More Than Just Gaming

Salutations, mortals! It is I, Kristin. (I couldn't think of a cool intro). Some of you will recognize this ugly mug from the NTParanormal episodes and podcasts. I am here to contribute as much nerdiness as I can muster to this forum. One: because I have to geek out sometimes or I'll explode, and two: because I love the concept of a series that caters to those of us who aren't out there doing yoga, or travelling across the world, or eating quinoa and kale. I don't really watch YouTube shows. Is it obvious? I wanted to support Ashton's quest. And speaking of quests....

Segue!

My first blog post is about VIDEO GAMES! Huzzah! What about them, you ask? Well, gosh, there's just so much to talk about. What hasn't been said about them at this point? There are entire livelihoods dedicated to creating and deconstructing every minute detail in and around them. But, well, I figured my opinion as a gamer means just as much as anyone else's. So let's start with what got me into them.

I am a 90's kid, and my first ever console was a Sega Genesis. We were also kind of poor, though, so we didn't have many games. I do remember playing the likes of Ghouls n' Ghosts, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Zombies Ate My Neighbors with my family quite a bit, though. Over the years I got to play the Super Nintendo, then Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Wii-U, then Xbox 360, PlayStation 1 and 2... here I am now with a huge stack of games - which is metaphorical since they’re not physical discs - for my PlayStation 4, waiting for a price drop so I can get the 5. That's not even mentioning all the PC games over the years. Hoo buddy. Basically, I've owned lots of gaming systems and played lots of games on said systems over my lifetime.

However, none of this explains why or when I really REALLY got into gaming. See, up until about 2011, I played games when I had nothing better to do. I didn't really love them. I found them mostly to be something I did to spend time with my mom - who loved Mario, or my grandma - who also loved Mario, or my brothers - who would stop being bullies whenever we'd play games together. On my own, I didn't really care that much for them. I’d dabble, but it was mostly to fill the time.

Then college happened and I met my now husband. And this sadist introduced me to a little thing called World of Warcraft. I know what you might be thinking "Ugh WoW is such a dumb game for filthy casuals or neckbeards", and yeah, you might be right. But something awakened inside of me during those dark days. Once I started playing WoW, my path was set. I neglected classes and homework and played instead. I barely left my dorm room. People were concerned for my health. I can't even say I played from sunup to sun down, because there was no time for sleep. It was just constant World of Warcraft. The addiction was bad, you guys. It's no joke. I spent about six months cooped up in my dorm room playing that game. Then, an entire semester later, a blessing occurred. While climbing into bed one day, my laptop fell off my bed and the screen busted. After a mental breakdown, I put it into the shop to be repaired, because that was cheaper than buying a new laptop, and spent the next two months wandering aimlessly in the world of reality. It was horrible being back in the real world, but also eye opening. I finally realized I had an addiction, and took a step back. After getting back to responsible things like going to class, doing homework, eating scheduled meals, and bathing, I swore off all video games from that point on.

But that's obviously not the end of the story. Because in the year of our lord, 2013, my husband and I moved in with one of his friends over the summer. He had consoles and games galore. I wasn't going to play with them at first. But, man, was that a LONG and BORING summer. After running out of movies to watch (he didn't have streaming services), I finally decided to try out one of these stupid games. I looked through his stack of Xbox 360 games and picked one that looked kind of cool. Dragon Age: Origins. I stuck it into the disc drive, and five hours later I realized I hadn't moved from my spot on the couch. I was completely engrossed and invested. I played through the game in its entirety over the next few days. I did every side mission. Every companion mission. Explored every nook and cranny. I beat the final boss, then sat there, watching the credits roll to "This is War" by Thirty Seconds to Mars with tears streaming down my face. I had been addicted like hell to WoW, but this was the first time I had FELT something playing a game. It was a strange range of emotions that occurred knowing it was over and I would never experience it the same way again.

And it was from that point on, that I started looking at gaming differently. No longer was it just a past time when I was bored. No longer was it an addictive thing that needed to take up every second of every day. It blossomed into something wondrous. Now I look at games for their story, which means I mostly play single-player RPGs. Things like Ghost of Tsushima, Witcher 3, God of War, Final Fantasy XV, Breath of the Wild, Horizon Zero Dawn, Greedfall, Nier Automata, and of course Dragon Age Inquisition (because my heart was so attached to the first one)…

There are far too many to name, but you get the point. I have built up quite a collection of single-player games with stories that grip me from start to finish. I love to connect with characters on a level that makes me want to protect them and root for them. I’ve got a collection of sons that I’ve adopted over the years from games. They are precious, and I would die for them. I love stunningly beautiful environments to run around in, enchanting music that fits the tone of every frame. I love games that hurt my soul to finish. Games that make me wish I could erase my memory just to experience the game for the first time all over again. I live for this feeling now.

I will confess, I do still play World of Warcraft often and dabble with other MMOs. Thankfully, the addiction is mostly gone, so I can just enjoy them for a few hours at a time and call it a day. I will never truly be able to walk away from it since it still gives me so much joy. But now that I've discovered everything else gaming has to offer, why limit myself to one thing?

I guess the point of this blog was to say: Get out there! Try something new! Don't limit yourself to one game or one franchise or one console. Don't write off gaming because it's "nerd culture for losers". Give it a shot. Really experience everything the gaming world has to offer. There is something out there for everyone, so find something that captivates you. Just be careful not to let gaming consume you. And if you, or anyone you know is struggling with gaming addiction, please seek help. Keep being awesome, guys.