My Video Game Plans for the Summer
There’s no feeling better than finishing a college semester. No more projects, no more finals, no more homework, no more asking for extensions for work that I should have completed a long time ago! (Let’s be real, we’re all guilty of that).
As much as I love college, it can be exhausting work. For about four months, the ruthless monster of college pulls your soul out of your body and sends it into an eternal abyss of darkness. Here it is tortured, burned, and shredded by exams, classes, stress, and the crippling and looming student loan debt that will follow you for the rest of my life.
Okay, maybe an exaggeration (except for the student loans part).
At the same time, it is also one of the best experiences ever. Going out with friends, meeting new people, and getting to engage with classes that I actually enjoy! But, there’s nothing better than once classes end and I turn in that final assignment knowing that it is all over.
Hopefully, you all know that feeling and can understand why I’ve been a bit absent from blogging. Luckily, I did finish during the first week of May, and sorta been taking a long break (whoops!) But, don’t worry! I’m back and better than ever!
Now that classes have been wrapped up, I want to get back into gaming. There’s a few things on my bucket list I hope to tick off this summer.
- Beat Persona 5
Yes, I know that this game is a bit old, but I’ve been playing it a lot these past two semesters. I’ve sunken about 50 hours into this game (I know, rookie numbers) but took a break because of classes. Now that my schedule is so much freer, I’m ready to dive back in this game!
I’m gonna be honest, one of the reasons why I put this game on hold (besides college) was because of one of the boss fights I’m stuck on. Let me tell you, being stuck in a boss fight is frustrating enough, but it is more frustrating when its the middle of a hectic semester.
One of the reasons I like to play video games in college is to take a break from classwork. It can be a good 1 hour or so of just being away from the busyness of life. 1 hour of being teleported into a different world where you can interact with characters, explore the environment, and fight interesting creatures.
That is until… I come across an almost undefeatable boss that completely takes me out of the experience. That’s how I feel at the moment. The stress of college compounded onto my frustrations of trying to beat this one boss. It was enough to make me turn it off for a bit.
But, now that I have so much more free time, it is finally time to throw my hat back in the ring and go at it again. Yeah, it’ll be frustrating, tough, but I cannot imagine the satisfaction of the final hit that sends that boss’s HP down to zero.
The game is 80 hours long (good Lord) but my goal is to complete it by the end of the summer. Wish me luck!
2. Read some books on gaming
Surprisingly, there are a lot of books written about video games. No, I’m not talking about those fictional 90-page novellas on Fortnite (it gives me shivers just thinking about those things). But, there are some legit books written on video games that I’m excited to dive into!
I picked up this book from my local library called “Extra Lives,” by Tom Bissel. I haven’t started it yet but from what I can tell, it’s supposed to be a mix of a memoir, critique on the gaming industry, and defense on why gaming is a legitimate medium.
The book came out in 2010, so it’s a bit outdated, but I’m really curious to see how the book holds up. The great thing about reading older books is that sometimes they can still offer good advice for modern day culture and sometimes even predict things decades in advance (I’m looking at you, 1984).
Right now, there’s a lot on my plate in terms of reading (a mixture of fiction, philosophy, and self-help books) but my goal is to use this book as a stepping stone onto the amazing world of video game books.
3. This blog
Obviously, this is probably the biggest thing here. I started up this blog because I love studying philosophy and playing video games, and wanted to embed the two together. However, I haven’t really had any luck so far diving into those two topics.
I don’t want to make any excuses, but I think part of it is that I haven’t found any inspiration in a while. I hate going back to it, but I think that my mind has been so occupied with college that all I have been thinking about is completing classwork (those who are in college know what I’m talking about).
But, I’ve been picking up a few books that I have been reading through. One of them is called “Introduction to Phenomenology’’ by Demot Moran (I don’t feel like explaining what ‘Phenomenology’ is, so look it up) and it’s been such a fascinating read through. Most people find it weird that I like to engage in dry, philosophical reading (to be honest, I don’t blame them) but that’s why I started this blog.
I know that dry, philosophical texts written by mostly dead people aren’t exactly what most people describe as a ‘good time.’ But, I made this blog because I wanted to find a way to embed what I’ve learned in a fun and interesting way.
Gaming is one of those fields that affects almost every person. Everyone plays games to some extent, even if they don’t think of themselves as a “gamer.” I really hope that as I spend more time on this blog, people from all spectrums of gaming can get someone out of this. I hope that people who read through this blog can learn a little more about gaming and how philosophy applies to it.
4. Explore other media, like TV shows, cartoons, and anime
On the subject of philosophy and analysis, I’m hoping to branch out beyond just video games and start looking at my favorite TV shows, cartoons, and anime. Let’s just be real, a lot of people who do play video games tend to always watch cartoons and anime (that’s not a bad thing, but it’s a common feature I’ve seen).
I honestly think it’ll be super exciting to start jumping down these different paths, and I really hope you’ll stick around with me. Even if you’re not an avid gamer, not interest in philosophy, or even less interested in cartoons and anime, I really do hope you’ll find some enjoyment about my blog and learn something in the process.
