Most people probably spent this past Memorial Day Weekend observing the holiday with outdoor picnics, family get togethers, and BBQs at friends' houses. I however decided to celebrate the weekend by locking myself in my room and playing Starcraft II: The Wings of Liberty all weekend long. 

In many respects I am a closeted gamer. My roommates and I don't own any game systems - aside from an antiquated Super Nintendo - and I am blithely unaware of the recent releases in games and gaming technology. People are often taken aback when they discover that I am video game nerd and that I find comfort and entertainment in running around the worlds of Warcraft with my mighty Lvl. 75 Night Rogue Elf completing non-sensical quests. However, due to work, rehearsal schedules, and shows I often don't have the time to justify the distraction. For my birthday, my sister sent me Starcraft II and I thought, since I have a four day weekend, that this would be the perfect opportunity to indulge. 

Entering gamer world is often times a dark and treacherous journey. I woke up Friday morning around 10:30am and immediately powered up my computer and began to play. Nine hours later, I awoke from a daze, to find that it was after 7:30, I hadn't showered, eaten, or interacted with another human being all day. I stayed up until all hours of the morning entrenched in the plot line of the game and the missions - til the point where I was crying because my eyes were so dried out from looking at the screen. There is something so oddly gratifying about completing missions, engaging in research to improve my weaponry, receiving money to build my expansive army, and then using said army to save the universe from the forces of the Zerg. It's only when you pull yourself from the game do you realize that, although I beat the game, I have nothing to show for my time spent on mastering the game.  Now I am faced with all of the chores and responsibilities that I neglected throughout the weekend just so I could stop the massive invasion of the Zerg.