Planes, Trains, and Video Games

This past weekend I packed for my recent business trip to Japan and instinctively included my DS.  Upon boarding the plane and plugging myself into the barely-comfortable seat (yay for coach!) I whipped out my Lite with a copy of Dragon Quest V and began to repeatedly press “A” for attack.  I always choose an RPG for my longer flights, as they provide enough meat to help at least 7 of those 12 hours go by without a flinch.  The hours melted away, thanks to the prerequisite grinding and slime-herding.

The gentleman next to me had a more unique situation.  He had both a DS and a PSP and switched between several games on each.  On the DS I watched him play what appeared to be a Japanese point-n-click novel (they’re all the rage) and what appeared to be a Hotel Dusk style of detective game in which there was a constant tapping taking place.  On the PSP it was more puzzle-based endeavors.

As for me, I didn’t change the DQV cartridge out of its slot.

I noticed something similar on the train and subway.  The Japanese all play games, but not so much on portable consoles.  Most of the time they engaged in cell phone gaming (flip phones, not touch screen) and in a rare instance I saw a DS come out to play.

That got me to wondering about what everyone else plays on their plane trips, car rides, and so on.  Are you an RPG person?  Or are action/puzzle games more to your forte?  And, do you play differently depending on your trip length?