Confession – A New Game: Planetside 2

My last confession wasn’t much of one. It was more like an opening I exploited to talk about the state of my life. This post comes with a little bit of sin so it’s an actual confession.

Last week I started playing a new game: Planetside 2. It’s a fast paced futuristic and team oriented combat game. I played it far too much and I did not meet my writing or blogging goals. I was weak and gave into the temptation of easy enjoyment. I did have a great time playing and I stumbled into a good bunch of guys who are well organized. That made it even more difficult to pull away because I’ve always been drawn towards a good team. What I have to remember is that I frequently fall under the spell of a new game but only a few of them satisfy me in the longer term. It’s almost like dating used to be in the salad days (thanks to Kirsten, I’ll never have to do that again!). I recall the flush of infatuation and near obsession with a fondness granted by the passage of time. However, only once did that infatuation turn into a lifelong love and it didn’t happen by itself. I had to commit myself before I was rewarded by the joy that my wife brought me. (Of course, committing was a bit easier after I knocked her up but it really could not have worked out better for me.)

That actually leads me back to my writing. I’m able to compare gaming and writing in the same way that we talk about apples and oranges. They’re very different but they both provide a refreshing breakfast beverage. Besides that, I could make fresh squeezed orange juice without too much effort but home made apple juice requires another level of commitment (and equipment). Ok, I think I’ve taken that analogy as far as I can so back to your previously scheduled program.

Although writing is a lot tougher than playing a game, I receive that deeper kind of joy from writing. I have to remind myself that the effort I expend in writing will be returned with a deeper and more meaningful reward. Unfortunately, even though I know I should be writing, I’m heading to the man cave right now to get a little gaming fix. The new game excitement is going to have to fade a bit more before I get fully back on the writing track.