Community Highlight: The Impulse Buy

I stumbled upon this post in the forums and really enjoyed it. I've been referred to as the King of Impulse Buys so it's occasionally nice to see it come across as a positive thing. I got a laugh out of theoretical situations because honestly they're true and they've happened to me before. It's a little over dramatized which is what kinda happens to me because I tend to make things a bigger deal than they need to be. Also nice touch on the Jurassic Park reference.

Congratulations to mydawghates me on being selected for the Community Highlight. Here's the full forum link if you want to contribute and of course here if the write up transplanted as best as I could.

Article by: mydawghates

You stroll into your choice of a gaming retailer. You browse all the racks looking through the "Big Blockbuster Titles". God of War, Final Fantasy, Call of Duty, etc. None of it catches your eye. You stand for half an hour browsing through the many stands and shelves. You are about to lose hope for a new game today.

Then you see it.

Maybe, the cover art catches your eye. Maybe, it's just the character design on the cover. Or perhaps you accidentally knock it off the shelf. For a few brief seconds you stare in confusion. "Who are you? Is it you I'm looking for?"

You reach for the game and read the case. It sounds right up your alley. You feel this is the one. Even though you know nothing of the game, you can't help but think it must be exactly what you are looking for. Maybe you can go home and check about it online...but you fear that if you leave without it today you may never come across the game again.

Cautiously, you approach the register. You pause. For a moment you have second thoughts. "Did I make a mistake? Am I being too hasty?"

No. It is the one. You continue your approach.

The clerk sits there behind his counter of power. He looks at the game then at you. You know exactly what he is thinking, "Fuckin' Nerd." But nay, you have made a grand discovery. He is just jealous you found it first. You feel as if you found "The Lost Ark" of video games and no one could convince you otherwise. You flip the clerk off in your mind, pay and proceed home with your treasure tucked under your arm.

Once you enter your front door you lock it behind you and run to your television. You have no time to take off your shoes or jacket. You track mud throughout the house, your girlfriend/boyfriend yells something at you but you don't hear them. You think it was something about the trash but you don't care. You have to play, there is no time.

You turn on the television and scrape the plastic off the game case. Then, it gets quiet. You calm yourself down. This is the moment of truth. Your palms are sweating. Your mouth is dry. You contemplate getting something to drink, but you decide against in case you might run into the significant other.

You start your system.

Breathe In.

You open the Case.

Breathe Out.

Now, for better or worse, you start your journey....

It is my opinion that everyone should make at least one impulse buy a year. These days you know almost everything about a game before it's release. The thrill of buying a new game is almost gone. There was once a time when you entered a video game retailer with no prior knowledge of any of the games on the shelf. Maybe you had a recommendation from a friend but you really didn't know that much.

So I ask next time you go out to a game store. Dig a little deeper than you usually do. Look past the big name titles and blockbusters.

You never know what may be hidden in those shelves....