Chris and birthday money from his Grandad bought me a PS3 for my birthday last week and my mother-in-law, who dislikes all things computer related, put a few notes in my card and when calling me on my birthday said, “About the money, don’t save it, don’t spend it on the baby or the house, buy yourself some games and have fun.” And so Chris picked up Uncharted and Uncharted 2 for me first thing on Saturday morning with a “Don’t worry about the price, I’ve got it covered”. It’s pretty cool finally owning two consoles and having access to console exclusive titles like Uncharted.
I got stuck pretty quickly. New controller, new game, rusty hands and even on easy, it was hard getting to the fun part. It started of great and then when the shooting and climbing started , I fell below the curve and started dying. A lot. It was frustrating and I rage quit and went out for a drive in the very wet and cool Wiltshire countryside. “Gaming should be fun”, Chris said. I was reminded of when I first got my Xbox and played ODST coop with Rem two years ago. That’s the lesson he taught me that really stuck. Gaming should be fun and if its not, either fix it or walk away. I decided to fix it. Getting back, I picked up the controller and started dying. Every time I fell because I missed a jump, I heard and exaggerated ahhhhhhhhh from the lounge followed by a chuckle. Chris was supplying the sound effects much to the amusement of our daughter. It made me laugh. I didn’t mind dying so much any more. Soon I stopped dying and started succeeding. Every time I got stuck, moments that grew further apart, I asked for advice. Sometimes Chris had helpful suggestions, sometimes I came up with the solution afterwardss myself, but getting stuck wasn’t that frustrating anymore. Suddenly, gaming started to be fun again. It made me feel all hardcore and exhilirated.
I’ve always bee a little scared of the term “gamer”. I’m in that inbetween category, not hardcore enough to be a hardcore gamer, but too involved to be a casual gamer. I don’t have the twitch factor and drive to be hardcore but I enjoy the wrong games too much and know the names of too many developers to be casual. I don’t need to subscribe to any particular subset, but its difficult not to. I take everything pretty seriously, even my hobbies are meticulously crafted and time for them are earned and neatly set aside. Passion is important to me. I keep having to remind myself to stop thinking and just relax and have a hobby.
I played for a while today. Buttons sat on my lap and then fell asleep, I paused to catch up on some reading and then went back to it. It was fun. It’s been a while since gaming was unadulterated fun. I’ve been playing a lot of puzzle and strategy games and although I adore those, there’s no excitement, no pressure, no physical challenge. I forget how much fun gaming can be; now whenever I think Uncharted, I hear Chris’ exaggerated ahhhhhhhhh in my head and can’t help smiling. The fun in gaming isn’t really the game. It’s the friends we make, the people we play with, the stuff we do whilst we play. It’s why co-op games are my first choice always, to run around in a world where I don’t have to worry about dislocating joints or fatigue or how on earth will I get back or what if something goes wrong, that’s a privilege I treasure.
In reality, so often by the time I’m done getting ready for the party I’m too exhausted to enjoy it or even make it out the door. Gaming, I can show up in my pyjamas with uncombed hair and curl up in a comfy chair for the duration. I don’t miss out. It’s the only place I can always go where the possibilities feel endless. I’ve neglected having hobbies far too long. Responsibilities are important, but sometimes it is important to do something just because you enjoy it. Life isn’t really that hard or complicated as long as you keep moving forward whilst taking time to stop and appreciate the view.
