The Active Rain Points System - Anyone for a game of Pacman? Pinball? Asteroids?

When I was a kid growing up in Dallas, video games were still in their infancy.  We had "Pong" at my house, then later "Frogger" and various iterations of "Pacman".  Now, my kids play much-updated adventure game versions of Frogger and Pacman, and I enjoy the Wii games with them sometimes.  Some of the sports games are quite a workout, frankly. 

In the late 70's, video games began to appear everywhere, in convenience stores, grocery stores, even in pizza restaurants.  The latter games were the table top variety, so you could eat and play at the same time, and I still see old games like this in some obscure places.  Lest we forget, the roller skating rink was another popular spot for games.  On a side note, I remember distinctly when I was about 10 that I wanted a pinball machine for our house, which we never got.  I probably would have wanted the Evil Knieval machine, or perhaps James Bond (from the Roger Moore years, no less).   

Around that time, there was a certain cachet if you could obtain the high score on the more popular games, as you got to put your initials on the screen.  Seeing "JBC" on the screen at the top provided an adrenal rush, if only temporarily.  Since I wasn't really a video game master, my time at the top didn't last that long typically.  If I returned the following day, there were probably someone else's initials residing above mine.  I am a competitive person, although not the kind that will do anything to win.  I do enjoy winning, though, and I have no problem admitting that.

So, what is the point (pun intended) of this post?

The Active Rain point system works on my brain in the same fashion as those early video games. 

Do I post for points here on Active Rain?  Well, yes, but not JUST for points. I challenge you to comb back through my blog (the first week is off-limits however) and find even one worthless, throwaway post that I have written.  I refuse to sacrifice quality for quantity. 

I do, however, try to take advantage of the maximum posts for points each week (10 - week starts Saturday at midnight Central time), although I haven't done it every single week since I started actively in August.  I also make way more comments than the maximum for points daily (also 10).  I don't think I have missed a day doing this since I figured out how it worked, about five months ago.

Much like those heady days, if someone is active here and manages to climb the ranks, they will be able to etch their names at the top of the heap.  However, if they step away too long, they are likely to return to find another name there, and the climb begins again.  I find the system to be pure genius, personally, as it feeds the ego and our natural competitive nature as salespeople.

Sure, it's no "Galaga" or "Space Invaders", but Active Rain provides a nice outlet AND it actually counts as work since I have already made money from my efforts here.   Don't forget the fact that it is absolutely FREE!

Not a bad hobby, in my estimation.  Beats pinball, right?