Video games spread happiness to everyone!

It's really weird to say this, but I don't know what I'd do without video games, especially in this economic crisis.

I've had a rough year, mostly because I was disappointed by the new Metroid game for the Wii. I often wish I had a Playstation 3, just so I could play BlazBlue. With that said, it's extraordinary that I still have a humongous selection of games to choose from.

I can play some of the best new RPG games for my Nintendo DSi. I can splurge on retro games by purchasing them from the Wii Shop Channel. And now that I've discovered Steam, I can download top-notch games straight onto my PC. For crying out loud, I can even play "Street Fighter IV" and "Bionic Commando: Rearmed" on the family computer.

Friends don't let friends go without their Street Fighter fix.

And don't even get me started on casual games. I have friends who keep inviting me to play Facebook games with them. I keep forgetting about raising my character in Mafia Wars, but I'll probably get back to it soon.

Even though video game sales have plunged this year, it seems like everyone is on the same boat for once. Girls are playing video games. Everyday people are trying out casual games. And even though my dad still prefers to play Solitaire, he's playing quite a few other games as well.

I guess you could say that it's the best of times and the worst of times. The best of times, because everyone has something to play. The worst of times, because reality TV shows suck and a lot of us lost our jobs.

At this point, I'm hoping that someday we'll have a single, universal gaming console where everyone can join together and sing "Kumbaya." Or at least we could try singing it through a microphone in some music video game or something.