On hot, summer Orange County weekends, my best friend, my brother, and I oiled our rusty, beat up bikes, inflated our flat tires, then rode up hills and down hills, across parking lots, and through heavy smog to get to our two meccas of geekdom: the local arcade and the local "hobby" store.

The plan was to take our not-earned $20 and buy some book or "official gaming product" from the hobby store, with rows upon rows of dusty barrels filled with esoteric boxes, books, and games then hop on over to the dimly-liy arcade, break our money, and wait for our turn to play the latest game, holding onto our quarters until they became hot and sweaty.

We'd play video games 'til the wee hours of 6:00pm. Those were good Saturdays.

...

My folks hated to give me that $20. "What do you need it for?"

"Stuff."

"You're going to buy Dragon Dungeon books aren't you? And play video games? When are you going to stop being childish and play sports, or study more?"

"I get good grades."

"But you don't get straight A's. You're smarter than that. You're smarter than most white kids."

I thought they were getting a good deal. I get exercise, sun, and smoke inhalation for riding my bike to the store, they only have to give me $20 a month, and my GPA was higher than the majority of the elementary school.

...

I used to get crap from this idiot in my class. He'd walk up to me and ask, "Are you still playing Dungeons & Dragons?"

I couldn't lie because that was wrong, but I also couldn't tell the truth, because I knew I going to eternal damnation.

"You're going to hell. It's a sin to play Dungeons and Dragons. I've already confessed and I'm never going to play again."

My friends would argue with him, but I would just turn my head and look for places to hide.

"You heard about those kids who went crazy, and sacrificed one of their friends for supernatural power?"

"Or about the kids who doused tennis balls with gasoline and thought they could throw fireball spells?"

"Or how those books have hidden messages to tempt you to Satan?"

It seemed so easy to go to Hell back then. I woke up each morning fearful that the Dark Lord would take me screaming down below.

...

And let's not talk about what girls thought when I told them I was into "roleplaying games." And let's not talk about what girls thought when I corrected them, and told them that I played Dungeons & Dragons.

It was days like that that made me long for those Saturday afternoons...