I don’t by any stretch consider myself a short-attention-span gamer.

When Metal Gear Solid 4 was released last June, I devoured it in three toothpick-eyed caffeinated sittings. (Nope, I didn’t even skip any of the cutscenes.) Late night sessions of Rock Band last for at least 3 hours until I collapse in a wrecked heap of sweat. I sacrificed sleep, practically bought stock in Mountain Dew, and even called in sick to work back-to-back days in November of 2001 when Halo was released.

There was one game in particular - Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast - that melted away any sense of time or bladder requirements and had me captured for 10 hours at a time.

Lately though, something twisted has been altering my gaming habits. If my 360 and PS3 had a collective intelligence, they would curse me back to the 3DO days for neglecting their raw graphical prowess. Of course, Microsoft and Sony are laughing all the way to the bank.

Enough with the colorful descriptions and yesteryear nostalgia. I have an addiction to affordable, short, downloadable arcade games.

Nevermind that I haven’t finished Grand Theft Auto 4, haven’t reached Prestige Mode in Call of Duty 4, and barely got past the Motor Storm shrink wrap that came bundled with my PS3. I am absolutely compelled to beat my high score on Hexic, gather all the trophies of Super Stardust HD, and beat Puzzle Fighter HD on Hard - with Dan.

Something about these $10 titles that start with “Super” or end in “HD” are extremely addicting, reminiscent of classic games where mastering the deceptively simple gameplay and beating your high score was all that mattered.

(And then there’s the Xbox Live Arcade atrocity that is Frogger. Don’t worry, I have a keen eye for crapware.)

It’s no exaggeration to state that I’m putting more hours into these types of “short attention span” games than I am titles that cost a good, oh, $50 more. No complaints there, says my wallet.

Will expensive triple-A games like Halo Wars, Resistance 2 and Final Fantasy XIII pull me back in? Certainly. And besides, we do have a website to run. But I can’t be alone in wondering how long the industry can get away with charging $60 for a yawner like HAZE when the wealth of cheaper, downloadable games on both Xbox Live and the Playstation Network are increasingly capturing our attention, our imagination, and our credit card numbers.

What’s your take? Has there been a downloadable game you just can’t quit? Are your boxed titles gathering dust? Let us know in the comments.

Until next time, I’ll be playing UNO. (Just kidding)…(maybe)

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