28 Dec Nintendo DS + PS3 = no stress?

My delight was complete when I discovered that ‘she who must always be obeyed’ had come up with a similar idea for my present and I was to be the latest in a long line of owners of a PS3!

The race was on to find an ideal window of time to irresistably crack on with some gaming, in between catering for the endless flow of family/visitors and the perpetual preparation of food and beverages for the aforementioned.

During this process it struck me that at times, being at home at Christmas can produce stress levels approaching those of being in the office; (well almost) and I suddenly realised that the phenomenon behind the popularity of gaming for ‘grown-ups’ is actually based on the fact that it’s just the latest giant ‘stress reliever’. What clever marketing.

What’s amazing is that watching a good film (which I personally love) simply doesn’t compare to getting to grips with the old joystick (fnaa fnaa!) and immersing yourself in World War III (Modern Warfare 3 – Playstation). Considering the wife is in one room battling with the Nintendo and I’m in another getting my arse kicked by some Russian infiltrators though, it can be a lonely and selfish occupation – although this is part of the charm.

To sum up my initial thoughts after 3 days experience I can deduce that:
Gaming = no stress* / square eyes* / malnutrion* / no marriage*

*Delete as appropriate according to how selfish a person you are.