Brickbreaker = Doom!

That’s it, I’m deleting Brickbreaker from my Blackberry. I am a dysfunctional zombie when I play that stupid game. Let me tell you the problem: I play it because it requires no real effort, and because when I get bored (and I hate boredom more than anything) it’s something to keep me occupied. Problem is, it’s one of those things that’s too easy, so anytime there’s a break in time or a moment when I’m not occupied, I pick it up and start playing. Only for a few minutes at a time, mind you, and only as a distraction, but I just started realizing recently that the distractions are…well, distracting! (Believe it or not).

So. I hope I can break this addiction now. Seriously, it’s like cigarettes (which I quit in 1998), it’s habitual. And I have a personality that is very vulnerable to distracting habits. The problem, of course, is what it’s distracting me from, which I didn’t even realize was happening until recently. The problem with me is, if I’m not writing, I go through periods of depression. Without that creative outlet, I sink pretty low at times. I’ll sit down at the old PC, open up a clear document, think for ten seconds and then when nothing comes to me automatically, I opt for the distraction. And then I play for a little while until I’m called away for one reason or another, and nothing gets written. This is the same reason I quit playing World of Warcraft, although that particular game threatened to confiscate a LOT more time than Brickbreaker ever could.

I’m just two days in to my experiment, and in these two days I’ve written more than I have over any two day stretch for at least six months. Now, if only I could be confident that BB was the only problem. I can’t be too confident, because it seems such an insignificant thing. And now what am I supposed to do when I’m bored? I suppose I should start carrying a note pad around again and doodle or scribble. Maybe even my Palm T|X–which doesn’t have an addictive game on it. It’s pure function, and that’s something I can appreciate.

So if you’re like me and you have a Blackberry and you sometimes play Brickbreaker on it, consider this fair warning–it will suck your life dry. Yes, those 47 simple lines of code will drain your life of all joy. Because let’s face it, it might not take as much time as WoW to play, but it is also not nearly as much fun. It’s pure vegetative aggravation.

Join me, and cut the habit!!