I’ve been fascinated by scratch game cards since I was a child.

I think it started with Pac-Man scratch-off cards, like I wasn’t pumping enough quarters into the arcade machines of the game at the time! (Yes, video games were big, monstrous black boxes that you had to travel to a mall, store, bowling alley, or an arcade to play, and would crush you if they ever toppled over, with most games costing only ¢25.)

It’s mysterious to have a game card before you, with areas covered with that silver-grey “stuff” concealing the secrets beneath. It takes patience to get the card home before you start working on it, the excitement building until you reveal the hidden parts of the card.

When you can’t take the tension anymore, you pull out your quarter and start scratching away at the blasted coating at your own pace; fast if you want it over with quick, or slow if you want to savour the game.

All too soon, you are finished the card and the game. But, if it was a lotto card, then maybe you have won some money (for more cards?). But, as always, there is something satisfying about having a pile of silver debris left over from your manual work.

While taking a break from writing stuff yesterday, I did a scratch lotto card and made a video. Did I win? I’m not telling!