Motion Sickness

Sometimes it's hard getting people to come see a movie with you. It could have something to do with the types of movies I watch. I guess not everyone is into seeing a talking zombie baby popping out of its zombie mother's womb. These are just some of life's realities.

The same thing happened to me with video games. I remember learning to play an import of JoJo's Bizzare Adventure and eventually becoming really good at it. I brought it out once in my social circle and played it for maybe 20 minutes before we went back to Street Fighter. I guess it was better than playing a sports video game (the ultimate sadness).

Seeing newer consoles include more controller ports to accommodate more players seemed like a step in the right direction. Then I realized having 3 other people in my living room having a video game party might not be the most memorable thing 10 years from now. Why weren't we out at a bar or on a road trip across America? Why are we so goddamn comfortable?

I won't ignore the fun and obsession I had with a hobby that served as more of a secret handshake than as a daily diversion. I met a lot of people by "playing together". Sharing our experiences with each other taught me a lot about humanity and how unique (and at the very least, curious) every "gamer" is. It's much more than what console you chose and which one is winning the "war". It's about saying "hey, you wanna join me for a game of catch?" except you're virtually sniping Martian Nazis from atop the Empire State Building while your brother covers your back. Fraternizing constantly evolves and gaming has ironically become yet another social skill to have. Ever play the drums on Rock Band? That guy is priceless.

I'm still not completely happy with the medium as a whole. I feel that gaming has been going through more than enough creative recycling for me to get the point. Thanks for letting me do the same thing with a different controller and prettier colors. I appreciate having another excuse to spend money and appear affluent amongst my peers.

Somewhere in a storage closet not too far from my home is a collection of dozens (if not a few hundred) of video games half completed or even unopened. Undoubtedly an expensive lesson to learn.