You know what's really satisfying about this hobby?

[Steven]

Plucking out a game from your library, particularly one that you have been curious about for 10, 15, maybe even 20 years, but never played. Then playing it, liking it, and here's the key -- beating it in one sitting.

There's something REALLY satisfactory about that. I did just that today with Wolfchild on the SNES and had an absolute blast. Unremarkable but fairly decent game; it had been some time since I beat a game in one sitting. Good times and the kind of gaming memories you remember, even if the game you beat in one sitting is less than stellar

Also, it's very nice to put away those "I wonder how Game X plays..." thoughts for good! I guess that's part of the appeal of these old games for me -- some are beatable in one sitting. Not to mention curing the whole "X year" curiosity thing once and for all. It's been said that we often try to grasp the things of our youth that we were not able to have. But enough philosophical balarky from me. Curious what you guys thought about this perspective. Times like this IMO that you really remember why you still love this hobby :)

[scaleworm]

With you !00% Steven.

I have So many games and have so many life-based obligations... that occasionally, when i have a few seconds... It is LOVELY to open the room/closet of Doom with my daughters and Play a game or three on any of the INSANE number of systems we have in our house.

I am so proud... my 7 year old...for fun...asks if she can play Mario Paint on a super famicom cart in a snes on a little 13" color TV under our fireplace mantle.... and Then she says "daddy daddy... come see my music I wrote" and I sit and listen to it.

My life is So complicated now... cancer in my wife, economy in the toilet, cars and furnace on the blink... illness sickness unemployment looming... sadness.....

I guess what my reply to your post is then is that a game or two from 15 20 PLUS years or so (atari2600!) ago allows for me is a way to remember what it was once like, as a child, to have no worries or cares in the world other than plunking down or in another quarter to play Star wars, Pole Position, Centipede... or now... The Orange Box, Halo 3, Bubble Bobble part two... etc.... With one's KIDS....

I guess all of this to me is a way to TRY to remember what it was like, Soooooo long ago now.... to not have ANY cares or better Worries in the world.

Thanks for the post Steven!

Happy Holidays to YOU all!

[Eric Dude]

Absolutely! This is one of the best things about having a sizable collection. I almost wish I had a giant wheel of fortune with all my games on it, just to make it even more fun to select a game to pull out of the piles.

[Poofta!]

man, you are so right. i am so happy you did this, it is truly and amazing feeling and just like you said -- memory forever. although i have to admit i have not done what you described exactly, but i have pulled games off the shelf that ive owned for years yet never played -- and played them -- and loved them!

likewise my best friend and i recently beat castle crashers in one sitting a couple weeks back and its definitely a memory forever. (him and me do that a lot, actually, and i can name every game we beat together)

[zektor]

I did this with Flashback some time ago...beat the game in one loooong sitting. Fantastic feeling...fantastic game! I was a little jittery when done however! (too much soda!) :)

[Simply Dave]

I have all my games listed in a spreadsheet, and sometime when I'm bored I'll go online to a site that has a random number generator and I'll have it pick a number. Whatever number comes up, I look the game up on the spreadsheet and play it.

[Draven]

Definitely. Picking up a controller I held in my childhood and getting immersed in a game I'd nearly forgotten about tends to help me forget about everything. What other hobby can you get into so cheap (I typically spend 3-5 dollars a game) and get such enjoyment from? I collected comics years and years ago but never got near as much satisfaction from them as I do gaming and it's relatively cheaper!