Over a year and a half ago I created a challenge for myself and I failed.

I created a challenge for myself and I failed. The challenge was to play all the video games I owned until completion and blog* about my experiences. I imposed strict rules on myself about not buying new video games, getting perfect gamerscores, taking lots of pretty pictures, etc. I was really focused and committed to this goal...for about a month. I like to say, "then life got in the way" and to an extent it did: I moved from my hometown, had to find a new job, and had a daughter to raise. Any one of these things could distract anyone from achieving some lofty goals, and I was dealing with it all at once. But now I look back at it and realize... I could have been more focused. I could have found some time to do something related to my goal. Anything. I certainly found the time to break all the rules I created for myself. I purchased plenty of new games, some that I did play to completion. I even sold a lot of games that I vowed I would finally finish. And I wasn't writing which was the real reason I endeavored such a task. Looking back at it all, I realized I failed not because of the activity that was surrounding my life. I failed because I did not fully commit myself to the project.

So...can I do it again? I want to try. This time I would like to approach it differently. I actually haven't really nailed down my "ultimate goal" yet. I'm beginning to realize maybe it shouldn't be one goal I should limit myself to, but instead tackle my gaming lifestyle as a whole. I want to be more productive as a gamer. Not only in how I spend my time but: I want to spend my money more wisely, enjoy my games more fully, and experience the gaming culture in a more positive way than I am now. I also want to embrace my passion I have for video gaming and manifest that in some creative form.

I want this to be the next phase of my life as a gamer. I've been playing games for a long time, but now I think it's time to get a little more serious about what they mean to me, and how I can make them more meaningful in my life.

I will consider this my opening statement; it's a little vague and not fully realized like my upcoming plans are, and I like that. If I don't limit myself, at least for right now in this beginning phase, I have more freedom to explore exactly what it is I need from my games and what I want to do. Hopefully this won't be the last blog for another year and a half, like the one below.

And if you've been reading this, I have a question for you that I would love to hear a response for: Have you ever created a personal goal for yourself involving video games that you failed at? Do you regret it? Would you ever try restarting it again?

Thanks for reading.

*This is the blog I created so that you may say the fruits of my labor. I recently changed the name of my blog's url to more reflect my current goals, and hopefully I'll start updating that blog regularly too, along with blogging on this site.