Thought engendered by my return to computer gaming after an absence of two and a half years

I was an avid computer gamer for about fourteen or fifteen years. I played all sorts of games-- realtime strategies, MMORPGs, first person shooters, turn-based games--but my most favorite games were usually role playing games (Fallout 1 and 2, Planescape Torment, Baldur's Gate 2) or point and click adventures (Grim Fandango, The Longest Journey, Still L…