I’ve been playing video games far less than I normally do. The reason is not because I’ve grown up in any significant way or lost my desire. The reason is far more interesting. I’ve reduced game time because I am far more interested in spending that time with my partner. As a result I don’t game nearly as much. Instead I play the games I know incredibly well (Madden) or are low stress (Minecraft) and allow me to multitask.
I’m growing. I’m growing old, but I am growing and part of that is compartmentalization of time and effort. Games will always hold an important role in my life, but they haven’t held the primary role in years. Instead they’ve become a momentary escape as I find fewer moments to engage in them. So I’ve focused on the games that are long term wins–games I can dive into a get a short term high but overall can sustain me for the year. I invest time in the games and get a lot of imaginary play out of them whereas the straight shooters fail to grab me in that way or seemingly in any way anymore. It takes too much time on task to level up and be effective.
The main thing is I have better things to do with the time I spend. I’m loving the time I spend with my love and with family. I feel like the writing even benefits in spurts from the relaxation of the games and being able to fire off my imagination into the digital abyss.