In the last month, I did something I never imagined I would do, and I did it twice. That’s right, I played not one, but two, video games and I have to tell you I was pleasantly surprised.

Growing up, my parents never bought my sister and me any sort of game console. I don’t think it was so much that they wouldn’t allow it, but it was more that my sister and I didn’t want it.

Sure we had computer games, “The Sims” being (and still to this day) one of the only games either of us really play.

But just last month, on a weekend where nothing exciting was happening, my boyfriend, Devin, suggested I try playing one of his video games, swearing that he knew I would like it.

Reluctant as I was, we popped in the disc for “Mafia II” and, before I knew it, I was hooked.

For those who haven’t played or aren’t familiar with it, in “Mafia II,” you play the character Vito Scaletta, a mafia man. The game is divided up into missions your character is sent on. By finishing one mission you get sent on to the next.

The game is pretty violent. I don’t think there is one mission that you don’t kill someone, whether it’s on purpose or you accidently run them over with your car.

Prior to playing, I was the type of person that was slightly against the violence in video games. But, after playing them, I’ve changed my mind. To be honest, the violence is very unrealistic, and the thought that playing video games can make a child act out is absurd.

The game, if anything, is just a fun way to pass time. And that’s what I did until about a week or two later when I beat the game.

I then moved on to “L.A. Noir,” where you play a Los Angeles detective in 1947. In each chapter of the game, you must solve different cases ranging from arson to murder.

I finished this game in about a week and a half. I don’t think I liked the game play as much as “Mafia II,” but the graphics were unbelievable. Aside from the fact that every girl looked the same in the game, the creators used this facial recogitation technology on the actors that played the characters to make them look as real as possible.

Now that I am finished with “L.A. Noir” and “Mafia II,” I am moving on to “Grand Theft Auto IV” to see if I can tackle the legacy that is “GTA.”

I don’t consider myself a video game expert by any means, but I may or may not be asking Santa for an Xbox for Christmas this year.

Story by Savannah Sawyer, Features Editor