This is my monument to a little white machine that I had to let go today. I’ll tell you why it’s now gone, but before I do that, let me tell you the story of the day I got my Wii.

About a year ago, I had just come into some cash, and at a fortuitous time, because Super Smash Brothers Brawl was about to be released. The smash dojo was pumping out screenshots and gameplay features daily, so hype for the game was at critical mass. Back then, in between going to classes at my local community college (go underachieve without leaving your home!) I would hang out with a high school friend named Drew, who had my class and play Call of Duty 4 online matches. Things were pretty sweet actually.

The Wii was still really hard to find back then, and every time I checked Wal-Mart or GameStop, they would say they were out of them. I was starting to think that I wouldn’t actually get my hands on a Wii for the midnight release of brawl. That was unacceptable to me, because in my circle of friends, I’d get left in the dust if I didn’t get my own time to train with the game. Drew would also help out with my quest and let me know if he saw one.

One day, as we were leaving the college, Drew announced that he had to go to Walmart for something and asked if I’d like to ride along and check for a Wii. I jumped at the chance, but not because I thought I would get one, but because there was nothing else to do between classes. Everything seemed to be business as usual when I got there, no Wii in sight,. As I walked out of there, I decided to also check on the GameStop in the same shopping center, with even less expectation of finding one.

The place was nearly empty because it was only about noon when we got there, and a pretty nice young girl was working. I walked up to the counter, already defeated in my mind and asked if they had any Wii’s in stock. She said yes in a pleasant tone. “Oh” I believe I said, and almost walked out without registering what that meant. When it dawned on me, I turned to look at Drew, who had an even better reaction on his face that I must have had. I suddenly felt very happy, but also very nervous. I don’t immediately jump onto big decisions like spending money, and so I couldn’t help but have some hesitation at the moment.

I withdrew into a corner of the store with him and began to ask, “What do you think I should do? I’ve got the money, but I don’t want to just blow it so quick without thinking! Plus, my mom would kill me if she knew I had done something like that” Drew, who doesn’t ever think about decisions but simply does them couldn’t even believe I was asking this and pushed me back up to the counter. I knew he was right, and so I went through with the transaction and left the store feeling happy but a little shocked at what had happened.

On the way back, Drew shouted, “Dude, you just got a Wii!” that made me realize just how excited I should be. I opened up the box, something that always makes the gamer inside me alive with anticipation, and smelled the new electronics smell that enticed me to play it. The moment of unboxing a new system is always exciting, and seeing the pristine parts for the system for the first time made the purchase worth it to me. If you really wanted to stretch for an analogy; it’d be like a mother falling in love with her baby for the first time upon birthing it.

It’s only been about a year since I first got it, but I needed to pay off a debt I owed, TODAY. So that was the quickest thing I could sell and raise the cash needed to pay it. I didn’t have an SD card either, so my VC games and super smash brothers brawl save file is vaporized. I watched them format it when they took it. Like watching them euthanize your puppy or something. It sucked. I still have my trusty Ps2 (knock on wood) and brawl will always be played at someone else’s house so my gaming will mostly be the same as it was before.

I don’t think I’ll buy another Wii though. Even though I loved the one I had, there isn’t much there to draw me back. To be honest, Brawl was the only thing that I bought the Wii for, and besides the virtual console games, the only thing I had for it. The next system purchase for me will either be a Ps3 or a 360. So, why don’t you guys tell me about some of the experiences you guys have had with the Wii, good or bad.