So the presents have all been opened, and I hope you all got everything you were hoping for this year. But now what? Sure, you might have a shiny new console to play with, or some new games to beat, or even some great tabletop RPGs to try, but when the initial glow of excitement wears off… what then?
I find myself usually overwhelmed by it all.
It isn’t that I am ungrateful for the gifts I have received, not at all. My wife in particular has been great about getting me games that I really, really wanted… especially when it comes to TTRPGs. But after I’ve read through the books, or tried out the video games a bit, I usually feel like there is just too much to deal with. That’s not a brag, by the way. It just feels like there’s too much to process, let alone enjoy.
So most of those TTRPGs sit on my game shelf, unplayed. The video games sit in my queue, while I play the games I’ve been playing over and over for years (mostly “Starfield”). Part of this is because I don’t have a TTRPG group I play with anymore, and solo roleplaying has fallen to the side after I ended my solo TTRPG Actual Play podcast. And while new video games are always welcome, it feels odd trying to start something new when you’re used to the cozy comfort of your old favorite games.
Maybe I’m just bad at receiving gifts? Maybe I shouldn’t receive games and consoles as gifts? I really couldn’t say. As I said before, I do enjoy these games, and I appreciate them, but it seems sad seeing them sitting on the wayside, while I just play the games I’ve been playing for years.
This year, though, I’m going to try to be better about this. I’m going to try to set aside my usual games, and jump into the new stuff for at least a while. To really give these games a chance to get their hooks in, before falling back to the ol’ tried & true.
I’m going to try, anyway. If recent history is to be any gauge, I won’t succeed. But I will try.
Maybe I should use a reward system? For every couple of hours that I engage with one of these new games (played or read, depending on the medium), I get a Cookie. Now that Cookie could be any sort of treat, be it fudge, pie, or even just a damn cookie. Regardless, let the holiday sweets push me towards giving these gifts a real chance.
Or I can just use this as an excuse to eat more fudge.
