Rekindling a Lost Love
Being young was such a simpler time, no responsibilities and not a care in the world. Growing older your tastes change, time becomes precious, and one becomes straddled with responsibilities. One of my favorite pastimes growing up was playing video games. I spent countless hours playing the same Playstation 2/3 titles to no boredom. A few such titles were various installments from the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises. I was a fan of the JRPG's, RPG's and retro genres. I still am. Even to this day I have a soft spot for these titles. However, I have found myself in a bit of a pickle. My heart yearns to conquer the unknown titles from eras new and old, but the passion doesn’t seem to be there. It’s not that I don’t enjoy playing games, it just seems more like an investment to play these story driven titles. Maybe it boils down to being spoiled with dopamine and instant gratification like the internet insists. Having all these titles at my fingertips with a PC feels like an overload. When I was young I had to bleed them games dry for everything they were worth. Receiving or purchasing a game was a rare occurrence. Now, I can just hop on Steam or GOG and, "WOOOW look at them sales!".
I tend to start playing a game, get so far and then stop. I don’t think it’s because I get bored. It has more to do with getting busy or getting distracted by something else that has caught my eye. To rekindle the flame I know is still there, I’m just going to start playing. My backlog of games is immense. To prevent burnout I plan to implement a similar strategy that I heard about in a video. It was a review for Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. In the video the reviewer mentioned a very interesting perspective. He notes that the Japanese play the game like a ‘bedtime story’. They play for a little bit before bedtime when they are the comfiest. Usually when I play, I try to make a long, arduous go at it so I can keep myself enthralled in the story. Mayhap this has been my bane. It is a story to be savored and enjoyed. The reason I was so infatuated with these titles growing up is because of the story. Watching characters grow and plots unfold in front of my eyes, learning about the history and conflict of the world in which I was transported to was what kept me coming back for more. Piece by piece I would peel back the layers like an onion, sometimes with a burning surprise.
As I complete titles, I will journal my experience and share my thoughts on it. Hopefully bringing a friend or two with when am able.
