One of the toughest adjustments as a first year, by far, has to be the dorm experience. No, my suitemates aren’t the problem; we all get along and have a jolly ol’ time together. What I’m referring to specifically is not being able to properly display my PlayStation 2.
I, unfortunately, have been cursed with the hobby of collecting video games and video game consoles. While some may see this as hoarding (it is), I prefer to see it as appreciating a time where games weren’t plagued with unfinished releases and systems weren’t designed to milk players for money. These older consoles provide a window into the past, where you can actually work to earn things in-game versus paying real-world money for them. Released before the internet age, older games didn’t have the luxury of releasing patches to fix in-game problems. As a result, games were forced to be finished upon release, which makes for a more fulfilling experience, whereas modern day games, in contrast, are released in their incomplete form and are lacking in content.
It’s not just the in-game content, but the content of the game packaging that’s enticing. Once upon a time, games used to include manuals that would tell you about the game mechanics and characters. Some designs would even be written as though by an in-game character. It was little flourishes like this, and the manual’s art, that would make them fun to read as a kid driving home from the store. Was making the manual a waste of paper? Maybe. But it was a fun, charming addition to the gaming experience and added so much character to whoever I was about to play as. Collecting the manuals is such a core part of the gaming experience, and it’s something modern-day gaming can rarely replicate.
Now you may not be the kind of person to collect (hoard) video games, which is perfectly … reasonable. Yet even without all the collecting, video game swap meets are immensely fun. I always enjoy walking around to see all the different sellers. Even if I’m not necessarily going to buy an item, just viewing the variety of artifacts offered is neat, if only to say “Oh wow, I’ve never seen that in person,” “I never knew that existed,” or “HOT DAMN THAT’S EXPENSIVE.” Going to swap meets taught me how to bargain as well, vying for the splendors of my eye. Even though some may see this as a waste of time, I always enjoy walking into my room at home and going back to what was, in my opinion, a better time in gaming.
