I have spent the last three and a half years struggling to build a business. So far I haven't had a moment yet where I had both money in my pocket and the prospect of enough future income that I could afford a nice long vacation. Once, after a big sale, I treated myself to a nice massage. It was great, but it was also over in about 60 minutes. I was a little dejected. I had been working seven days a week for months, and my only escape was fleeting at most. That was when I decided I deserved a toy. Luckily, President Bush obliged me by returning some of my money. So,I decided to buy myself a Sony PSP.
The last time I played video games on a regular basis, MTV was in its infancy. My brother was the one who wanted a Nintendo game system. I got sucked in when he got the epic fantasy quest game Legend of Zelda. I played for hours. I quickly became expert at Super Mario Bros (1, 2 and 3), Contra (and Super Contra!) and many others. When my brother traded in the glitchy Nintendo for the more-stable Sega game system, I was on board and came to love Batman, Road Rash (1 & 2), Streets of Rage (1 & 2), and Final Fantasy.
Then I went to college, and lived in a dorm. Back then, we weren't required to have our own personal computers, and I didn't have a television in my room either. So there were no more video games. The campus computer labs sometimes had games on them, but my college years were the burgeoning years of the World Wide Web, so instead of seeking out computers that might have the first version of Civilization loaded, I instead devoted myself to exploring the Internet, learning about chat rooms and Mosaic, and browsing the now-archaic Gopher/Telnet directory-based system of the Internet. That, plus studying, working, and having a social life, ended my video-game playing days. When I came out the other side of college, it was off to the real world no time for video games anymore.
My early working years were a blur. I was working all the time, and didn't have a computer at home. During that time I missed out on the rise of first-person shooter games like Doom and Delta Force. I also missed out on pure strategy games like Myst, and the early Multi User Dungeons (MUDs).
I found a loving group of friends who played video games. William was the first. In the rooming house where we lived, he played first person shooter games and strategy games, gobbling them up as fast as they came out. I would sit and watch over his shoulder, enjoying it as he put animated skeletons out of their misery while playing Baldur's Gate. In time, he took pity on me and let me play on his souped-up computer. I chose to play a variation on an old friend: Final Fantasy VII. There had been six more versions! On Fridays, when William would be out until morning at the local club night he promoted, I would log on, and play until my eyes closed on their own. I felt young again, and, somehow, with it. Finally, I got my own computer, and discovered role-playing games and strategy games are my favorites.
But, as much as I enjoy playing, most of my life is not lived virtually. I have a job that kept me working 12 hours a day, and I feel guilty when I'm not working at my computer. Playing PC games just isn't an option. I also want to play some games that aren't available on PC. Sony Play Station seemed to be the best way to go, but surely it would just be another drain on my valuable time. How could I find a way to escape into my youthful pursuit, but be responsible enough to use my time wisely?
Then it hit me: why not get a portable game system? I could play it on the subway to and from work, when I couldn't do real work. I could even catch up on games that I enjoyed as a kid but never finished. Doing some research, I realized that Final Fantasy I & II and Road Rash, among others, had been revamped and were available for the Sony PSP. And the price tag was right: the system, accessories and a couple games would just about run me $500. I gave it a lot of thought, asking myself if it was really the right thing to do. It just felt right. I was going to do it.
Actually buying the system was an amusing experience. I walked into the video games department at my local Best Buy and found an employee. "Excuse me," I said, "where do you stock your Sony PSP systems?"
The employee, a young man who looked about nineteen or twenty, was immediately attentive. "Right over here, ma'am. Who are you buying this for?"
"For me."
He didn't respond so I turned from the racks of games and saw the look of surprise registered on his face. I guess that a 30-something woman buying a game system for herself was not a normal occurrence for this helpful employee. He recovered admirably, though, ushering me around the section and then leaving me alone to select the first games I would play.
So much to choose from! I have since discovered that specialty stores like Game Stop have more titles to choose from, especially the retro titles that I'm interested in, but I chose a couple games in franchises I was familiar with: Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core (the prequel to my beloved Final Fantasy VII), and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (I had played Grand Theft Auto I & II on my brother's PC on a couple holidays and loved the complete anarchy enabled by the game and the funny surprises coded by the programmers too!).
I had another "hey, you're not our target audience" reality check on my way out. At the check-out counter, the employee asked me who I was buying the games for, and I responded "Me!" I know I sounded a bit annoyed, because she backpedaled and said that she had to make sure that only "adults" were playing the Grand Theft Auto game. Ok, I gave her a pass for that. Then I took my new acquisition out of the store and home, where I could again enjoy the delights of playing modern video games.
I have savored my two games. I got sucked into Final Fantasy very quickly and accidentally finished it before I meant to. I have since started the game again, this time in "Hard" mode. Grand Theft Auto is taking more time because I'm not as good with those controls. I can't wait to finish them both and trade them in for new games (well, new to me I thoroughly intend to take advantage of the used game shelves at Game Stop!).
I have been pretty disciplined about only playing on the subway or in spare moments. As I sometimes do background work on movie sets, it has helped me while away many useless hours in holding. I am completely satisfied maybe someday I'll get around to using the web capabilities and the music player as well.
A few weeks ago, I was playing away on the subway when a summer camp group got on my car. The children were probably eight and nine years old. Two boys realized that I was playing my PSP and angled ever closer, trying to watch me playing. Closer and closer they crept until their foreheads were almost touching mine. Then, the seat next to me cleared out and they piled onto it, hanging over my left shoulder and watching me terrorize Liberty City until I had to get off the train. I have to say, I felt like the coolest kid in school.