One recent Saturday, I played a lot of games. In those moments when I could tear myself away from Team Fortress 2, I played Portal, Project Gotham Racing 4, Stranglehold, Halo 3, Half Life 2 Episode 2, and a couple rounds of Company of Heroes, Opposing Fronts. Oh, and I dabbled with the demo of UT3.

I decided, after this digital gluttony, to take a day off and play no games at all. And, for some reason, I started thinking of Yom Kippur, that Holy day in the Jewish calendar devoted to fasting, atonement, and forgivness. Now, I don’t mean to trivialize Yom Kippur, nor elevate a hobby to greater significance, but I started thinking of this day as my gaming Yom Kippur. After all, with so many potentially great games just up the road a ways, what better time to undergo a day of purification.

So, I played no games. I purged my various hard drives of old games, demos, and mods that I knew I would never return to. I defragged, I cleaned the registry, I dusted the monitor. And while I suppose the following is really just between myself and the Great Game Maker in the Sky, I offer these sins up for forgiveness:

–Not finishing games. Sorry, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Please forgive me, Medal of Honor: Airborne. Don’t take it personally, Tomb Raider: Anniversary. These are all good games, and I may return to them, but they and a few others remain in various states of incompleteness.

–Not sticking with any one MMORPG. Vanguard, I thought you were the one. LOTRO, what happened? We were so happy. I wonder if the guild I started still even exists. Sword of the New World, you never had a chance, and Tabula Rasa, don’t get your hopes up. I have issues. And WoW, I know you’re waiting patiently like the tired old whore that you are: I’ll be back, and this time I’ll stay. I promise.

There are many more. Too many really, but I just noticed that my neighbor’s goat is wandering free and I think there might just be a quick and easy fix to the guilt and shame.

Shalom.