Have you ever had a video game mysteriously go missing?

I wanted to play Pokemon Stadium 2 mini-games, dang it all

It can happen to the best of us.

You get a sudden urge to revisit a specific video game from your past – maybe a childhood classic that fills your heart with nostalgic joy, maybe an old favorite you’d like to share with someone special. Nothing else will cut it. Nothing else will scratch this itch. You need to play the game right away.

Then, it hits: you go searching for this one exact game, and suddenly, it’s nowhere to be found.

“What the?”

You try the usual spots. Nothing.

You try the unusual spots, just for good measure. No luck.

“It’s gotta be around here somewhere,” you reassure yourself. “Don’t panic yet.”

You begin mentally tracing your way back to the last time you definitely, for sure had this prized game in your possession. When did it vanish? Who could’ve done it? Was it a friend? A sibling? Some distant cousin who dropped by several years ago and “borrowed” the game when no one was looking?

It’s gone. Maybe forever, maybe not. But one thing is for sure: you aren’t getting it back today.

Out of urgent-enough options, you end up settling. You overpay for a scratched-up replacement, and when it arrives in the mail, you can finally relive those fond memories you’ve been chasing this whole time. Something’s off, though – you didn’t grow up with this game. You didn’t cause this wear and tear.

It’s not your copy, and it never will be.