Last night, I caught myself playing Super Stardust HD, split-screen co-op with myself. With a Dual Shock in each hand, I played two ships simultaneously, trying to survive for three minutes...

...so I could get a gold trophy.

Is this acceptable gaming behaviour? Or is this a warning sign?

Anyway. This event has coincided with a separate realization: the realization that I spend too much time thinking about video games.

I don't spend too much time playing video games, mind you, just too much time thinking about them. I don't play more than an hour a day on average. I don't think that's very much. But when I am not playing games, I am constantly checking my Google Reader feed for game news, checking GameSpot forums and my profile for new bits of info, making and revising checklists of things I want to accomplish in games, checking game FAQs, checking release dates of forthcoming games, planning my cash-saving to be able to pay for those games even months ahead of time.

I feel that it is more than I would like it to be. To that end, I am going to streamline. I am not going to play games any less. But I am going to spend less time doing all of the other game-related stuff.

And perhaps question myself a bit more carefully the next time I catch myself doing something improbable just for a trophy...

...even a gold one.