What's Happening!?!?!

One of my favorite activites has fallen by the wayside.

I once had a passion for video games that could not be quenched. The frequently fluctuating images held me enthralled for hours on end. When I was younger, nothing could get me up earlier than the new game in the living room that I had either just bought or rented. Five A.M. is an early wake up on a school day when the bus doesn't stop until 7:30, but it was a small price to pay for two whole hours with no distractions. The worst offenders were the games that didn't have passwords to continue, or batteries to back up saved games. Some of these could be left on the shelf, but others, such as Blaster Master, feel like the one that got away.

Lately I haven't found a game that could get me up before work. It could be that I find it easier to stay up late than get up early. The last game that kept me wanting to play was Halo. Anyone who has played this game knows that it's superb gameplay is backed up by an exceptional plot, and a healthy dose of physical comedy. The week that I rented Halo was an exercise in sleep deprivation, because I was only getting about two hours of sleep before going back to work. It played like a good book: just one more chapter, then I'll go to bed.

I'm not sure if it is the choice of games on my shelf, or the lack of time management, but I haven't touched a game in at least two weeks. I think of them often, because many of them are highly regarded titles, but when I do, I can't decide which one to play. I've also played on the good system in the living room, and it's hard to go back to the cheap system in the spare bedroom. I set the cheap system up as a late-night haven to crawl into when my night-owlishness takes hold. It's a place where I can make noise without waking the Mrs., but it's barely half the quality of my main system. In fact, I'm spending good gaming time right now to get these thoughts down. Lack of proper seating also diminishes the gaming experience. I need a decent chair to slouch down into while immersing myself in the worlds displayed before me by the flickering phosphors.

I guess you could call me a game-oholic. I've got an itch that could use some scratchin', but life has gotten in the way. On the plus side, I've started reading a lot more. That's really where my spare time has gone lately. Of course some books can keep me up into the wee hours of the morning, too. I guess I'm just helpless in the throes of my addictions.