Starting the Day Playfully
Having so little time to play games recently, I’ve been thinking about how I might make a shorter play time feel just as satisfying.
It could be about habits. One habit I like, is that I like to read before I sleep. Gaming just before bed wakes me up (the bright screens and all). Another habit is that the first thing I do every morning is to make a sleep-deprived bloody sacrifice to the God of Black Liquid and Caffeine. The minutes I spend grinding beans and brewing, wakes me up. It’s meditative and yet filled with antificipation.
This is a very short time span though, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if a tiny, miniscule play session could be inserted while I drink the coffee, and help me prepare for the day?
I think a good game for waking up in the morning would have to either give me energy, lightly exercise my mind, or set the mood. It would also have to be satisfying in very short bursts, without the possibility of giving me a sour day if something fails.
The last bit might be a question of willpower, but it’s probably a good idea to at least try and use a game without a low chance me making me mad for the first hour or two after I leave the apartment.
Candidates for me, would be Animal Crossing: New Leaf, or some JRPG where I just try to walk a little bit in the game, maybe do one or two battles and really enjoy them, or some offlife MMO-like game where I could just do one simple hunt.
A game like Picross 3d: Round 2 might be a great idea as well. It’s sort of trivial, and yet feels like it’s working the brain muscles. Damnit though, I want to go on a an adventure!
I think I’m gonna try with Etrian Mystery Dungeon though. I’ve had this for a few months and havn’t found the right time to really dig into it. Had to finish the Tactics Ogre, you know. Tactics Ogre, huh? That would’ve been a good one as well. Etrian Mystery Dungeon seems to have a nice balance between party-preparation and some simple puzzle-like combat sessions, that I could try and restrain myself to just a cup of coffees worth in time. Let’s see how my mornings feel in a few weeks.