Some say I’m a hardcore gamer. Or was? I read in a game magazine somewhere that what defines a ‘hardcore gamer’ is when you have all current generation (or next gen) video game console in the market that you’re actively playing. Don’t bother which one is current or next-gen, as long as the console’s still flushing with new software hits, you gotta own them all in order for a bragging rights to be a ‘hardcore gamer’. Talking about last gen console war, well, I didn’t really think about it, cuz I own them all: Gamecube, PS2, and Xbox. I played them all to their limit. I replaced my first loyal serving PS2 last year with the slim version, and now I think my slim PS2’s optical drive has to be trimmed up (for those of you who may wonder why such a short period, I play only backup games *evil grin*).
Now that the next-gen console war has turned into a ‘current gen’, we gamers has no choice than to plunge ourselves in the middle of the battle. And those are expensive battle indeed. I really miss those back in the days when you can buy a game console for as much as USD 150 or even USD 200 with fully accessorized, turbo charged machine. When you can easily collect all three consoles with minimal effort (no overtime shifts necessary), now we’re faced with bitter choice of picking the right one for you. Up to this point, I think this post is well suited for cheap-ass limited-resources gamer like I do. I can not blame inflation really, but think about it, a Wii costs around 249 bucks, with no additional racing muffler, compared to Gamecube’s heyday at $149. A PS3 costs around $499 with no leather seating, compared to PS2’s once most expensive model at $199, and should I mention Xbox too? I dunno about you guys living in a place called North America or Europe with better standard of living, but I live in a country which, as a single guy, you can have $500 monthly and sipping Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks everyday of the week. Stashing some hundred bucks for a single console can really left a big hole in your already shrinking pocket. If someday later you can compare game console as basic as the need for oil, we should really march to
What can I say, we choose gaming as our hobby. I read somewhere that some guy is crazy enough to sell his house just to buy a Harley-Davidson. I guess we’re still better this way (my fingers crossed). We make sacrifices for all things we love. This is way better than not to have a hobby or living in a cave, biting leftovers of a dead zebra. Long live gaming!