To Game or not To Game…
Monday, February 25th, 2008 |
Uncategorized
…in which I talk about “extra” money and video games.
Heather and I have decided to not buy the new back door at this juncture, and instead we will buy the back door with the incentive check this summer. With the remainder of the tax return, we will each get a bit of money to do with whatever we want (we have already paid off a credit card with it, so its not all frivolous cash). This means it is once again time for me to do the Video Game system dance, wherein I weigh heavily the advantages and disadvantages, wants and needs, of having a new game system. I have now, successfully talked myself out of an Xbox 360 no less than three times when I had the money to purchase one. There was a time that I played a lot more video games than I do now, and there are times now, where I really wish I played more video games than I do. I enjoy them quite a bit, and I miss playing them.
In all honesty, I do not need a video game system. I don’t really have the time for one, and it would only serve as one more distraction and financial burden as new games come out. I miss paying games as much as I used to, but that doesn’t mean that part of my life is passed. I have a lot of time obligations and probably have a lot of better things to spend money on than a new gaming system. It was this internal dialogue that made me start thinking that if I feel the need to get a new game system, I should at least get one with added capabilities… I should get a PS3 instead and start watching Blu-Ray movies. We’re on Netflix so there is the option to have Netflix start sending us Blu-Ray whenever its available, and then I could watch movies in really high quality, and play games on the rare occasion that I want. It feels like the PS3 should be the perfect solution.
The problem is, however, two-fold. On the one hand, as a gaming system the PS3 is lacking in my opinion. Its online community content is infantile compared to Xbox live, its selection of games is minuscule, and to be blunt, its not what my friends are playing. I want to be able to trade and share games, move my save data over to a friend’s house when I go hang out, and just share in one group experience. Seeing as how only one friend has a PS3 and even he only uses it as a Blu-Ray player, is it really a good choice as an occasional game system? Secondly, do I really want a game system because I want to play games, or am I simply trying to recapture a time in my life where I had a lot more free time, a lot more liquid assets, and a lot fewer responsibilities? If its because I miss playing games, then that’s fine. But if its because I miss having the time to play games, than the system isn’t going to fix that, its only going to create another opportunity that I can’t take advantage of because I’m already spread so thin. You can probably see, now, why I’ve not bought a game system the last three times I had the money to do so.
So then, with all this in mind, I start thinking about what I should actually spend a windfall of cash on. I could buy photo equipment, but do I really need new photo equipment? Is there anything wrong with the equipment that I already have? Do I really need better equipment if I’m already debating the continuance of my MFA progress? There are plenty of board games I could buy, but again, do I need even more games that I only occasionally play? To be honest, I should probably save it, but I’m so bad at saving money. I’ve always been a spender, its just who I am. Its something that, not only can I not seem to change, but I’m never really interested in changing. The logical part of me says, “well, if you’re a spender, just put that money in your account and when something catches your eye, you’ll have the money.” But then the other logical part in me says, “if you really want that PS3 or Xbox, you should buy it before you whittle away your windfall.” I am the first to admit that I am very wishy-washy, and that I hate that fact about myself.
2 Comments to To Game or not To Game…
spend the money on some nice meals with the family
spend the money on some nice meals with the family
February 25, 2008