Roll with it but Act

I spent the day trying to adapt my plans on the fly to changing circumstances.  There came a point that I just gave up on trying to get the kids to help with the yardwork jobs we had discussed and planned.   I ended up gaming a little, cleaning a little, playing outside with the kids a little, and turning my bedroom into a mini-woodshop for a bit.  Good thing I have an understanding husband.

I look at my goals in different games and they all seem to be about the same: to create a virtual representation of what I would like to have in real life (to differing degrees based on the game of course).  It’s akin to browsing etsy for more fiber to spin while I have oodles here at home just waiting to be spun and made up into something useful.  It is the easy, sometimes quick feel-good that I am working toward something when in reality I am not doing as much as I ought.

Maybe I am too laid-back and go-with-the-flow but it works for me to not get too wrapped up in expectations of how things should be.  With a husband, six kids, all the ex’s and extended family, plus life in general, things don’t always go the way I would choose.  So I roll with it.

I currently have two main goals with regards to my own projects and the house/yard: simplify and use what I have to make things of value for others.  Yeah, there is always cleaning and maintenance but beyond that, above it, is the need to simplify further and share all the excess.  Now to get on top of that notion and go with it. Tomorrow is Sunday which is a perfect day for writing Spirit Jump cards and knitting chemo caps to drop off to the local hospitals.  I have a few other ideas of things I plan to do as well, but I don’t want to seek praise here, like look at all I do or something.  Instead, like I have always said about this blog, it is here to help me sort out my own thoughts so that I may better act upon them. And so off I go to act.

Gaming Burn-out

I like video games.  Always have.  When my oldest was too little to read Zelda fast enough I read the screens and navigated for her and became what she called the “narrigator”.  We’ve had Nintendo, Xbox and 360, Playstations, wii… all the big names. We have computer games we play as a family or singly and it is just a part of life.  We recently started on Facebook and got involved in some of the games there.  Being the mom, I try to help the little ones or even the older ones when they need it.  They all have goals for their games and sometimes it is just a matter of logging in at the right time and clicking a few things to keep them on track.  Sometimes it is much more than that.

I am burnt out.  Many of the games on Faceboook like Farmville or Pirates or the mob varieties have a mechanic where you can only progress so far before you are out of energy or have to wait for an event.  It isn’t so bad when you can log to another account and feel like you are at least leveling someone and doing something besides just waiting.  But there comes a point where I am just tired of keeping track of who needs what and endlessly cycling through the accounts to pick produce, do a job, bank the money, or whatever.

In World of Warcraft, another game we all play often, there are world events that are of a limited time and offer great rewards if you jump through all the hoops.  Brewfest right now consists of logging in, doing a couple daily quests, and waiting until you can do them again, with a boss fight thrown in here and there for fun and loot.  Doing this on multiple characters every day for a week or two gets old.

I think I am at a point where I need to streamline my gaming and choose what is really worth my time, what the kids can and should do for themselves, and strike a balance I can live with.  The fun part of playing is being part of a team, playing with my family members, feeling like I help others, and building something the little ones can’t undo in 20 seconds flat like they can my housework.   It’s all about balance and what works and I need to renegotiate what is going to work for me.

As an editorial note, I think in any of the games the draw is to build and develop something you worked for.  On sites like Facebook you need friends to level and yet it is almost high-school-esque in the comparisons of how far you advance versus your friends.  In MMORPs you also progress more if you have friends, or a guild, but it is more of a group effort and interdependence.  All of it seems to be entertainment and escapism.  Some may prefer to watch TV or sports, but I like my gaming and online friends.

So perhaps I am at a point where I need to streamline and reduce the number of characters I play and focus.  I’d also like to make the world as I’d like it to be in Sims 3, which will take time and effort, too, but is very rewarding when I create things that other people enjoy having in their games, too.  LOL All I can say is it is a good thing winter is coming and I’ll be more shut in with time to play rather than drawn outside as much.