When I was in high school, I wanted to be a hardcore gamer.
Perhaps because I am Asian, the gamer mystique had a certain allure to me. Most of my friends were what you would call hardcore gamers. They drank Bawls and other destructive energy drinks and would play Starcraft incessently, memorize DDR patterns and hone their Counterstrike skills. They would slaughter me in Super Smash Bros and Soul Caliber, and especially in massive multiplayer online rpgs, they would leap ahead to level awesome while I was still struggling to learn how to sit at level 2 in the Ragnarok beta.
There were two reasons why I could not do this. First of all, my mother would certainly not approve of me spending the vast majority of my hours playing video games. And second of all, I had no money. Games require a vast amount of money, whether it be buying a new platform every five years with games, or constantly upgrading your computer and buying games left and right. I would receive no parental funding for this worthy endeavor.
So in college, I've tried, from time to time, to be a hardcore gamer. And I have learned this one lesson.
I am not a hardcore gamer.
As I have grown older, and as more responsibilities pile up, and as I spend more and more time with my girlfriend and school, and as I pursue my suicidal goal of financial independence, the rift between me and games have grown, and only continues to grow. So I'm hanging up my gaming hat for good. I will now return back to my role as natural prey for the hardcore gamer - the casual gamer. I will be playing such niche games as Katamari Damacy and Okami, and focus more on board games rather than electronic entertainment.
In other words, I will revert back to my old state as in high school, except with less resentment and more acceptance. It's the circle of life.
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6 comments:
you actually wanted to be a hardcore gamer at one point in your life? i think people do when they are depressed. or lonely. this is good news! it simply means you have transcended. you are in a higher plane. congratulations!
So, you're reverting to classic board games?? When are we going to play Settlers next?? Of course you could always be a hardcore d&d gamer instead!
Not so much depressed or lonely. Well, somewhat lonely. More like every other guy I knew was one. And I was the only one not. :(
Peer pressure. Bad news.
http://whiteninjacomics.com/comics/gamer.shtml
You know gaming doesn't have to be an expensive hobby as long as you stick to older stuff. Last generation systems like the PS2 & Gamecube can be found for dirt cheap these days and many of the good games for them can be found for under $20 (and often under $10). You have services like GameTap where you pay $60/year and it gives you access to over a thousand older games for download (many of which are classics and still awesome). Plus there are cool indie free games all over there web if you really want to save money but still game.
It is more than just money, it is time. Money, with saving here and there, wouldn't be an issue. It's the time factor. I just don't have time for it anymore. *shrug*
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