It’s more than a feeling. Sometimes games can take us to the highest of highs, or kick us square in the balls/vag, leaving us pain-stricken and confused. So, rather than hide our emotions, I encourage you to chip in and share some of your emotional experiences with the vidya. Enclosed are some of my favorites (or most painful memories).

Abject Joy: World of Warcraft
Event: Obtaining the Wildheart Vest.
Back in the day, a Wildheart vest was a big fucking deal. I was the sole druid in an Upper Blackrock Spire run and I knew that if it dropped, it was mine. At the tender level of 53, the chest dropped. I slapped my hands so hard together in glee that they stung for the next ten minutes. It was some time before I could even wear the damn thing.

Confusion: Breath of Fire 3
Event: Lost in a dungeon.
To this day, I still don’t know how to get out of that fucking dungeon. I clicked a chest, and for some reason, there was no exit, no entrance. I had made a perilous journey across the desert, surely a little dungeon couldn’t stop me? I rented the game 3 times, I never once made it out of that dungeon. The same thing happened in final fantasy 7, trying to get out of the gold saucer prison. I finally hugged the rail and fought against a lame boss that I was too strong to even get hurt by.

Rage: Devil May Cry 3
Event: Being consistently raped.
This wasn’t the collectors edition. This was the balls to the walls, rape your face and like it version. I beat one level a day for 10 straight days, the sheer rage from playing rendering me unable to play for more than 5 minutes at a time.

Sadness: Valkyria Chronicles
Event: Death of a friend.
One of the reasons I both reviewed and highly recommend Valkyria Chronicles is for the staggering emotional toll it takes on you. While I wont ruin anything (come on, it’s a war game, death is bound to happen) I will say that this was the first game to make me cry. Full on BAWWW. I didn’t even shed a tear for the big boss, so you know I’m a real man’s man.

Betrayal: Streets of Rage
Event: The Right Hand Man.
Imagine playing Streets of Rage with cousin Joey. He’s so cool, damn, we are so good at this game! We get to the final boss, and he challenges us to fight to the death, the winner becoming his right hand man. I decline, why would I accept? We are a team! I am blindsided by a flying jump kick, several knees to the rib and several jabs to the face. I have lost without even throwing a punch. For his “victory”, the boss kicks Joey and myself out of his room and back a couple stages. I have still never gotten over it.