The bright, shiny box beckons Sam to open it. She pauses and doesn’t act because she knows better than to judge a video game based on its cover. “Must look away,” she says to herself. But the game sends out rays of light that entrance her and make her dance with delight into the store.
Once inside the store, she has a moment of clarity when seeing herself in a mirror. She twists her face away in disgust. She don’t like what’s there. “That isn’t me. I’m too deep for a game that shallow,” she says to herself. And she believes it.
She believes until she finds herself paying and carrying the game out of the store. She’s holding the very object she swore to avoid at all costs, yet she pushes that uncomfortable thought to the back of her head. She moves forward with great strides and throws her nagging suspicions aside. She is too euphoric to see straight.
Then she gets home, plays the game straight through and beats it. “Oh wait”, she says, “How did I ever end up buying this junk?”
The trance wears off, the rays disappear into the air and her mind is clear. Clutching a black controller in one hand and staring into space, Sam now asks herself “What was I thinking?”
Have you ever regretted buying a video game and what was your experience like?
Video Games Nebula 
I rarely buy a bad game, but I have bought games which are far too expensive for what they provide/the time I play them. Bioshock Infinite was one: I only played a single run through which took about 10-11 hours, and I bought it full price: not really a goo investment.
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Hmmm interesting perspective. I rarely think about games that way, but you make a good point.
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Too many. It’s so disappointing when a game turns out to be not what you thought 😦
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I guess I’ve been lucky. I usually find something I like even in the games I don’t love.
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Pokémon Battle Revolution. I like the Pokémon Stadium games, and I thought Pokémon Battle Revolution would be as good… Boy, was I wrong.
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Yeah, the Pokemon Stadium games are great. I remember playing the first one on N64.
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Shadows of Mordor.
I had been aware of the game and had no intention of buying it – even though I love LOTR, that style of game just isn’t my thing. Then it was released, the Interwebs were flooded with glowing reviews, and I bought it.
The game is good, I guess. But as I already knew, it’s just not my thing. I got bored/irritated within 2 hours and haven’t played since. $70 down the toilet.
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Yeah, I’ve bought many games because of excellent reviews and glowing praise on the internet. Then I also found some of the games just weren’t my thing. I did learn more about the types of games I do like and to not buy simply based on what other people write.
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I regret purchases all the time. Generally not because they are bad but because I haven’t gotten to them yet and it was a waste of money. For example, I have Far Cry Primal and Dishonored 2 on my shelf and I haven’t opened them yet. I regret purchasing them when I did because I spent more money on them than if I bought them now and I still don’t have the time to get to them.
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Same here. I’ve never regretted playing a game, but I get a little pang of guilt with each purchase simply because then the games just get shuffled around on my to-play pile…
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Yup, I know what you mean.
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That’s a good point. I have bought many games I haven’t had a chance to play yet.
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I’m trying to be better about that but sometimes sales are really good. 🙂
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It’s true.
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In the last 12 months… No Man’s Sky, SFV, and Dragon Quest Heroes were all disappointing for me. I miss renting games…
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Good point. I miss renting too.
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I regret buying Duke Nukem Forever. Owning a copy of something that no one thought would ever come out sounded like a cool idea. The gameplay alas sucked.
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Ha! Now that’s a regret I can understand.
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I enjoyed the story, partly because something similar happened to me. I remember playing Turok 2: Dinosaur Hunter with a friend and deciding that I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy of the game. After playing it for a while, I realised I did not enjoy it, I found the storyline weird, the level design empty, the graphics gory, the gameplay less enjoyable that other shooters and regularly heard the ghostly crying of captured girls (which I found quite haunting). Years later, I played the game more as I realised it had a good multiplayer. Interestingly, it also had an impressive collection of cheats, including one which turned the game into a pen and ink drawing.
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I’m sure we’ve all hated something at first and then come to appreciate it. I know I’ve felt that way about video games.
“…regularly heard the ghostly crying of captured girls (which I found quite haunting).” Haunting indeed!
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Weirdly, I do not think the sound was supposed to be haunting. I think it was supposed to alert the player to the imprisoned child, who could be easily freed, followed by them saying “Thank you, Turok” in a sweet voice and then disappearing, which was also slightly scary.
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Lol
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