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Fall and winter are both amazing seasons for gamers. Trying to capitalize on the Christmas rush, this is the time game publishers release their blockbusters. In a small span of a few months, we've received Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

I want every one of these games. I had so much fun playing Assassin's Creed 2; stabbing people in the face has been one of my favorite past times this year. I played a ton of Need for Speed when I was a kid and Hot Pursuit was one of a few games that I received from my parents. But Call of Duty: Black Ops?

Although the game may be great, I generally dislike the genre of shooters. I find aiming without a mouse insanely difficult. I end up running in circles because I don't have a clear idea of how to complete my objectives. Finally, I'm pretty lucky if I don't pass out from dizziness after playing a first person shooter for more than 45 min. I know all this and am well aware of my stance towards these games. So why do I still insist on buying CoD: Black Ops?

Every day for the last five years, I have always taken the time to read all the articles on Kotaku. Although I convinced myself that I was aggregating news, in reality I was subjecting myself to massive amounts of advertising. How could I possibly ignore a game that destroyed opening day sales of any entertainment medium? Zombified nearly 3 million people in one night? Or single-handedly ticked off an entire nation?

Realizing what I've been putting myself through, I've decided to stop actively reading Kotaku. And it's been hard.

Since I was a kid, I've defined a part of myself by knowing what was happening in the gaming industry. I've played, seen images or heard of most popular games. Cutting myself off from the source of such information feels like I am losing a part of my identity.

Not to mention, I'm bored. I'm not going to lie, reading all those articles takes a lot of time. In addition to that, I would link my friends and chat about the more interesting posts I come across. Not reading these articles or chatting with my friends adds a lot of time back into my day. On paper, this sounds great but I haven't adapted to using that time wisely or being productive yet; I've found myself, on multiple occasions, staring blankly at my screen and daydreaming.

With those considerations, I still feel that this is the right move. Even though I am forced to redefine myself, not being a slave to consumerism is even more important to me. Who knows, maybe I'll become a better person as a result.