I watched the film “Yesterday” recently and it brought with it a resurgence of listening to Beatles albums. Not real albums, mind you, but Spotify playlists. In this first sentence there are three things I mentioned that I am not talking about today (The movie Yesterday, the Beatles, and Streaming Music) but the song “A Day in the Life” is what has set the mood for this post.
You know, the mundane, everyday activities you do when you wake up and face your day. I always thought the title was a bit quirky – “the” life? Why not a Day in MY life? or any other permutation that you can think of. There is probably some artistic merit there, somewhere. Or they were just high or something.
Gaming for me is that way right now. Not high, but routine. And it’s a very strange place.
I already had this post in my head but it was further crystallized when reading Bhagpuss muse about gameplay over at my favorite little reading hole, and I realized my gaming life in Project 1999 isn’t a gaming life at all – just another life.
I log in daily. My druid is well known as someone who will help you out in a pinch. I have regulars that I port around daily. I am known to always have stock on Jboots and people tell their friends and guildmates who are looking for boots to seek me out. I am working on level 57 (and by my time and calculations, have about 12 hours of focus in bear pits – this very much feels like my daily job. I log in, port people around, do an Ancient Cyclops check, help with a CR or two, then go to the bear pits for some focused leveling – until interrupted to port or help someone with something. It’s like taking a coffee break at work.
Is any of this healthy? I don’t know. It’s not like the gaming is mind blowing or anything – but it is very, very comfortable. And getting huge milestones of levels, or new awesome gear – and seeing new bosses and enemies (or even grinding out cash or gear farms) – it’s still fun per se. It just doesn’t feel like gaming. And to think I have an army of alts lined up to do the same things with over the long term – it just feels like life right now. Or a second life. Not the second life… you get me?
I have been integrating more gaming – Jedi Fallen Order was AWESOME and really felt like I was gaming. It had a clear start and end point, a story to experience and understand, achievements and exploration to unlock secrets and what not – it purely felt like a game. I also recently jumped back into Slay The Spire as they introduced a new playable character that has a lot of interesting mechanics. Dwarf fortress is finally getting the graphical update that may make it playable by normal humans – I am VERY excited to try that out too. All in all, there is a lot of gaming to do.
Just not in Project 1999, which is my other life – with all of the normalcy, relationships, responsibilities and comfort that comes along with that.