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How a Bargain Bin and a Chance Encounter Changed My Gaming Life
Hello gamers,
Today, I want to share a personal story—one that means a lot to me. It’s about how I stumbled upon three games completely by chance, games I might have never played otherwise.
It was sometime around 2014. I was a teen saving money however I could—doing odd jobs, collecting change, the usual hustle. Eventually, I managed to save up about $72, which felt like a fortune back then.
I gave the money to my mom and asked her to bring it when she picked me up from school that day. We headed to GameStop, and honestly, I had no idea what I was going to buy—I just knew I wanted something new.
As I walked in, I saw the “Under $10” section and figured I’d just walk past it—I had a decent budget and was aiming for the new releases. That’s when I spotted a game I’d never heard of before in the new section: Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness. The name seemed strange, but the cover caught my eye. I flipped it over and saw that it was a turn-based RPG, with crazy-high damage numbers and a quirky look. I loved RPGs already, and something about this game intrigued me—so I grabbed it. It cost $49.99.
Still curious, I looped back to the bargain section, just to see what was there. That’s when I found BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend. I had never played a BlazBlue game before, but I had tried similar arcade-style fighters and liked them. The cover art looked cool, and at under $10, it felt like a steal. Into the stack it went.
At checkout, the guy behind the counter noticed the BlazBlue case and asked if I played fighting games. I told him I’d only played them at arcades and sometimes at friends’ houses. He smiled and said it was great to see someone new joining the fighting game community, which wasn’t that big at the time.
Then, something unexpected happened—when he scanned the games, BlazBlue rang up as FREE thanks to a “Buy One, Get One Free” deal. Since Disgaea was the pricier title, I ended up getting BlazBlue for free.
Now I had money left over. I figured I’d take one last look, and that’s when I saw Yakuza 3. I recognized the name—someone had once told me it was like GTA, but in Japan. That was all I needed to hear. I picked it up, checked out, and walked away with three games I had never planned to buy… but would come to love.
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Disgaea D2 opened the door to tactical RPGs and led me to play the entire Disgaea series.
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BlazBlue introduced me to competitive fighting games and made me a fan of Arc System Works, who are now one of my favorite developers.
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Yakuza 3 got me hooked on the Yakuza series, with its rich stories and unique Japanese crime drama style. I’ve played every Yakuza game since.
These games weren’t on my radar. I just happened to pick them up on a random trip to GameStop—and they completely changed the way I game.
So why am I sharing this story? Because sometimes, the little moments—the random shelves we usually skip—can lead to something big. If I hadn’t picked up those games, I might’ve just gone home with another Call of Duty (which I used to play a lot back then). Instead, I found new genres, new favorites, and new experiences.
It also taught me a valuable lesson: don’t be afraid to try something new, even if it looks weird or unfamiliar. I wasn’t sure if I’d like Disgaea, even though it was an RPG. Now? I love it. The same goes for BlazBlue and Yakuza.
Think about it—people used to ignore Monster Hunter, and now, thanks to World and Wilds, it's one of the most popular franchises out there. Some games just need a chance to surprise you.
Anyway, thanks for sticking with me through this memory. It might not seem like a big deal to some, but for me, it’s one of the best gaming days I’ve had. And that’s what matters.
If you’ve ever had a moment like this—a random game that changed your whole outlook—I’d love to hear it. Drop a comment, follow The Gamer Fool, and share this post if you enjoyed it.
Until next time—keep gaming and stay curious.
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