Blocks of all narrative
“Sometimes, we should just get to play.”
I played Pokemon yesterday, Pokemon Legends: Arceus to be exact. The game is incredibly fun and back in 2022 when it came out, I spent two whole months going in and out of the game trying to explore and take in every inch of this experience. It was a surreal time and as incredibly memorable as it was, the game ended and I put it away.
On to the next game right? It should be that easy right?
Except now the worst decision has to be made, what should I play next?
Gaming can be one of the best pastimes for people. Everyone has their games that they gravitate to and those who really explore the hobby will find all sorts of genres and new game experiences that they naturally are attracted to. But as the industry grows and more and more titles come out it becomes harder and harder to decide what to play. Sometimes it feels like there are too many games and then that decision paralysis kicks in. Currently I have more than 30 games that I have been meaning to tackle. So cool, I should just pick something from that list…except that yesterday I decided to just go back to the world of Pokemon Legends, a game I have already finished in its entirety.
One of my biggest struggles is the idea of the backlog, that long list of games that I want to complete. I’m not ashamed of the list, there are so many incredibly interesting games with different styles, gameplay, and stories to check out. But as time goes by, the list keeps growing and growing. And as an adult with two jobs, responsibilities, relationships to maintain, and absolutely no time whatsoever, I can’t help but feel either guilty or being left out of conversations involving these games on my list. No joke, it took me quite a while before finally getting Baldur’s Gate 3, the literal video game version of my favorite hobby and I couldn’t participate in the experience until a few months ago, in which by then all of my friends had moved on to play other games. Gaming should be a unifying entity, but every time I lack the time or resources to play certain games, it just makes the backlog longer, and makes my anxiety to want to finish this list worse, which in turn makes me want to not play video games. My hobby became a crutch.
Or so I thought.
I didn’t want this to be a crutch, playing games has been a part of me since my childhood. And it hit me. My childhood. I remember playing Pokemon since I was a kid, or playing Mario or Megaman or Sonic. Platformers and roleplaying games. These games defined me and the way that I find enjoyment in my spare time. So when in the back of my head I am thinking of several games that others play and I tell myself “ Why can’t I enjoy those?”, well simply it’s just not my personality.
Then I look back at the backlog, and the list seems shorter, and the idea of playing again becomes fun once more. You don’t have to play every new game that comes out, you are not missing out on anything if it’s not for you. Minecraft, Call of Duty, Smite, Fortnite, etc. none of these games ever called to me. It’s not who I am, nor is it how I have fun. And then games like the Last of Us, God of War, Mass Effect, Fallout, games that are highly acclaimed and I know are fun, but again they just don’t quite call out to me. But when something like The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is announced, or another Pokemon game, my heart flutters and it gets excited. My need to explore, and puzzle solve is relieved and I am back to not worrying about this list of games that I don’t need to like or play.
The truth is, between friends wanting you to be a part of their world, or society constantly telling, sometimes yelling at us that we have to do things a certain way, we kinda lose ourselves a bit in the mess of voices. We forget easily how much these things should be fun and exciting, instead becoming forceful, looming in nature, and dull. Our hobbies should not become a task or responsibility. You DON’T have to play something you don’t like and that’s okay!
There are plenty of studies and sources that can speak on this a lot better than me. Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the NIFP ( National Institute of Play ) identified 8 “Play personalities”. I read over them and had even asked my friends to identify themselves in these descriptions. And while I won’t go into detail about each type of personality I encourage you to seek them out and find out which one you gravitate to. Because realizing more about ourselves helps us understand our minds and each other easier.
I went back to play Pokemon Legends Arceus because it makes me happy. Because exploring a vast world with creatures and just taking the small moments in makes me happy. Gaming should make you happy. Your hobbies should make you happy. The small escapes we get in this world, should mean a little something to everyone. So don’t fret and don’t worry about the long backlog. It’s not race, it’s not always a responsibility. Sometimes we should just get to play.