Fur In The Paint

Today in the mail I received the mother of all Christmas gifts from my brother. A Game Cube. But thats not the best part. It’s a Game Cube complete with about a dozen games. And not just any games mind you. But my kind of games. First person shooter types with all the violence and bloodshed that would change a less balanced minded person into to some sort of axe weilding, gun toting, grenade throwing sicko. (Or so the hype goes.) Personally, I can’t get enough. I think they are a great destressor. Anywho, despite being quite late (as far as the xmas thing goes) I am totally thrilled. I got the best brother ever! Truth is, he got himself a new XBOX 360 and his kids a Wii so the cube was just sitting around collecting dust. So he packed it off to me with all his games.

I think I’ll take the Game Cube into the gallery. As I mentioned earlier. There is something about taking a break from painting and playing a little. The games actually require all my focus whereas if I took a break to do something else, I would still be looking at, and pondering the work in progress. But after a bit of gaming, I can go back and see everything from a fresh perspective. I got both a PS2 and a GameCube for Christmas. WhooHoo! Make that a double whoohoo!

So I gotta wonder. This bloodlust thing must be hereditary or something. Until recently I didn’t even know my brother was a gamer. (Since we are both in our 40’s thats saying something.) And like, all of these games are something I surely would have picked out for myself. Several versions of Medal of Honor (Cool!) Ghost Recon. (Oh, I so wanted to get this one for my PS2.) Okay so heres the strange thing. As I paw through the selection of misc. war games and gunfighters I come across Sponge Bob Square Pants. I’m like Whaaa? … Ummm … Hmmm… Okay. Maybe I’ll have to ask him about that one.

So I was playing with my Christmas present this morning. Ahem… yea, I know. Christmas is still 5 weeks away. But I mean, come on. I had to try it out to make sure everything worked the way it was supposed to, didn’t I? Warranties don’t last forever.

Now I’ll let you in one of my painters secrets. I am a gamer. They actually help me be more productive while painting. Now I would really like to say I play something more age appropriate like trivia or Brain Age or even mahjong (well, maybe in another decade or so.) But the truth is, I love first person shooters. Blood and Gore, Bring it on! As a woman of 40 it is slightly embarrassing that a PS2 was my Christmas wish. (Mind you, I didn’t go for a PS3. Which just goes to show you that I am sooo…not cool. Do they even say cool anymore?) Currently I am playing Black by EA Games. It had been advertised as gun porn. It is an older game (Once again my uncoolness showing through.) I love it.

When I think of gamers, I tend to think of pimply faced teenage boys staring glassy eyed at the TV for hours on end. And Ummm, yes I have been known to play it until I think my carpal tunnel can’t take it any more. I wonder if arthritis pills would mean I could play longer. Hmmm.