Very good read! I can totally respect where you’re coming from. I’m one of those people who might fall outside the “gaming binary”, per se. I enjoy playing them a lot, but I simply don’t understand making gaming a career; competitive e-sports for example. Dedicating 12+ hours to something originally meant for fun and enjoyment has always struck me as counterproductive but my respect to those who make it work, they found their “thing” and if you’re able to support yourself from it, kudos.
I’m in a long distance relationship and my partner and I use games as variations on date night owing to our current living situations, cozier games like Stardew Valley for example and we’ve created some very happy memories together. At the same time, we both recognize that when permanently together in the future, the games will probably take a back seat, especially as we get older, develop more hobbies, etc. And we’re okay with that.
It's funny you say that. When I was LDR with my now wife we played *Minecraft* together and it was some nice times. Of course now we haven't played it for years, but totally understand!
This is how I ended up almost exclusively playing Fortnite. Games are too big these days and take too much time, and I find if I don't play them regularly, I lose the muscle memory of controls. It needs a really compelling story for me to play consistently. Even Hogwarts Legacy, which on paper was the game I had been dreaming of since I was a child, I found I got bored with eventually. Just too big!
Fortnite, though, I play with friends exclusively. I get my social fix, my dopamine hits, and honestly very few things get my mind out of an anxious spiral like Fortnite, where I have to focus hard and stop thinking about anything else while playing. It clears my mind. With two kids, I only get a session in maybe once every week or two, but maybe when they're older, it'll be something we play together.
I totally feel this. For me, the more “open” a game is, after a while it becomes just too daunting or a mental overload, even if I’ve got close friends to play with. I personally love my single player games, but Fortnite has just enough openness while still playing in defined parameters to give it a good experience. I think that’d be really sweet to bond with your kids over games when they’re older!
I think the key takeaway is that people are different. They have different likes and dislikes. Now I can easily spend (and have spent) a lot of time in train driver simulator games. However I can't get into music. I find listening to music tedious and a waste of time. I could be listening to a podcast instead and learning something. I can't have music on in the background because then music becomes an annoying distraction that prevents me from concentrating on what I'm doing.
And yes, you hit the nail on the head. Time is finite resource. Unfortunately we have to pick those activities that bring us the most joy out of everything we could do. What brings me the most joy may not be the same that brings you the most joy.
Of course, everyone has different desires, I certainly understand your view on music vs. podcast, but what I'd raise is that at least *for me* I can listen to music while doing certain tasks (writing, maths) that I can't do while listening to a podcast!
Time is short, we need to all make sure we're using it in a way that makes us happy.
Time gets more and more précieuse and choices have to bé made. Personally I enjoy playing games, but 1) not massive ones, personally I like the roguelite formula because you can have a short session and still have some sense of progress; 2) I've given up with TV series. It just came natural that way
I rarely watch television series, but I've really enjoyed Severance and the White Lotus. That being said, that's like four or five seasons of TV over the course of the last four years!
As the exact opposite kind of gamer you describe yourself as, I appreciate your counter viewpoint.
Gaming is a time sink and with the growing responsiblities of a us adults it becomes harder to justify. I have competed in large scale E-sports tournaments and dedicated countless hours on video games but my family needs are more of a priority.
That being said, I hope you do give gaming another chance when the time is right. I had to give breath of the wild a couple of attempts before everything "clicked" for me. Gaming is just another form of storytelling. There is a lot of fun to be shared.
Very good read! I can totally respect where you’re coming from. I’m one of those people who might fall outside the “gaming binary”, per se. I enjoy playing them a lot, but I simply don’t understand making gaming a career; competitive e-sports for example. Dedicating 12+ hours to something originally meant for fun and enjoyment has always struck me as counterproductive but my respect to those who make it work, they found their “thing” and if you’re able to support yourself from it, kudos.
I’m in a long distance relationship and my partner and I use games as variations on date night owing to our current living situations, cozier games like Stardew Valley for example and we’ve created some very happy memories together. At the same time, we both recognize that when permanently together in the future, the games will probably take a back seat, especially as we get older, develop more hobbies, etc. And we’re okay with that.
It's funny you say that. When I was LDR with my now wife we played *Minecraft* together and it was some nice times. Of course now we haven't played it for years, but totally understand!
This is how I ended up almost exclusively playing Fortnite. Games are too big these days and take too much time, and I find if I don't play them regularly, I lose the muscle memory of controls. It needs a really compelling story for me to play consistently. Even Hogwarts Legacy, which on paper was the game I had been dreaming of since I was a child, I found I got bored with eventually. Just too big!
Fortnite, though, I play with friends exclusively. I get my social fix, my dopamine hits, and honestly very few things get my mind out of an anxious spiral like Fortnite, where I have to focus hard and stop thinking about anything else while playing. It clears my mind. With two kids, I only get a session in maybe once every week or two, but maybe when they're older, it'll be something we play together.
I totally feel this. For me, the more “open” a game is, after a while it becomes just too daunting or a mental overload, even if I’ve got close friends to play with. I personally love my single player games, but Fortnite has just enough openness while still playing in defined parameters to give it a good experience. I think that’d be really sweet to bond with your kids over games when they’re older!
Clearing your mind is a very good point. I don't have a game that does that for me at the moment, but I could probably find one!
I think the key takeaway is that people are different. They have different likes and dislikes. Now I can easily spend (and have spent) a lot of time in train driver simulator games. However I can't get into music. I find listening to music tedious and a waste of time. I could be listening to a podcast instead and learning something. I can't have music on in the background because then music becomes an annoying distraction that prevents me from concentrating on what I'm doing.
And yes, you hit the nail on the head. Time is finite resource. Unfortunately we have to pick those activities that bring us the most joy out of everything we could do. What brings me the most joy may not be the same that brings you the most joy.
Of course, everyone has different desires, I certainly understand your view on music vs. podcast, but what I'd raise is that at least *for me* I can listen to music while doing certain tasks (writing, maths) that I can't do while listening to a podcast!
Time is short, we need to all make sure we're using it in a way that makes us happy.
Time gets more and more précieuse and choices have to bé made. Personally I enjoy playing games, but 1) not massive ones, personally I like the roguelite formula because you can have a short session and still have some sense of progress; 2) I've given up with TV series. It just came natural that way
I rarely watch television series, but I've really enjoyed Severance and the White Lotus. That being said, that's like four or five seasons of TV over the course of the last four years!
As the exact opposite kind of gamer you describe yourself as, I appreciate your counter viewpoint.
Gaming is a time sink and with the growing responsiblities of a us adults it becomes harder to justify. I have competed in large scale E-sports tournaments and dedicated countless hours on video games but my family needs are more of a priority.
That being said, I hope you do give gaming another chance when the time is right. I had to give breath of the wild a couple of attempts before everything "clicked" for me. Gaming is just another form of storytelling. There is a lot of fun to be shared.