My name is Michael and I have a problem.

Yep, I’m going to start off by being as open as possible. My habit, while not illegal or anything that requires scary needles, is gaming. My gaming is cool and manageable for the most part, but there are times when I get so immersed in a game that I’d play for hours and not even realize that I had. Then there are times where I, like right now, find myself not know what to play because there are so many lose ends that have to be tied up in all the stories I’ve began experiencing.

And yes, I’m a maniac like that. I just said playing a videogame with a story or a recognizable goal as an “experience.” I see videogames as step between paperback and film; they require the patience necessary to read a book and also the ability to be enthralled by the visual spectacle of a well directed film.

But in a step to experience as many worlds and tales as possible I accidentally overdose. I have those moments where I press the A button to take cover in The Godfather II thinking I’m playing Gears of War, times when I forget running up to someone with a pistol out in Gears of War thinking I’m playing Grand Theft Auto IV, and the list goes on. The problem is that I switch between games so often that I have to get accustomed to gameplay again if I’ve spent too much time on one game or genre in particular.

It’s a very bad counterproductive cycle I have going on, just stopping midgame. It’s not that the game isn’t interesting to me at all; it’s just that I get so distracted by other worlds, other lore, and other characters. It’s that I want to experience the same sense of glory and betrayal that the characters feel.  I want to get revenge with the characters and help them find redemption.  And I want to have those moments where I literally have to stop playing after the inevitable but sometimes shocking plot twist.

Even gifts, stuff that I did not choose for myself, can steal my attention away for a few days. Recently older sister bought me The Sims 3 (and if you don’t know of this best selling game series, I just don’t know what to say) and a friend gifted me Rumble Roses XX, (an almost) all female wrestling games with them in the skimpiest and most illogical costumes possible. It’s hilarious to play, that’s for sure.

The Sims is an experience on its own because it can truly be called a God game. I remember playing the original Sims back when I was in middle school and helping my Sims reach the end of their lives, but at my pace. You got a job and you’re not pissing on the floor? Cool. You keep looking up at me from your little Sim house waving and then just pissing on the floor? Simple solution: you live in that room with no doors or windows until you die. But that was back when I ran out of things to do. Now I actually try to keep the family alive and not let someone die from a kitchen fire or starvation. It’s truly a much better experience than playing Rumble Roses XX.

An example a recent purchase: I bought Mass Effect this past Friday. I knew I wanted it and I heard it was a really good game, so I made a mental note of buying it. Buying a game I want is not bad per se, but buying games (plural) I want is bad. It could have been worst though. I was also eyeing Bully: Scholarship Edition that I’ve been wanting for a couple of years now. The only two things I originally walked into Best Buy for was Mass Effect and We Started Nothing, an album by The Ting Tings. Though I managed to stave off the idea of buying Bully, I know I’m going to someday, hopefully in a situation where I’m actually able to play it in a straight shot.

So here I am attempting to finish three Xbox 360 retail games (Blue Dragon, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect), a few Xbox Live Arcade titles (Marvel vs Capcom 2, The Maw, Castle Crashers), and I still haven’t played my copy of the PlayStation 2 horror game Siren, which is one of my absolute favorite survival horror/zombies games. Mass Effect is what I’ll play first because I couldn’t stand waiting to play it, then Fallout 3 because I actually miss the post-apocalyptic Capital Wasteland, then Blue Dragon because I rage quit it the last time I played it way back in September. (The magic of Japanese turn-based role-playing games like Blue Dragon is that if you die after playing for a few hours and not hitting up a save point, you’d not want to play the game for a good while.)

I’m so scatterbrained. I hope you don’t mind. You’ll get used to it… I think. I know I will elaborate on the games that I play down the line, but I think you’ve had enough for one day. Also, did you notice that Blue Dragon, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect were in alphabetical order? Totally unintentional, I just listed then in the order that I started playing them.

P.S. I forgot Final Fantasy XIII and Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition will be out next month. I hope I grow a backbone and not put my debit card where my mouth is. Oh, there goes my strong exit. I’ll let it slide this time as I’m sure no one is going to read this first post anyway.