Enough room to swing a gyroscopic cat

I've recently had the good fortune of attaining a secondment in my job; you know, the one that actually earns me money? The work is what I can stomach doing if it can't be writing about games and be putting bread on the table. There's just a few problems with the arrangement (apart from the fact that the assignment finishes in a few days):

• The four hour commute: as many as two trains and two buses each way, which are each usually packed to the rafters with folk of all persuasions, sizes and scents.
• The necessity of sleep: I leave the house early and I get home late, meaning that I don't have the time or energy to play games on home consoles or PC during the week. I usually have enough time to eat and Facebook (it's a verb now) before I need to hit the hay.
• Nerd vision: I should be over this by now, but I still can't stomach the way people look at me when I play a dedicated portable gaming device. "WHAT A NERD!!!" their judging eyes scream at me from across the carriage.

I managed to find a cure for two of my three ailments: the iPad.

People see me playing something as "core" as Final Fantasy III and I see that their expressions change to mean the following:

• You spent eight hundred dollars to play games that would be better articulated on a handheld console, and I respect that
• You may be playing games on Apple's gift to humanity as well, but I have a leather case, so mine is better
• APPLE FTW $%#KERS!!!
• I can't tell if you're viewing an important report or casting spells for massive damage. All I know is: I want to get my hands on your tablet.

I should clarify that the above observations are null and void if I play games with gyroscopic controls. Some of the looks I received while playing Dead Space HD suggested that I may have been inebriated, suffering from an inner-ear infection or violating some of my fellow travellers' personal space. It may have had something to do with me not dealing particularly well with survival horror situations, but I was sweating, tilting and tapping like a madman. The people sitting next to me probably had every right to believe something was not quite right with me, even if I was just fighting for my life.

This seat is taken!

It was time for a change of pace I thought. Time for something a little less panic-inducing. Real Racing 2 HD was the next game of choice, but it called for more tilting, which in turn led to more incidental bumps for my fellow passengers and more apologies on my part.

Ultimately, I've settled for Final Fantasy III. I may be somewhat allergic to the JRPG grind, but at least I'm not making physical contact with complete strangers anymore. Better yet, I'm getting those - at times - lustful glances from the general public as I play on my thoroughly-desirable machine.

Don't worry, I'll be fine.

Can you bear the judgement of your fellow travellers? How do you game on the go?