I love games, me, but there are certain classes of game which I’m not as good at as I might like, much like anyone else.

At the grand old age of 35, my reflexes are not what they once were (and they once were rubbish). So anything that requires cat-like reflexes (your Call of Duty, or any bloody fighting game ever made ever) often leaves me more frustrated than happy, which makes me play worse, which ups the frustration even more, and so on. Eventually, if things are going very badly and the game is particularly annoying, a majestic crescendo of fury is reached, and the pad will go sailing across the room. Now, pads are pretty robust things, but once you bounce them off the floor and a wall or two, their ability to function correctly may become slightly impaired.

And so my message is this: if you’re playing a frustrating game, and you have a headache, make sure there are cushions and/or bean bags nearby, and fling your pad into something soft. Anger at a game is transient; being annoyed with yourself for having to buy yet another new pad, well, that lasts a bit longer. Your wallet will thank you.