An Old Favorite

I still can't believe I spent the whole weekend playing video games. Well, not games; just one, actually.

Symphony of the Night, the third installment of the Castlevania series, is old - more than a decade old - but still one of my all-time favorite games.

For some reason, I felt a sudden longing for the game and wanted to play it again so much that I downloaded a PS1 emulator so I can play it on my computer (my old ps1's already busted so I had to resort to an emulator). Once I had everything set up, I played the day away.

I don't really know what's so addictive about these games. I'm no hard-core gamer, but there are certain ones that when I play, I really play; and playing the day away is something I haven't done in years. Last weekend, while I was playing SotN, I felt nostalgic. I felt the old adrenalin-rush of gaming again like I haven't felt in so many years - just another proof that there's a child in everyone.

I remember the first time I saw SotN years ago. My brother was playing; I happened to pass by and just out of curiosity watched him play. Like I said, I'm no hard-core gamer. I never was. Usually, I wouldn't even bother watching a game being played, but somehow this one caught my attention. I thought it interesting, and started harassing my brother, asking all sorts of questions about the game. Then the inevitable, I tried playing it.

I got addicted. I'd play for hours without realizing how much time I've spent on the game.

Oh, yes! Time definitely flies when you're enjoying yourself, and I was really enjoying myself then and time was really flying. So it was then, and so it is now.

Last Saturday I started playing around 8 in the morning and didn't quit until 6PM. It wasn't even because I got tired of the game that I stopped, but because I was already sleepy (I've slept for only 3 hours and badly needed to catch some Z's). Sunday was no different. I spent the whole day playing.

Call it throwing away precious time, but I won't say I've wasted any. Last weekend was one of the few moments when I really enjoyed myself. It was a no-worries, care-free, guilt-free pleasure, like the unattached happiness of a child and so difficult to come by.