Taking Your Childhood Off The Shelf (Or Putting It Back On)

I just wasted two hours of my life, but it was kinda worth it.

If you put me in front of a first person shooter, or a real-time strategy game, I will proceed to waste time faster than waiting at the DMV. Of course we know that I’m already stressing enough over too many things to do already, playing computer games is the last thing I should be doing. However I blame my little brother.

While I was back home for my sister’s engagement party, my brother showed me the latest game he was playing: Command and Conquer 3. I put it on my laptop and any chance of me getting stuff done this week was lost.

But it’s ok now since I just spent the last two hours finishing both campaigns in the game. I can now put it down.

But then again there’s also Red Alert 3… a game with an impressive cast acting out the cut scenes in between missions. You would expect that Tim Curry, George Takei, Jenny McCarthy, JK Simmons, Peter Stormare, and Jonathan Pryce would have better things to do. I’m sure that Gina Carano and Randy Couture didn’t.

Must. Not. Install. Red. Alert. 3.

Command and Conquer has never looked as hot as Red Alert 3.

I remember playing the original Command and Conquer when I was in middle school, and all it’s Windows 95 glory.

Another middle school hobby came off the shelf as well that weekend.

I noticed that my brother and my cousins were playing Magic: The Gathering. The collectible card game that hit the schools scene after pogs.

Aw man all the stupid fads we did in middle school.

Anyways 12 years later my brother was playing the same game I did, it appears the game has expanded with new cards and sets long after I gave it up during my “must be cool” teenage years.

Upon seeing him play a game with my cousin, Danny told me he went into my closet and took down the box where I kept all my magic cards so he could see what kind of cards I played with when I was his age. I saw the dusty box next to him on a desk.

I picked it up and rummaged through, and found my old deck of cards that I used to use in those school yard battles. I then had an idea.

While my cousin was losing game after game to my brother, I decided to challenge him. It’s been ten years since I last played but as I shuffled my cards it all came back to me.

I guess being a geek is like riding a bike- you never forget.

It was an interesting sight, Danny with his modern deck of cards printed in 2007 going against my deck with cards printed in 1997. It was a battle of old school vs. new school.

Unfortunately I was the one that was schooled.

I beat him in a couple of games but after a night of playing I had the urge to go through my collection and tinker with my deck some more. When I was young I would do odd jobs at the local comic book store just to earn a few cards to add to my collection. Now that I’m a grown-up with a full-time job I totally have the disposable income to put into my collection.

As I was packing up in my bedroom back home, I looked at that box. With databases and websites, I would have access to tons of information I didn’t have back then. I started to wonder where the closest card shop was in Arlington. I looked at my luggage and wondered if I had room for one more item.

After a long stare I took the box, and put it back on the shelf in my bedroom closet.

However I didn’t move it to the left.

It was great to relive my childhood a little bit with my brother, however the grown-up life I had waiting back in Arlington didn’t have any room for another hobby. Life as a 25 year old is a tad busier than life as a 15 year old.

Maybe I should uninstall those video games while I’m at it.

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