Here’s my thing: I am a fully self-aware nerd. I’m totally aware that some of the things I geek out about are on the nerdy side, and I’m completely fine with that. Many people assume that I’m all over video games as a part of this nerdiness, but in reality, I’m not. TO MAKE SOMETHING VERY CLEAR……I have nothing against gamers, I’m friends with a few, and frankly, I’m deeply in the minority in my own home, as both my kids and Wife would call themselves gamers. It’s just I personally don’t get jazzed up about playing video games. I never really have.
1) I have other hobbies – As an IT guy and blogger, I spend so much time in front of screens and technology that the thought of going home and doing it some more is strangely not appealing. As a writer, I prefer to….well….write, I put thoughts down and plan things (like blog posts….ahem). I also like doing crafts and other things with my hands. Many years ago (and in my last house), I built myself a woodworking shop in the back of my old garage. I have also become an avid reader in the past couple of years, so I occasionally have a book in my hand. Sometimes, those books are physical, and some are on Kindle, but a book is a book, and I have worked my way through quite a few series over the past few years. I do like
2) I’ve never been that good at it anyway – I fully believe that you have to be bad at something before you can be good at it, and then be good before you can be great, etc., but I have never had any progress with this. I have tried many different types of games on many different platforms, but no matter what I try, it doesn’t seem to work out for me. For a while, I was a bit of a “button masher” which can work for some of the lower levels of most video games, but I am finding more and more that most X-box and PlayStation-style games require you to properly learn how to use the controls, which is a skill that I’ve had a lot of trouble with.
3) I prefer to watch – My Son, a massive gamer who has fortunately not inherited his father’s inability to play video games. He LOVES gaming. My Daughter does as well, but what sets my Son apart is that we got him a PS5 and instructed him that he has to play games downstairs. Sometimes, he plays games that I don’t care that much about, but he has also come across a few games which have a serious plot line, and because of super detailed cutscenes, it feels (for my wife and I) Like we’re watching a super long movie over a week or so. For sure, we get him to do his homework and whatnot before, but there have been more and more nights where his mother and I demand that he play his video games so that WE know what happens next!
I have to say, I do actually like video games, I’ve just discovered that I’m not very good at them. I give all the props to those who are good at them and get enjoyment from them (BOTH my kids are gamers), but it is a skill that I have never acquired. The one proviso that I will offer here is that I like the puzzle-style games I can get on my Phone, and in THAT regard, I am a gamer, but I’m not entirely sure that counts.
What do you think about Video Games?
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