Gaming as a non-gamer

17 Feb

Ok, first off… of the people who have written for NerdLush, I am probably the least one to be considered a gamer. Of any kind. I enjoy a good board game but haven’t played one in years because I lived too far from friends, my friends pull the “old and married” card, or… 2020. And while I own multiple game systems, I cannot play many games.

It’s kind of sad, actually.

So why am I writing a post about gaming when I am not a gamer? Because I am not a gamer.

I had an Atari 800 growing up, and last I knew it still worked. We had several games, and I was decent at many of them. But honestly after about a half hour I would get bored. The best was probably a tie between Temple of Apshai and Miner 2049’er. I know my brother got pretty far in both, and when playing with him, I did too. But on my on my own, my characters would give up 4 or 5 levels in. We got a N64 in 2001 because I worked at Blockbuster and it was on sale in the store after being a rental unit. Picked up a Playstation 2 that way, as well. These days I have a PS3, a Wii, that N64, and now a Nintendo Switch. Over the years I’ve had various handhelds and such but after a few months I get bored and give them to my brother.

First of all, though I have 10 or more games for the N64, I play 2. I can beat Pokemon Snap in 45 minutes. Woohoo! Also, Gauntlet Legends is always fun. Always. We have that one for the PS2, as well. And, yes, it’s super fun there too. Especially because you can be a joker type character. He’s my favorite. Basically these two games are my jam.

Is there a newer version of Gauntlet Legends because I will kick ass at it. And be in my happy place.

I heard there’s a new Pokemon Snap coming for the Switch and I am not gonna lie… I am pretty excited.

For my PS3… I play one game. I have several but either they didn’t catch my interest or they confused me. I picked up Destiny because everyone raved about it. But the controls are backwards for it and that’s too confusing me. I kept dying in the first five minutes of game play. So it’s sat in it’s box for years. Mocking me. The one game I can play and enjoy is Lollipop Chainsaw. Which yes, I am a little biased about this because it is from James Gunn, stars Michael Rosenbaum, and I had a chance to chat with James about it before it was released… but that’s not why I like it. It is ridiculous and fun. The chopping of zombies… the wacky dialogue… the gore… all of it is fabulous.

I haven’t pulled my Wii out since I moved but I have Wii Fit and the basic island stuff, that’s all. It’s not bad and when I had it out, I played Fit maybe once a month. Oh, I have that disney game… Disney Infinity. That seemed like it’d be fun, but I think you need more than one person to make it that way and mostly it was just me. So I kept getting stuck in places and then I’d get frustrated- because I am not a gamer, thus have no idea how to problem solve these things.

Then came Pokemon Go on my phone. Finally, a game I can do. I ignored it the first few days but I believe I can’t hate on something until I try it myself- so obviously I had to give it a try and bam! I was hooked. Currently at level 39 (hey, I have a real job and can’t sit around playing games all day! Unlike my brother! LOL), which I am pretty proud of. Though I do have a side task of beating the Team Rocket Boss that has been sitting there for 6 months because I can’t beat him so I just ignore it. But otherwise… this game is my jam. It is easy and the controls make sense and the point is simple- gotta catch ’em all! I can do that!

That gets us to more recently. My non-gamer butt finally got a Nintendo Switch. I know, you’re asking why I continue to try to play games when I so obviously suck at them… well, sometimes it’s fun. Also, sometimes I have friends who don’t suck and I like to “backseat play”. But with the Switch I also got 1 game- Animal Crossing: New Horizons. And as I posted on my social media pages after playing for 2 days, “I hate all of you” who got me into this. It’s terribly addicting. By day 4 I had finally paid off my home loan and have a pretty good assortment of stuff in storage. I just met an otter, who gave me plans for new flooring, and I am so confused about this Gulliver dude who is passed out on the beaches! The controls make sense, which is huge with me, and the game play is entertaining. Also, because it’s on the switch I can play on the handheld while watching TV. If I want.

So talk to me about why I should game more, what games I should try, and what you love about gaming. I have found that it is a passable way to spend time, but honestly, I would rather hang out with people. Which is one good thing about Pokemon Go- especially for community days, but all the time, really, I play with my brother and a few friends. It’s also been excellent at forcing some of us to go outside and be active. What other games have y’all found to motivate activity?