Gaming Diary
Gaming Diary
April 2025
I'm actually getting better and starting to enjoy objective based games. I initially was only interested in open world sandbox style games but I’m finding my way into more structure. I’m in love with the aesthetics of the old Nintendo games so I often open up those games and try them out just to get a look and enjoy the atmosphere. I usually get quickly frustrated by their linearity and my lack of ability to progress. I have to play the same run over and over because I die so easily.
I found a game I was really enjoying the graphics and soundtrack for though, so I kept coming back to it and playing it again and again until I unintentionally started to get the hang of it. The game is Joe & Mac: Lost in the Tropics
I also looked up some information on how to get past the obstacles I was stuck on that had been making the game unnecessarily hard and frustrating for me. There appeared to be no way to save the game, so anytime I’d pass a level it would be lost once I died in the next level. Making it so I’d have to start from the beginning of the whole game every time. It was driving me crazy.
Finally it occurred to me to ask my right hand robot man, and I was informed how to create suspend points. Now I’m making suspend points and feeling really cool and smart :p. Plus enjoying myself more cuz I can start from my suspend points when I die instead of playing from the beginning everytime.
You also get a password at certain points in the game that act as suspend points. Very cumbersome though. I don’t understand why it’s not more like Mario where once you pass a level it stays saved?
I also softened into a new way of playing the objective games. At first I’d get really ramped up, thinking I need to race through the runs to get to the end. Then it occurred to me I don’t need to play them fast, just because they are “fast paced” games. I can play the fast paced games slowly and more mindfully.
So I intentionally slowed down, even battling the creatures slowly and calmly, with less strikes. Walking instead of running. Taking my time. And minding more attention to all the details, not just racing past everything like a frenzied maniac randomly smashing buttons.
I try to scoop up all the coins and eat all the treats and stop to smell the roses. Much like my goals and intentions for my life in the physical world as well. though sometimes I do just wanna race around, this slow gaming is more for relaxation
I tried a session playing the normally upbeat game to slow ambient music, and that was a really nice contrast. Though I love the original soundtrack for Joe & Mac, it is very upbeat and repetitive and when I’m needing to take things slow and commit to overcoming obstacles and potentially playing the same run several times, having a more relaxing formless ambient soundtrack feels better to me. I actually got into a really nice meditative state. Even tho I was doing something that was initially annoying as hell - playing the same run over and over until I beat it.
The objective and repetition starts to melt away and I just get lost in the moment.
I also felt really satisfied when I finally beat the level I was stuck on and made it to a new plateaux, which opened up 4 new fun playing areas.
I had been feeling defeated and wanting to give up on the game all together, but it made me want to keep going, and reminded me that determination through challenges and frustration is worth while. Again, much like life in the physical world. Overcoming difficulty often levels you up and grants you access to whole new worlds and perks. Games are great teaching tools for life.
like getting a surprise kiss after you slay the dino ;)
there are some pretty sexist components to this game tho - unfortunately the girls are just props. It was the early 90's...
Anyway, now to my surprise I’m getting into objective based games. I really thought they weren’t my thing at all. I just needed to approach it in my own way, and make it more enjoyable by coating it in feminine energy. Basically the solution to everything.
March 2025
As a kid I had access to a Sega Genesis at home and a Super Nintendo at another residence. My favourite games were Lion King and Duck Hunt. I don’t think I really gave much thought to video games after that, and as an adult was disinterested in them. Like many people I thought they were "a waste of time" and didn't understand their depth or value. During the pandemic my friend recommended Animal Crossing to me. I didn’t really like the sound of it but eventually decided to give it a shot. It was a pretty big leap as I invested in the fairly expensive Nintendo Switch.
I picked up Animal Crossing New Horizons and Mario Kart at the same time, then shortly after that I got Zelda.
I quickly became enamoured with the world building feature of Animal Crossing and began trying to build my muse 'Paradise Gardens'. I mostly lost track of the objectives of the game and just narrowed in on building.
I also loved that you could have visitors and go visit friends. The social part of games is really fascinating to me. For that reason I tried playing Among Us and Mario Cart a couple times with some other people and really liked that way of hanging out, but I didn't like those games that much. Among Us gave me too much of an adrenaline rush and Mario Kart gave me motion sickness lol. I would like to try Mario Kart some more though and see if I can work past that.
Then I found out about Minecraft! The perfect game for me?! It's an easier space to build worlds and it has a social component. I’ve only played twice now. I am really excited to try and build some gardens and enchanted spaces eventually. I am also newly exploring Mario Odyssey and the Super NES collection for switch online and I am LOVING all the old Nintendo games. Favourites so far are Yoshis Island and Claymates. Down the line I'd really like to get my hands on the sega genesis collection to reconnect with the games I played as a kid and finally try Echo the Dolphin. I will need the expansion pack to access that though, and I am not ready for that step yet.