Gaming Exile

I began computer gaming at a young age on a Commodore 128 (ask your grandparents). Starting around the 5th grade, I played games like Defender of the Crown, Autoduel, 4th & Inches, California Games, Airborne Ranger, and other cartridge games on the tan colored machine. I sunk untold hours into these games, and I even dreamed of one day designing games of my own.

Then I discovered something that would forever supplant my love of games: girls. I distinctly remember the beginning of the 8th grade when I noticed that something had happened to a lot of the girls over the summer break. They had things in places that were not there before. Hair that was previously plainly combed now had ornate styles. And they smelled good! Furthermore, talking about the latest video games was not the way to gain the attention of these reborn creatures. I had to choose between games and girls. Thus began my gaming exile.

As I made my way through various relationships, I still had the (now fading memory) of the good times I had with computer games. From time to time, I would try to find a way to re-introduce gaming into my life, but losing one weekend to binge playing Neverwinter Nights helped me realize that I could not strike the balance. The demands of my work as a information technology consultant and my courtship, engagement, and eventual marriage to my wife left little time for such pursuits. With two young boys and a girl on the way, I cannot afford to spend any time gaming despite the allure of consoles with more power than I could have dreamed of as a youth (i.e, the X-Box 360, Playstation 3, and even the Nintendo Wii). So, I accept that I must linger in exile for a few more years.

However, one benefit of having children is that I am sure that they will want a gaming console. After all, gaming no longer has the nerd label that it once had. In fact, having one of the major consoles is almost a standard feature of many home entertainment systems. So, I long for the day when one of my kids comes up to me and says, "Daddy, all of my friends have gaming machines. Can we get one?" I'll smile inside and put up a pretense of protest (can't let the kid have it easy, right?). I will lay out clears rules like gaming only after homework is done and only for a set amount of time each week. After "researching" the different consoles and games with my kids, I'll have them pester my wife to agree to get one. I'll tell her, "Well, dear, I guess we have to get one for the children".

Once everyone else has gone to bed, I'll sit in my chair with controller in hand and enjoy the end of exile.