The same thing happens every year. Last year, it was Far Cry 2. The year before, it was Blue Dragon. And this year, Black Friday struck once more in the heart and mind of Clay Gilbert, as he pushed the “buy” button on almost $130 worth of video games that he didn’t need or even really want.

“I can’t explain it,” said Clay. “I mean, I always figure – I’m going to want to play this game eventually anyway, right? So why not strike while the iron’s hot? I mean, when am I going to find Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood for only $30 again? Or look, Need for Speed: Shift for $10 off! That’s too good to pass up! I mean, I think it is. That game was supposed to be okay, right? I think they mentioned it on some podcast.”

Clay, who hasn’t actually played a racing game in the past year, still went forward with the purchase with barely a second thought. “I was going to buy Assassin’s Creed 2 either way, right? So why not see what else they’re selling?” This decision, last Thursday, turned into several hours of agonizing over various “deal websites”, including the bustling forums of Cheapassgamer.com.

“It turned out that the more I looked, the more I realized I just needed to buy things. I mean, look at the prices – I can’t say no, can I? Plus, they were all talking about things like “flipping it” and “trade-ins” and “loss leaders” and I think that it’s possible that I could make some real money doing this.”

“Plus,” he said, “I started drinking at around 2 PM on Thanksgiving. Sue me.”

At around 2 AM on Black Friday, as the internet-exclusive deals began populating their way through the internet, Clay made his move – purchasing Left 4 Dead 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Need For Speed: Shift from Best Buy. When his shipping box arrived on Monday morning, Clay looked through his purchases.

“Man, I can’t wait to play this,” he said, picking up Left 4 Dead 2. “And Assassin’s Creed 2 – I’m gonna put this in right now!”

Finally, as he makes it to the bottom of the box, his face turns a little. “Oh. Need For Speed: Shift. Well, uh… got a good price on that. I’ll have to give that a shot… after the holidays, maybe.” And as quickly as it arrived, the game finds its way onto a stack dating back to Black Friday 2005, and a copy of Quake IV for the Xbox 360 he just may get around to one of these days.