundreds of games at my disposal. Why do I want more?
I'm making progress. My compulsive purchases have gone down in recent memory, and I'm starting to revisit games that I already own rather than chase after something new. Instead of buying Hotel Dusk, I replayed Phoenix Wright 1 and 2. Instead of following the progress on Wario: Master of Disguise, I started up new save files in the original 3 Warioland games. Instead of being seduced by the old-school, randomly generated dungeon crawling in Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, I reminded myself that I have a perfectly good dungeon crawler in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.
They're running out of games that I don't already own. And I'm starting to catch on to them.
Besides replaying my old games, I've started taking up other hobbies to try and fill in the void. I'm tracking down and reading the Animorphs series, digging out some of my favorite old board games, doing some crafts, experimenting with my cooking prowess... basically striving toward becoming a little more well-rounded.
And a funny thing has happened. I suddenly find that I don't want a Wii. Not that I've ever rationally wanted one to begin with, but... even that heavy fanboy heartache feels like it's just about played out. Of course I asked if they were in when I went out over the weekend, but I felt pretty ambivalent about what I'd do if by some miracle they had some available. I actually felt... afraid that I'd find myself with the opportunity to purchase one.
The thing about addiction is that you never fully recover. I know that I'm one good shopping trip away from a total relapse. But for the moment, I'm staying strong. And my bank account is thanking me.
Labels: bio
# posted by CPFace @ 7:40 AM 
