Thanksgiving Gaming in Minnesota's Northwest Corner

My girlfriend Nikki and I are trekking across Minnesota tomorrow to spend the holiday/break with my parents in the state's Northwest corner. It's a scenic drive until halfway when we reach the upper half of the state. There, the terrain flattens and trees disappear. I call it the North Dakota effect.

I always tell myself it'll be a gaming-free trip - a nice time to "unplug," relax, and get more in touch with my roots. But videogames always come with, and somehow I still relax and do all the things I desired when my favorite medium and obsession wasn't involved. Go figure.

This year I'm bringing my Xbox 360, Wii, and PC for the four-day weekend. It's a lot of tech to carefully pack, carry down my long apartment's long hallways, and load into my 2000 Blazer, but I find it absolutely necessary year after year, despite my initial lapses in judgement. I'm not afforded many opportunities to game with my family, other than my brother and cousin who both play World of Warcraft and anything and everything else, so I relish this rare occasion.

On the 360, I hope to organize a few games of the new Buzz TV!: Quiz World and show my dad, a lifetime car enthusiast and former street racer, Forza 3 and its extensive customization features.

The only Wii title I'm bringing back is the New Super Mario Bros. I'd love to take more with, but I haven't purchased any others for the console since Brawl. I'll gauge their interest during this holiday, and, if they are positively receptive to the Wii and possibility of playing other games, I may need to pick up one or two more for Christmas.

My PC's traveling with because I don't have a laptop and I may need to do some work. My parents have one, but their setup can't run World of Warcraft...and there I go giving myself away. In-game holiday events, no matter how trivial, are too silly for me to ignore.

Sometime after the trip's over, I'll post how everything went, and possibly an article I'm really excited about. Until then, lemme know if gaming's in your holiday schedule.