Not a Baby Game

There are few things quite as embarrassing as buying a Pokemon game.

Yesterday, I bought the newly released Pokemon: Soul Silver on my way home from work. Despite being 22 and a college graduate, I am often powerless to resist the siren song of new Pokemon RPGs. I’ve been playing them for years, and at this point they are the videogame equivalent of comfort food for me: familiar, nostalgic, and best when consumed in moderation.

But for as much as I enjoy playing Pokemon games, I cannot stand the actual act of buying them in brick and mortar shops. It’s incredibly embarrassing, primarily because the franchise is synonymous with the under-12 set. And to make matters worse, I never failingly pick the busiest time at Gamestop to buy my copy. Such was the case yesterday: as soon as I approached the counter, every other customer in the store decided to finish their shopping and get in line behind me. I felt like they were all listening in as I made my purchase, silently judging me…

After all, that’s what I do to everyone else.

When I finally finished, I rushed out of the store, quickly shoving the game into my messenger bag. You’d have thought I had just finished buying some condoms or a copy of Hustler from my behavior. Next time, I’m just going to buy the game online.