It occurred to me sometime ago that one of my former favorite pass-times has fallen by the wayside. I can’t remember the last time I played a computer game, something I used to do pretty often. It’s been months since I played World of Warcraft. I tend not to play it when Parker’s around and awake, because it’s a pretty violent game and not for 3-year-old consumption. I grabbed The Sims 2 when it came out and have been playing sporadically.
Since yesterday was a flex day at work, I set up shop at a nearby mall with a Borders and a wireless connection. On my way home in the evening I stopped into EB Games to see if they had The Movies, a movie studio simulation game. I’ve been following the previews and updates for a while, and even though The Sims 2 already has the movie storytelling angle, I wanted to give it a try. The store had it and I grabbed it.
Then out of the corner of my eye I spotted a classic bit of “video game crack.” When Sid Meiers Civilization first came out I played it for countless hours, until I learned how to beat the game in every scenario. The last version I played was Civilization 3, in which I completely got my ass kicked. So when I saw Sid Meier’s Civilization IV Special Edition I grabbed it before I knew what I was doing.
Of course, both games will be reviewed here once I’ve had time to immerse myself in them. Now I have hours of gameplay ahead. I’ve already promised myself that for the rest of the month I’m not going to touch either game until I’ve met my NaNoWriMo quota for the day. Now, I just need a few extra hours in the day.
Ah, I used to spend so much time on City of Heroes. Then WoW came out, and I spent a little less time. Then school started up again, and I spent almost no time on either. Then City of Villains came out around Halloween and I have found some time to take breaks for gaming…but you’re making a wise decision to not even touch them until your current project is through. Those games can be addictive, I’ve been told–but really, not for me. I can stop anytime I want. I’m not like those other players…no, I’m different…
Well, the deal I made with myself is that each day between now and the end of the month, I’m not going to touch them until I’ve reached my word quota for that day. So, I have an opportunity to play each day, but not until I’ve reached my goal for each day.
After I met yesterday’s quota, I dove into The Movies for a long while.
Ah, the wonders of civilicrack. I too fell victim to countless hours of Civilization playtime, I beat CivIII over and over again. I got excited about Civ IV, but I gotta be honest. World of Warcrack is highly addictive and between girlfriend, WoW, blogging and work I hardly have time to play anything else.
Let us know how Civ IV goes, maybe I’ll take a quick break from WoW to give it a try.
City of Heroes / City of Villains addict here too. I keep telling myself that I’ll give it up when my son arrives. Aaaw, who am I kidding?
You are not alone, Terrance!
I’ve recently rediscovered my dusty PS2. I purchased and finished The Matrix: Path of Neo and Ratchet: Deadlocked within one week. Crazy!