Video gamers unite!

Okay, so I've never been much of a video gamer.

But this spring break gave me the opportunity to broaden my gaming horizons. The first half of my week-long break was spent at home. Although I had a lot of homework, I knew things around the house could easily get dull and decided to seek out some entertainment for the duration of my visit.

Luckily, I decided to bring my PlayStation 3 along (my cherished Christmas gift- primarily for its ability to play high definition Blu Ray discs).

The first night at home went just as expected. It was great to come home and catch up with my mom, dad, and grandmother. Since this was my first time being home all semester, my mom made a delicious home cooked meal. Everything was great.

But things went downhill fast. Ten o' clock hit and everyone was off to bed. It was my first night of liberation-- the first night during my break-- and I was bored.

But, there was hope. I had a solution. I would buy a video game!

I hopped in my car and drove off to the store. I arrived and spent nearly twenty minutes perusing the (surprisingly limited) selection of games. Did I want to spend the next few days as an action hero, a sports superstar, military gunner? I stood wide-eyed in front of the display case, examining the foil covered game packages and imaging the experience each offered me.

I finally settled on an older game, God of War. I'd heard good things about it, and decided to give it a shot.

I found the electronics manager of the store and walked back towards the game section. "That one," I said as I pointed to the box. She begrudgingly whipped out her key and retrieved the game from behind the glass case.

I raced home and unwrapped it, sliding the disc into its slot on the console.

I spent the next two days as a bone crunching, sword swinging anti-hero named Kratos. The game, based on Greek mythology, allowed me to fight enemies like the cyclops and minotaurs as I searched for Pandora's box. The game was both a ton of fun and a complete waste of time. I enjoyed it so much that I had it beaten in only two days!

I'm not alone. In fact, over half of Americans play video games in some capacity (console, phone, internet, etc.). Interestingly enough, more and more of these gamers are women. And now, through game apps on devices such as Apple's iPhone and on social networking sites such as Facebook, gaming is more widespread than ever before.

Video games are a continually growing industry. Despite the recession, the video game industry brought in a record $5.53 billion dollars in U.S. sales in the month of December. It seems Americans are more addicted to video games than ever.

So, although I do enjoy playing a video game every now and again, the world of video gaming is one I will happily leave behind after spring break.