I'm A Loser & I'm Bad At Collecting Video Games

I'm bad at being a nerd, but does
that mean I'm a bad nerd?

I'm a loser and it's okay. In fact, it's not bad at all.

I'm a loser because I collect video games. There's nothing inherently wrong or loser-esque about collecting video games; I live in an era where it's more accepted and popular than ever to do so. I have a good job, own a home, am married to a wonderful woman that has no qualms with my hobbies, and generally can't think of any reason I shouldn't collect video games.

Let me rephrase my thoughts. I'm a loser because of the way I collect video games.

I don't have a great collection; it's not historic or full of rarities. A lot of the games I own aren't directly from my childhood or particularly nostalgic, but they're not modern either. A lot of the games I own are cheap, above-average titles from the sixth-generation video game explosion. Somehow I'm behind on both modern and retro trends. My collection isn't even that big, yet more than half of it is a pure backlog of games I've scarcely played at all.

Maybe there IS a wrong way to collect...

I really don't spend that much time actually playing games. I play maybe 5 hours in a typical week, or 10 in a lazy one. When I do play, I rarely finish games I start. Even when I enjoy a game upon an initial playing session, I usually get the urge for something else prior to my next opportunity. When I do finish games it nearly always occurs on the easiest setting, using cheats and strategy guides. I'm practically addicted to playing the same three cookie-cutter PlayStation 2 sports games, on the lowest difficulty setting, that I've played for more than a decade.

I claim to be a gamer, but I don't invest a lot of resources in games and I'm not actually good at them. Video game nerds may no longer be "losers," and they shouldn't be; we're talking about a highly contemporary format of modern art. However, even in circles as accepting and open-minded as nerds I'm still a loser, or at least I feel like one.

I once owned - and sold - a TurboGrafx.

But it's okay. Tonight when I get home I'm going to power on my PlayStation 2, sit down on my stationary bike and enjoy something like my one-thousandth game of NBA Live 2006 while pedaling just enough to pass for light exercise.

I'll have fun and maybe even break a sweat. Then I'll smile at my tiny man cave on my way out the door and move onto something productive; cleaning, spending time with my wife and dog, trying to decide what to do with my life, etc.

I think that sounds pretty good.