In less than a month, Mass Effect 3 will arrive on my doorstep. To my friends and family: I won’t be available to any of you for the week of March 6. To my teachers: please forgive my absence in at least one class that week. I will be far too busy saving the universe from the Reapers and watching my Commander Shepard kick ass to worry about much else.

Bioware’s Mass Effect took the character depth of a novel and the compelling visuals of a movie and used them to create the ultimate RPG experience. Fully voice acted cities wait to be explored. The people I saved in the last game will remember me, and so will those I screwed over. The Council will continue being condescending dicks.

I can’t imagine not gaming. Playing a good game is an escape, a stress reliever and an inspiration. Some people play sports, some join clubs, some take up crafts. I game.

When I was about five years old, my dad taught me how to double-click and open programs on our computer. It was actually a bit challenging to click quickly enough, but it was the beginning of my lifelong love affair with computers.

Dad had me hooked on games from a young age through such fiendish means as Treasure Mountain, Snow Mountain and Math Blaster. These games combined catching elves, defeating aliens and throwing snowballs with fast paced mathematics. I learned the fine arts of reading the time and counting grids of crystals while believing this was fun, not educational.

I’ve killed thousands if not millions of bandits, defeated dozens of dragons, slain trolls and ogres with knives, swords, bows and magic. A good game combines the plot of a novel, the visuals of a movie and the essential element of my choices changing the world around me. By which I mean, the imaginary world of ones and zeroes, but what’s the difference anyway?

I’ve played assassins, thieves and soldiers. I’ve hit nosy reporters in the face, threatened politicians with blackmail and overthrown governments. I’ve also protected villages from plagues, zombies or bandits. I’ve rescued lost children, found a villager’s missing husband and saved the world.

None of this matters to anyone but me. I’m not homicidal, I’ve never been arrested and I’m certainly not going to try real life heroics. Every issue that’s raised as evidence that games are making kids violent or exposing them to overly mature materials is far more relevant when mentioned in regards to television or books anyway. Every bit of violence can be seen over and over on TV with real people instead of animations. Every mature act can be read in a book or seen on TV. Video games aren’t exposing kids to anything new in entertainment except for letting them hold the controller.

Some games let you explore vast landscapes as a roving adventurer. Some let you build cities and kingdoms, controlling the economy and military for centuries of history. Sometimes you run an item shop, sometimes you fly spaceships. Everything you can’t be but wish you could is available to you in a game.

And I for one will thoroughly enjoy being a space faring, universe saving, war hero Commander Shepard as my next great adventure.