jackmcdade

Thanks for the kind words!

Thanks!

Another one: statamic.com. Flat file, live routing and caching, with a responsive cp.

That's the biggest thing I came to grips with, which really has nothing to do with video games. You need to balance work with the rest of your life. Family is important. Faith (to me) is important. Friends, fitness, and food are all important (and all start with "F").

Video games worked as a tool to help me disconnect from a brain that was lying to me, telling me that I should be working. That I should be billing. That I should be devoting even more time into my work. When in fact, the opposite was true. Less of me, more of everything else, and everything began to work out.

And relating to your tangent, let me know if you have questions about Statamic just shout {at} jackmcdade.com. That sounds like a perfect use case for it :)

Oh? Why's that?

I've been getting so many recommendations for games I had to update the post. Thanks for the great feedback, I'm glad my post resonated with so many of you!

http://jackmcdade.dev/blog/why-i-play-video-games#update

It's a really cool game with some really interesting mechanics. What other games does your SO enjoy? Feel free to email jack {at} jackmcdade.com.

Yup, you're definitely right. Video games are almost a short-cut to unwinding, but they're certainly not a silver bullet.

I do actually -- I have 2 boys, 4 and 18 months old. They go to bed around 8pm and my wife at 11pm or so. I'm self-employed and work from home, so I stay up for a few hours and game (or work some more depending on the week), and then sleep in until 7:30 or 8. It works out pretty well, not gonna lie.

I really think video games are a sweet spot in the stress-relief category. Reading (I'm an avid reader) didn't cut it, watching movies or tv, running, weight lifting... none of them relax me like gaming. Well, maybe drinking, but that's a different story :)

Dude are you kidding me, people are still playing UT99?? That was MY GAME back in the day! I was ranked in the top 25 and my buddy was #2 waaaaay back. I even got pretty hardcore into mapping and got a stage or two into regular rotation on a few servers.

Now I'm going to have to get my old gaming machine back out. Damn you sir. Damn you.

:)

Great reply! I definitely agree with you all across the board. Video games do represent an interesting location on the Venn diagram of hobbies, in that they can have great storytelling, character development, action, immersion, and emotional involvement, as well as be just plain fun.

I'm also a big board game geek and will probably blog about that in the future. I have bi-weekly game nights at my place and really into the new(ish) wave of Living Card Games like Netrunner: Android. I really love the social aspect, kicking back for a few hours with beers and buds. And then they leave and I fire up my PS3 :)

Or you know. Spend time with my wife and kids. Usually that.

I do love hitting the gym as well. I usually go right before lunch :)

Absolutely true. Video games do it for me (I also hit the gym a few times a week, watch tv, play board games, etc), but they're certainly not a silver bullet. They just happen to intersect many points of entertainment and self-involvement, which makes them pretty ideal for clearing your head and winding down.

Well hey there Kenny! I'm definitely gonna check out your podcast. I see Joel and Ellie there on the homepage so I definitely need to see what that's all about.

$250 for a PS3, 4 controllers, and 25 games wasn't a bundle I found on Amazon :)

I know what you mean. I did more or less retire from video games for a while until a few solid ones brought me back. Honestly, everything Naughty Dog released is incredible. The Unchartered series and The Last of Us are absolute masterpieces in storytelling and immersion. I love my PS3 :)

Portal and Portal 2 are both great games! Loved em both in every way.

I plan to :) I got a little bit caught up in the older-school graphic style, big chunky HUDs and whatnot, but I think I'm really only a few hours from the end. I plan to finish it real soon.

I also watch tv with my wife regularly. I'm a fan of many, many good shows.

I also think that video games give you small victories and and sense of achievement, and failure can be undone. It's a good (albeit unrealistic) type of positive reinforcement that keeps me from getting too hard on myself.

Awesome, that's a great show too and a great reference in the media :)