Sure, I don't share the little girl's "series of sweat- and stress-induced lesions." But the bottom line is: I'm 29 years old, and I have a video game injury.

I know what you may be thinking, and I fully realize that playing online video games against my buddies with any regularity removes "dateable" from the list of words many women would use to describe me.

But I grew up suffering through the original eight-bit Nintendo, graduating to 16 exciting bits of Sega Genesis, and then to Nintendo 64 and Playstation 2 in college. I've had them all, but none have I loved more than the Playstation 3.

If I didn't fully embrace the fluid gameplay, insane graphics and general amazingness of this console, I'm afraid a childhood version of myself would find a way to travel to the future and punch present-day me in the face.

But I can't help but wonder while typing this very article with my poor, pained hands, is it worth it? (Don't worry -- I know the answer to this question.)

Thankfully, there's a cure: Stop playing. At least for a while.

Nina Goad, of the British Association of Dermatologists told the BBC: "If you're worried about soreness on your hands when playing a games console, it might be sensible to give your hands a break from time to time, and don't play excessively if your hands are prone to sweating."

A spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe reiterated Goad's (and my mother's, for that matter) advice: "As with any leisure pursuit there are possible consequences of not following common sense, health advice and guidelines, as can be found within our instruction manuals."

There you have it. I'm loath to admit that I'm suffering the consequences of not following common sense.

The good news is that spring is a few weeks away, bringing reasons to go outside. However, as I watch my puck window close, I can sense that the release of the intriguing baseball offering "MLB 09: The Show" will coincide with the opening of a brand new, equally destructive window.