I feel like I have saved the youth of Hanover single-handedly. All it took was a trip to the library.

Everything started when I read an item in the newspaper. The library wanted to expand their collection and put out a call for used video games.

A small stack of those just happen to sit in my basement at the time. I had tried to sell them on eBay, but came up empty. That bummed me out because I had raised a little extra spending cash that way in the past.

I wouldn’t get a ton of money when I sold things like video games online, but I would always enjoy making five or 10 bucks off of something I didn’t need anymore.

I don’t buy a ton of video games, but I do have a few favorites. That means I like to get the new version every year. I have also bought a few on sale and received a few as presents.

Now that I really didn’t need a bunch, I really enjoyed the opportunity to donate them so maybe some kid could get some enjoyment out of them.

Before I gave them to my wife to drop off – you didn’t really expect me to take them to the library myself, did you? – I stood there with the games in my hand. One feeling came over me.

Jealousy.

How dare those kids get to sit in their basement and help lead a team to the Super Bowl in the Madden game that someone gave me for Christmas? Or maybe it was my birthday. I don’t really remember.

Even though I am more partial to the college football series on the Playstation, I all of a sudden wondered if I could really give away my Madden.

Then I looked at the stack. I wasn’t just giving that away. I could no longer play golf against Tiger Woods, box for a world championship or try to lead a basketball team to a championship. I don’t remember if it was college or pros because I bought the game for just a few bucks and never really got the hang of it.

But none of that mattered. Who cared if I couldn’t remember the last time I played golf on my Playstation? These were my games. Mine, mine, mine.

Luckily, I got over that pretty quickly when I looked at how often I get a chance to play the one game I have that I really enjoy. I play maybe once a week.

I have had great success in my game – I have managed to get Kent State accepted into the Big 10 in the place of Iowa and am currently riding a 50-game win streak – but I can’t sit in front of a TV for hours and play games anymore. I want to, but I just can’t.

So the games went off to the library and some kid can have as much fun with them as he wants instead of going out and causing all sorts of mayhem around town. I’m a real local hero that way.