Dean

$396.40
My wife calls me up and explains that she's, "sick and tired of all those fucking games". I'm sure you know the story. You're out shopping, for whatever the fuck it is this week, and you walk past EB Games. You stumble in, wrinkle your nose at the smell, and proceed to walk to the pre-owned area. You enjoy videogames, and your collection can never be too big, eh?

Fifteen minutes later, you walk out clutching three incredibly average XBOX titles that some kid on a forum was wanking off about last week. You couldn't help yourself, you just had to see for yourself, and it's not like that $46 bucks could be spent anywhere else, right?

You get them home, you find half an hour to test drive 'em, and what do you know, that kid was fucking insane.

So the games get relegated to shelf, and you continue playing Winning Eleven or Football Manager or whatever the fuck it is you default to.

I'm sure this is a situation many of you can sympathise with, and you can understand the cause for my wife's anguish.

So yesterday, while partaking in a spot of tidying up, I decide to comply with my wife's wishes, and box up my games, and put them into a corner somewhere.

I probably should have done this years ago, as it really isn't fun having to explain to dinner guests why I own three copies of Prince of Persia (the XBOX version is superior!).

While rummaging through, I decide, "Fuck! Rock Band is going to cost me $200+. Is there any real way I can justify to myself how that money will be well spent when I have umpteen other bills to be paying (especially around Christmas)? Why don't I just trade in all the shit I've collected over the years, and get prepare for the onrush of Christmas?
" So there I was, deciding what I should keep, and what I shouldn't keep.

Forza - Throw
NBA 2K5 - Throw
NHL 07 - Throw
Shenmue 2 - Keep
Virtua Fighter 4 - Keep
Virtua Fighter 5 - Throw

I finally reached the grand tally of 28 games, two memory cards, and my PS3 memory card adapter.

Sunday rolls around, and the wife and I travel over to the Strip Mall in New Westminster and visit the tiny little EB Games store. I compose myself, strap my backpack on, carry my Guitar Hero box under one arm, and walk into that boutique with the confidence of an 34 year old at a Green Day concert.

"Hey guys, I've got a silly amount of shit I want to trade in...A silly amount"

"Let's see it then."

"Seriously, it's fucking stupid, sorry to do this to you"

I hand over the goods, stand around for 20 minutes, my wife looking increasingly bored, until finally...

"So, the grand total today will be...$396.40"

Good God.

I thank them, I walk out of the store, and being to feel a little sorry for myself.

"They looked so nice on my shelf... Fuck the dinner guests, they wont even know how awesome Prince of Persia is!"

Oh well, Rock Band beckons...

"You are not having a drum set in our living room!"

Fuck.