Chessboxin Wed, Aug 14, 2019

Hello everyone!

I have a lot of interests, but I would not say I have a lot of "hobbies". Until recently I probably would not have even claimed this as a hobby. I fought it for a long time, but at this point in my life I fully embrace it.

Video games are something that have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I received an original NES for Christmas when I was 8 or 9 and that was it, I was hooked. When I think about my childhood as whole, I can probably break it up into corresponding systems or games I was playing at the time.

Things are a little different now, my relationship to "gaming" is very different than it was when I was young. My approach (read justification) is very different. I see video games as a positive thing and something that is good for you if done in moderation. For me, I am a worrier by nature and it is very hard for me to "shut off". Video games are one of the few things that allow me to "shut off" and still occupy my mind, if that makes sense.

I love strategy and figuring things out, video games are a fun way to do that on a pretty high level. My current obsession is fighting games and lately I have been digging into the more intricate aspects of the games. At a high level, they are very similar to a chess match. It is all about trying to force your opponent to make a mistake you can capitalize on. Team strategy in something like Overwatch (#DivaSucks) is always interesting. Playing through something like Uncharted, The Witcher or Farcry is like an interactive movie. There are a ton of options and variety to suite whatever interests you. For me personally a couple hours of video games on the weekend clears my head and leaves me refreshed come Monday morning.