Gaming and depression.

When I was old enough to grasp the concept of a computer and how to navigate around one, which was around the age of eight or nine, I began to explore games we had on our computer at home. I came to love Doom 2, chess, and another shooting game. Where these games came from to this day, I have the slightest of an idea. But they were there, and soon Saturday mornings were spent in the mudroom on the computer instead of in the living room watching One Saturday Morning on channel 5. It was around this time that I had my first experience of internet, which was through AOL 4.0, or maybe an even earlier version. Along with that came my first Instant Message which was from my Dad's friend Jim, which drove me absolutely crazy because I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that there was a little box popping up and saying 'Are you there? Are you there?' I ran out of the room screaming for my parents because I couldn't understand how someone could connect to you through a computer.
Soon, I was getting into buying CD-Roms to play. I remember dragging my Nana into some store that sold them, and talking her into buying me games for $20, which seemed like a lot more money to me at the time. I did suck her into buying me this Barbie Horse-riding game, which soon became an obsession. I'd play it all day until I got screamed at to get off the computer.
Soon, I was getting in trouble for leaving the game in the computer, which greatly pissed my Dad off, because he was the one putting it away after I finished playing.
One day, he called me into the mud room, and he sounded pretty angry. When I made it to the room, there he was, holding my favorite game in his hands. Once I made it fully into the room, he snapped the game in half right in my face. I ran to my room crying, and didn't come out of the rest of the day. It still upsets me now, because he knew how much I loved that game, and sure he was angry and I wasn't being responsible, but how can you do that to your kid?
Now, when I leave things out, and he tells me he'll throw it away if I do it again, I don't do it again, because he's really serious.
R.I.P. Barbie Horseback riding game.