Taking A Break
June 28th, 2008One of the side effects of my time in Seoul is that my game playing has been significantly curtailed; it’s been over two weeks since I’ve played pretty much anything (although I did bring my DS, PSP, and 360 with me), and it may be up to another month or so before I can play again. Interestingly, although I’ve missed it a bit, I think the break has been pretty helpful in reorienting me.
First of all, pulling myself out of the release schedule has given me more time to think about what I enjoy playing and why. There’s a temptation to play every big new game out, and this is probably counterproductive to actually enjoying your gaming experience: the hype is sometimes overwhelming and I’ve bought games that I had little interest in simply because they were being talked about so much. Second, the birds-eye view of commentary is perhaps more illuminating once you can breathe freely: in the weeds it can be very tough to understand which stories are particularly relevant and contextualize them, because there’s a lot of media to be consumed and not much time in which to really consider its value or validity. Finally, you gain more perspective on how gaming actually fits into your life and its relative importance in your priorities. I’ve never been concerned that I couldn’t stop playing - but it’s always nice to have a reminder that there’s plenty else out there to occupy your time.
I don’t know that I would choose to take such a break frequently, but it might be worthwhile for people to consider periodically.
Posted in Etc, Geoff |
June 28th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Every few years I take some time off from it. If I don’t, I start hating the hobby. It’s nice to take a breather sometimes.
June 30th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
I agree. I have a tendency to pursue interests in waves, giving “full” devotion to only a couple of interests at a time. I noticed this first in junior high when I was playing a lot of D&D. Then I took a break for a few months and really started reading some various fiction authors heavily. After a few months I went back to D&D and have a vivid memory something along the lines of “Wow, I almost forgot how much fun D&D is.” Then after several months of that, went back to reading more and had the same thought about some of my favorite authors. Nowadays, I often go back and forth between hobbies seeking out the same sensation where time away actually enables me to reassess my enjoyment of an activity to the point that it almost reboots the joy I get from it. If only I could do the same thing with home repair and yard work. :/