Today, in total, I have spent £150 on two pieces of none console videogame hardware; one arcade stick and one set of headphones. This is the kind of thing that we gamers do, we make ridiculous impulse purchases, filling drawers with items that we'll use for a couple of hours, declare the greatest thing in the world and then forget about when the next shiny new thing catches our fickle, fickle eyes.
I've got statues, posters, limited edition boxed sets, art books, art cards, art. I have controllers of differing colours and ergonomic design, games for consoles I've never owned and consoles I've bought for just one game. I'm not "hardcore" or "l33t", but I am passionate about the culture and counter culture that has grown up around the pastime that ensnared me. I had a fishing controller for the Dreamcast for pity's sake.
A lot of us are hoarders, stock pilers, magpies. We collect that which we identify with, much in the same way that other people do. T-Shirts, bags, jewellery, accessories, all manner of paraphernalia carry the logos, icons and imagery of our preferred distraction. Our collective possessions are building us a cultural identity - it's no longer just the games that you buy, it's the way you buy them, the accoutrements you purchase to diversify the experience, the clothing you wear to display to others that you have had and enjoyed that experience. Legitimacy won't simply come from more mature content, it will come from our acceptance as consumers. We're becoming a demographic, but it's up to us to define ourselves as we see fit.
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