The Games People Play...
I'm currently venturing into
a new gaming system. After playing X-Wing exclusively for the past
two years I've given in to temptation and jumped into Armada. My
thoughts are now filled with Nebulon B Support Frigates and
Turbolasers and Command Dials rather than TIE Fighters and Elite
Pilot Talents and Twin Laser Turrets. But despite the change of scale
and pace, it seems my mind is still filled...
And this got me to thinking
about how the games I play are so much more than just games. More
than just a couple of hours entertainment on a Tuesday night. More
than the odd tournament here and there. I recently had a bit of a
'rough' eighteen months. Illness and hospital visits plagued my life
for the first time and until just now I hadn't realised how much of a
coping mechanism games can be. Whether it's the immediate release of
forgetting the real world for an hour or two during an actual game or
the hours filled list building and ruminating on tactics and battle
plans during stressful hospital visits, long days at work or times
when the kids are arguing over whose turn it is to have control of
the telly remote, games offer us a way to turn our minds to something
creative and fulfilling. I've built lists sat on the loo! I've gone
over TIE Fighter formation flying tactics whilst being injected with
radioactive tracer and placed in an MRI scanner. I've internally
debated the merits of taking R2-D2 instead of R5-P9 on Poe Dameron
whilst being screamed at by irate customers at work. Without this
mental cushioning I'd have gone mad. Maybe I am mad. Maybe I'm the
only one that does this. I've unwound from a hard days work writing
and re-writing squad lists on numerous occasions. I've spent hours
pouring over the internet looking at other peoples lists and thoughts
and opinions, often not so much to improve my game but to block out
whatever the wife was watching on telly at the time!
Does everyone else do this
too? Does anyone else spend time building lists they never take to
the table? Do other people let the games they play fill their minds
and their time as much as this? Is it even healthy?
Games that require you to
paint models (and I paint many of my X-Wing miniatures) offer a
relaxing, fulfilling element but painting, unless you are especially
lucky, is not something that can be done at work or in a hospital
waiting room. Brushes, though portable are useless in the dark
confines of the cinema when you've taken the kids to see some new,
sub-par, animated bore-a-thon. Ever tried painting in the dark? No.
But you can theorycraft and list build and plan strategies to your
hearts content. And the best thing is the kids won't even notice...
Neither will the wife if you're lucky!
Don't even get me started on
how podcasts can ease a boring commute to work (Cloud City Radio is
really worth a listen). Hours and hours of pointless waiting in
traffic have been eased listening to peoples tournament experiences
or their opinions on the latest new releases. Hell, even Mathwing
becomes a bearable topic of discussion when you're stuck on the A45
with at least another half hour to pass before your junction!
So the next time you think
about the games you play, think about what the games you play mean to
you. Think about the time you spend other than playing the actual
game and ask yourself “What else would I be doing with my time, if
it wasn't for plastic spaceships?” Hopefully you'll be happy with
the answer. In the mean time, enjoy what you do.
Oh, and of course... May the Force be with you. Always.
