Do you have any rich relatives and/or friends?
I am not exactly very poor but I am sure I am below middle class. In all my life I own only one game console, an 8-bit Nintendo Famicom -- a 2nd-hand clone machine called "little empire king". Three pirated game cartridges (30-in-1, 50-in-1, and 100-in-1) were all the games I could afford. Most of my money were invested in my broken PC (went to the PC hospital several times) and my Internet fee so I don't have extra money for arcade, ps3, xbox360, wii which are high deluxury to me.
I had (note the past tense) a rich relative before.
When I was in high school, my father brought me to see his cousin and I was told she is a very rich relative. She owns so many properties that she didn't need to go to work at all -- just enjoying life is her career.
On one of my birthdays, she brought me to a high seafood restaurant (my first time eating lobster) and bought me a Nintendo Super Famicom and a bunch of games! And no clone machine and no pirated 100-in-1 more! I was very very very happy! I dreamed that since then I would receive a new game console from my rich relative every year (I know I am greedy but I am a poor person)...........
But! Dreams are just dreams. In the same year my grandfather passed away and since then my rich relative seemed to "forget" me and my father. And a while later she immigrated to a Western country (either Canada or USA?)...............
My wages can only merely support my living.......at least I can feed myself three meals a day and I can *still* support my Internet fee...........and no more extra money for any new game consoles so I have to stick with *downloadable* PC games! In Chinese culture, when one is greeted he/she will sometimes be asked "did you have your breakfast/lunch/supper yet?". Answering yes means you have no problem supporting your own living.
Basically I am not jealous of rich people; one has the high educations and skills and talents and lucks to make a good fortune but these are what I lack of. What I hate is how rich people get rich by doing bad deeds (not serious crimes but something against morals i.e. big time bribes & corruptions in China).
P.S. After my Nintendo Super Famicom birthday present I and my gaming friend together bought a 2nd-hand Sony PSX clone and a few games to share with each other.
P.S.2 Game console PC emulators are a true blessing for a poor me! I really want to thank those brilliant emu authors and game rippers/dumpers a million times!
P.S.3 I bought myself a bigger PC HDD as my own last year birthday present because my MUGEN reached 30 GB last year!