“I had no intention of writing any sort of editorial as of late, but the idiocy of a webmaster from a rival website inspired me to do so. ”

Since as long as I can remember, there has always been a way to destroy the experience we know as gaming. Things like strategy guides, cheat devices, online walkthroughs, cheat codes, and anything else of the sort take away the satisfying feeling of accomplishment you receive when playing a game. I don’t know about you, but I play video games to enjoy myself, and with those fifty dollars I just spent on a piece of plastic, it better be worth it.

Accomplishment is one of the best feelings in this life, and beating a game on your own with little or no assistance is quite an accomplishment. Forget about your friend’s progress in the game; forget about the nerds on some internet forum who beat a 70 hour game in 3 days. Move at your own pace, and please do not resort to using a strategy guide, or a GameShark or some Online Walkthrough. The only thing doing that does is prove your foolishness of paying 50 dollars for a game that you paid someone else to play for you, because the fact is you’re not really enjoying the game, the person who wrote the guide did that for you a long time ago. The way I see it, playing a game like that is “Videogaming for dummies”; I would love for someone to prove to me that it’s not too. So, if you find yourself stuck in a game DO NOT resort in using any kind of assistance, just take your time and trust me, you will find a solution. Games can be hard, and I understand that they can cause a person to become incredibly frustrated but do not give up. Once you solve whatever problem you had on your own you will feel proud with yourself, that my friend is called accomplishment. (So, sorry Coolj, I just don’t see the reason of playing The Wind Waker with a strategy guide)

Yet self accomplishment doesn’t only apply to videogames. I think we all know that. But then again, does anything stop us from cheating in real life? Not necessarily. For instance, if I’m taking a test without being properly prepared, which happens almost always, I WILL attempt to copy every single answer from the nearest “smart kid”. Of course, I feel like something has gone sour after I do so. However, there have been times that I’ve failed with some sort of dignity, because I got what I deserved. So also take this into consideration. Our elders, and sometimes even our peers, tell us “Do as you are told, not as you see”. When I would hear that I would be like “What kind of shit is that?” Well, that’s exactly what it is…SHIT. So don’t listen to me, just do whatever you feel is right for you.