Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

Well I suppose I’m skipping dinner tonight.
Not within my usual habits, but I contemplated that maybe that’ll make my first meal tomorrow taste all the more sweeter.
I didn’t quite get much lunch near DBZ’s launch, just some chocolate croissant… maybe I have a chocolate addiction. Well, better than being away for a…[insert the British word for cig that has a completely different meaning in American English].
I feel like I’m one letter away from being on a Limmy skit.

Well this is really bizarre. Black swordsman has seemingly blocked me out of nowhere. Our last few interactions were extremely friendly so I’m worried if I said something to upset him, and would like to apologize in advance if I did. I hope it’s a website bug because I’m not actually finished writing a message for him about why I don’t have a ps5, I was also about to send him a music recommendation so this is really strange.
Sorry for this is an unorthodox request but it’s not a complaint since I’m just confused, but is it ok if you investigate in case there’s a website bug or something else @antdickens ? He’s a good friend, and was responsible for helping me ease into the threads when I was new. So I really hope he’s ok and nothing wrong is going on.

A lot of this is extremely sudden cuz I’m finding out right as I’m about to head to bed so I’m probably not checking anything until tomorrow.

What is going on in the PS5 PlayStation Store? The new sale's main page was never added in North America so you need to use the search function in order to find the games on-sale...😮‍💨

@Yousef- How are things in your area? I heard there's risk of war over there in Kuwait and hope that you're doing good and have a plan if things get too dangerous over there!

@Yousef- I’m not at my PC at the moment, but will look into it tomorrow when I’m back at my PC. Maybe email me with the username so that I’m not guessing which user you are referring to?

@Yousef- this might be useful for you: https://www.pushsquare.com/forums/help_feedback_suggestions/c...

Hey guys, I thought I'd share something a bit personal as something that came to me through a vacation I've recently returned from.

I live in Canada, the Prairies specifically and I went to visit my sister and brother-in-law who moved to Vernon, BC. I spent a week there, a few days with them, and a few days on my own in the town. Was nice to catch up with them and play with their kiddos, my niece and nephew. Super cute, I miss them already. Not to mention the mountains and valleys... British Columbia is second to none in its natural beauty, in my view.

But I noticed something interesting as I was there... how nice it was to be away from video games. I went hiking, biking, cafe hopping, perusing restaurants and antique shops, museums, and even took part in a cold plunge spa (inspired by Wim Hoff). All this to say, I enjoyed myself so much in spite of barely partaking in a hobby I consider myself an enthusiast in. I did still bring my Switch along as I normally do when traveling, as I picked up the new Zelda title to play while winding down in my hotel room... but I think I maybe got 3 hours total for the whole week in gaming. And it was so nice to minimize this activity and focus on things more active and engaging with my fellow being.

A notable and very obvious takeaway for me is that I play way too much. I've known this for a while, but it's look liking oneself in the mirror and taking in the truest form of oneself. I don't think I'll ever stop gaming, but I'm beginning to accept this week that it's time to truly cut back and bring in some other wonderful things that can add to my life.

Don't get me wrong, I do other things! I exercise daily, read and write often, walk 3+ times a day to decompress and deal with stress, meditate, etc. I'm even starting a YouTube channel focused on gaming! So I have many interests, but I've hit a point where I'd like things to change. It's bittersweet, as I wish I'd done this a long time ago, but this could be said for any venture in life.

I've much to be grateful for, which is another takeaway of this trip. I love my family and am happy that I can get along with them so well (wasn't always the case). I also have great friends that have been there for me during some pretty damn tough times the last couple of years, and I'm in a place now where I can be there for them.

I don't want to get too much more personal than this, but I hope some folks here can relate. And, if this is something you've experienced and moved through, I'd love to hear what your journey was like! What the challenge was, how you addressed and overcame it, and what things are like now. I'm a people person, I love stories and engaging within the tales of other triumphs.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. If you're able, take a little vacation If you can't afford it or don't have time, walk and meditate. It's life-saving stuff.

Thank you for the very interesting post, I can relate on many levels.
Over the past few years, I've discovered that when I take extended breaks from gaming—whether for work-related reasons or hiking or globe-hopping—I usually feel wonderful and don't miss the activity that I tend to consider my favorite all that much, if at all. Until I do.
Although I never voluntarily resist it, a long hiatus will definitely make me really crave sitting down with a good videogame.

In 2021-2022ish, I was lucky enough to fall in love with a gorgeous, charming man who also happens to be a gamer. Since I play most of my games on PlayStation, when I looked at my "PS Wrapped" at the end of 2022, I was shocked to see that with all the dining and dating and weekend trips I had only put in a meager 200 hours of play, an amount of time that I would typically spend on a single RPG, and It was even more baffling how I didn't even notice about that.
However, the following year, gaming came back with a vengeance since it inevitably strengthened our bonds and fostered sharing, and we increasingly integrated it into our gatherings.
These days, I find it impossible to even picture a night at home without some jokes about the latest in gaming news or sneaking peeks at one other's games, but we're like this with movies and novels as well.
All of this to say, I'm learning to love it and trying to understand it, but it's still a pendulum for me.
Oh and btw I adore BC, it's just utterly gorgeous.

@Nei So glad to hear you met someone great, and a fellow gamer! Sounds like a winner I've yet to meet someone, been single for quite some time actually but I'm sure she's out there... hopefully she's a fan of games herself!

