Let's Try This Again

My drive to work in the morning is long. I mean it's crazy long. So long in fact that if you ever pass me on the road and look into my Jeep Liberty you are going to see a very nice treat. You are going to see me in the middle of a very intense conversation with....myself. That's right, every morning I engage myself in a very intense debate over what ever topic is on my mind at that very moment. I'm using hand gestures, I'm swearing, and I'm completely content.

The topics in the morning range from the important (like if I ever see anyone texting while driving I'm going to kill them) to the non-sensical (popcorn should always be the preferred movie watching snack over candy). They are debates that I've had with my friends, debates I plan to have with my friends, and debates no one in their right mind should ever have with anyone. This is how I spend my over hour commute in heavy traffic every morning.

I'm telling you this because it was a few days ago, I was driving to work really tired because the night before I didn't go to bed until after 1am. The reason? I was up playing Mario Kart Wii by myself. I had just gotten the game that day and played it until I lost track of time. That morning my debate was against anyone who would argue that I have no right playing a game made for a child past 1am. I was defending myself against the "hard-core gamer". My argument ended with two realizations. The first, is that I played the game because I like playing video games. If the game is fun, then it doesn't matter that the graphics aren't as strong, or the maps are just pulled from older versions of the same game. All that matters is the game is fun. That's why we play.

The second realization that morning was that I needed to start my blog back up again. This is actually my second version of this blog. The first on MySpace, I abandoned months ago. And for my loyal readers (all 3 of you), I'm sorry. MySpace is surfblocked at work and I don't really feel like blogging when I get home. I never truly understood that. Why would someone waste time blogging about playing video games when they could actually be playing video games. But I've always had many opinions on video games and they are from a different perspective than most you would read about.

First, I'm not a critic and I'm not being paid. I'm a fan of video games. I'm always looking for the good things about them. I'm not looking to pick them apart. I'm not looking for what small minute thing is wrong or could be improved. No, I'm simply looking to have a good time and to escape from reality for a little bit. If the game is fun, then I like it.

Second, I'm a 30 year old gamer. I live in one of the busiest places on the planet, New York City. I have plenty of friends and there is always plenty to do. On the weekends you won't find me in front of my ridiculously large TV playing against 14 year-olds online. No, I'm in some of the hottest bars in either Hoboken or the Village having the time of my life. During the week, when I'm not working my ass off, I'm usually shooting pool or playing softball. It's between all of this when I find times for video games. It is this perspective that I bring to the table.

So sit back and relax and I hope you enjoy the ride. I'll try to update this at least once a week with whatever video game thoughts are running through my head at that moment. And if for some reason I can't think of a good topic today...there is always tomorrow morning's commute.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer