Video games

Today I had two great conversations with Katie and Jamie over the phone.  It's funny that though I hate talking on the phone, I can talk to both of them for over an hour and feel like there's still so much more to say.  Each conversation touched upon the obvious topics of discussion related to the wedding but the two talks were each so different which is what I love about my friends.  I love that I can talk for an hour with one of my friends about one interesting topic and then much later in the evening talk to another about something completely different but just as engaging.  It's cool and it is one of the many things that I appreciate about my friends.

Since writing that last paragraph about an hour has past. Normally I ask that I be uninterrupted while I write as it always makes it more difficult to continue once I get distracted.  However, the game Dave was playing on his iPad while sitting in front of me captured my interest.  I can't recall the name of it at the moment and he's put himself to bed so I can't ask him just yet but it was one of the few games that I actually tried my hand at playing.  As I'm always honest here, I've never greatly appreciated video games.  When I was a child, my father forbid video games from the house seeing them as something we could get caught up in too easily that would prevent us from doing other more important or active things.  Not to mention that potential fights that they would inevitably cause between my sister and me.  

Back in the early 90s video games were far from what they are today.  They were meant for entertainment primarily.  By the time the really cool games like Final Fantasy (it's one of the only ones that I know, sorry) where there was an actual story that one needed to read in order to play, I had already lost interest in what they had to offer.  Once college came around, investing forty hours in a video game when I didn't have a console of my own was not something I legitimately considered. I wasn't about to usurp a friend's system and play for hours on end.  It felt rude to me and I didn't have the desire to actually purchase a console of my own so I never got into it.   I can't help but also admit that the fact that my ex was an avid game player didn't do anything to help my interest.

However, today there are so many interesting and really cool games out there that I'm constantly surprise.  I know that Dave would love me to get more involved when he plays but killing zombies  for hours on end isn't really my cup of tea.  He loves it and has a great time with his friends playing but I couldn't get into it.  It didn't help that I always felt like I was terrible and always holding me back even if they would never say that and were more than encouraging.  I wanted to practice to get up to their level but then had zero motivation to play it without the social aspect. There's a part of me that feels bad that I'm so resistant.  I know it disappoints Dave and I hate that.  But I digress. I was saying that today there are so many games that require you to think or create or engage your mind in so many more interesting ways than watching television.

The game that just got into is meant to do something completely unexpected.  This game is actually designed to calm you down.  It requires you to slow down and take your time and plays the most soothing music.  I really enjoyed it.  It might be really helpful to pick up and play when I'm feeling stressed out or rushed.  Dr. Mario was wonderful when I was really upset and unable to stop my rapid fire thoughts.  It wasn't until later that Dave sent me article which stated that games like that can actually help people with PTSD.   I couldn't find the exact article but I was able to find this one about Tetris that basically says the same things.  For so long I had such a bias against video games and it is really one of those areas where my dislike was due more to my ignorance rather than anything well thought out.  All the more reason to learn a bit about something before passing judgment.