Reality Check

Time to step away from what seems to devolve into rants against ever present gaming annoyances....
I've considered that some may wonder why I seem to take gaming so seriously at a time in one's life where career and family should be the central focus.

Well, as I alluded to in my first post, I'm a little different...

Family for me was always first whether I was someone's son or someone elses significant other.  Nothing took precedence and to a large extent it's still the same.  I just have a little less family now and a little more perspective.  Strange how our heroes turn into real people with real flaws when we grow up isn't it...

Career, well, I have the student loans and some paper on the wall to prove that I used to take that very seriously.  Seems I figured out a bit too late that the payoff doesn't quite live up to the investment.  On that topic, however, I choose not to regard it's value in financial terms. (not that I really could anyway) Rather, I value the experiences.

I dont' believe in the promise of some big payoff after years of suffering.  Life is for living, not for aspiring to.  Maybe I'd be more tolerant of such cultist beliefs if I were following the model of the nuclear family but I never have fit that mold and failed every time I tried.

Maybe that's why gaming is important to me.  I'm not trying to be the next middle aged gaming world champion.  Heck, I'm not even that good at a lot of these games.  I don't necessarily enjoy sitting alone in a room with only the glow of my monitor for company.  I like to play games with other people around.  I value the social contact that extends well beyond some well rendered pixels on a Way too expensive monitor.

I think the recent financial crisis has forced many people to reevaluate their faith in the promise of the gold watch.  I have no faith in it and instead look for personal satisfaction in what I do every day.  When I can't get that on a regular basis I know it's time to move on.  I often joke that "I'll probably die at my desk" but so long as I was able to satisfy myself it's ok.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not some self-centered egotist.  I've spent much of my life putting the happiness of others before my own.  The hardest reality I eventually had to accept was that you can't help anyone if you don't meet your own needs (not wants, NEEDS) first.  Such martyrdom only leads to disappointment and resentment and you accomplish much less in the long run.

Just like me, retirement is a question mark for many people now and keeping up with the Jones' on the way to it is financial suicide.  Hoping that someone doesn't run off with my 401K isn't part of my plans. I'm not some anarchist or overgrown child, however.  I just advocate making the most of each day and maximize anything you glean from it even if you don't earn a single dollar. 

I strongly believe that people have a basic need to relax (no matter what their philosophy) and enjoy eachother's company.  The difference now is that we have to dial down our expectations of what exactly that entails.  Maybe that's a good thing.  On most Saturday nights I can be found with friends.  We go have a nice dinner somewhere, sit and talk for awhile, have a few beers and of course play games!

All of that cost's me personally about $23 a week if you count fuel costs.  When I was younger I remember hanging around with people that would blow that much on a cover charge and their first watered down beer.  All for the privilege of having the dandruff on your shirt glow in the dark :)

While not as exciting an environment as my younger days I've found that a little friendly competition stimulates the mind and frees it from the weights of our daily reality.   In fact in my carousing days I never had as much fun as I do on any given Saturday night.

So what have we learned?

I don't know, what did YOU want to learn?

Perhaps I offer a slightly different perspective to what you thought you knew.  That's for you to discover....