The nuances you describe about habits changing and moving as life continues is something that I think I'm in the midst of at this time. For once in my life, I want balance in all the things that I do, especially the relationships in my life. Taking trips abroad expands your mind to other possibilities, and I'm trying to cherish this as best I can.

And I would absolutely move to BC if it were more affordable! I live in Winnipeg which is one of the most financially feasible cities to live in within Canada, so I'm taking advantage of the low costs to save up for a nice, little home. But one can dream

Enjoy your gaming news and such, I think that's fine, I just know that I'd rather confine myself to spaces like this as opposed to the comments sections of articles and angry tweets for my mental well-being lol. A good thread like this is wholesome and that's all I need to consider the thoughts of others... the rest will be spent out in the world.

@Enriesto That’s a really inspiring and fascinating post about your vacation and related epiphany. Thanks for sharing.
And also @Nei — what a heartening story of companionship that is enhanced by gaming, but not dependent on it.

I have definitely found my game time dwindle over the last few years, but more gradually. Not for lack of interest, but just added responsibilities and workload. So I see my year -end wrap up times pale in comparison to most other enthusiasts on here, but I still consider gaming my main hobby and I am always wishing I had more time to devote to it.

I’ve been doing travel (both for work and for pleasure) quite a lot this year, and just stay busy with random friend and family gatherings. My backlog grows and grows and grows. I keep thinking that a big treasure chest of free time is right around the next corner in my life, but usually it’s just a mimic (😅 …playing too much Dark Souls 2 this year) ready to devour me.

I do agree that a balanced life is a good life, and in today’s world it’s easy to get too absorbed with all the gaming and media options we have at our fingertips. Touching grass is always therapeutic, whether in BC or elsewhere. It sounds like I definitely need to make a trip up there though!

@Th3solution Hey man, just from reading the post above I hope you are enjoying your quality time with friends and famille, and that your Dark Souls 2 journey is treating you well - hopefully you will have more of that game's mimics to contend with than the hydraeic and chimeric ones that may rear their ugly heads in real life, under the guise of a mirage of free game time that doesn't come to pass! How is the game club game treating you? A worthy experience of you're perpetually elusive chunks of gaming time, I hope?

@Enriesto Have you been introduced to your fellow countryman on here, @Jimmer-jammer yet? I'm sure you two will get on swimmingly!

Just some thoughts. I am trying to strike the right balance between earthly and more celestial pursuits. I think that is important for most educated or self-educated people. Especially people from my particular background with my personality/nature/nurture imprint.

@Enriesto I often go for walks in my local area, even if it's for a non-essential purpose. Also, I like reading and have a keen interest in the arts. I play guitar a lot and have even recorded some music over the years, mostly jazz-related stuff. I think that getting away from gaming from time to time is important. But I think I may have a different reason to you. Sometimes I feel like gaming focuses too much on the whole 'male power fantasy' type thing, and, frankly, sometimes after a lot of visceral video-game encompassed violence, I just feel like a bit of a meathead.

I think looking into things like philosophy, art and the life of the mind is important, like I said earlier in a different post, balancing the earthly with the more celestial aspects of our nature is quite important for the modern person, imo. And, I, too, feel like I have resolved to cut down on my gaming time in pursuit of personal betterment, and I feel much - better - for it.

I'm reading The Cornel West Reader by Dr. Cornel West at the moments with plans to read Moby-Dick by Melville and some Chekhov at some point ,too.

Loving the philosophy sections in the West book and hoping that the classic fictions will be equally mentally invigorating and rewarding. What sort of thing do you read? We have a dedicated Books You're Currently Reading Thread in the General Discussion section on this website. I've come across a book I thoroughly enjoyed through someone else's recommendation on there. So hopefully you can find some Literature to your liking in there as well as feeling free to have a natter about what you've enjoyed books-wise.

Edit: I also watch Cricket often, which is considered to be a gentleman's sport, and I feel it is one of the best representations of blending the mental with the physical.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Yeah, doing well. 😄 I’ve enjoyed a little deviation from DS2 and playing different things from time to time. I do need to follow your example and do a bit more reading. That’s another past time that I’ve seen suffer the last few years. There was a time when I was better about reading, but lately I can’t seem to get any momentum going. If I happen to get back to reading then I’ll drop some thoughts in the book thread. If I do get back into it I’ll probably have to do it with something mindless and escapist in order to destress at the end of the day. So probably not Moby Dick. 😅

@Th3solution Life is wild, makes fools of us in how everything can change right under our noses without even a whiff of our awareness to its reality. I imagine this was inevitable in my life, as I would like to buy a house (a legendary feat in this age and economy), start a family, and pursue a number of avenues that may or may not correlate with games. I have a sense that many here on PS (and NL and PX) understand the value of balance and being grounded in things outside of games in life, and I don't think I appreciated that much until recently. Also DS2 is incredible, a good case to be made that it's actually the best! If you want to watch a banger video, check out HBomberGuy's video on why DS2 is the goat of the trilogy.
And for the record, the world is beautiful. I love going to the States to visit friends and voyaging beyond to the natural landscapes far from home.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Your words are those of a kindred spirit. I have been trying to read more than I normally do, and a good deal of that has been Russian Literature - currently reading Resurrection by Tolstoy, and a compilation of tales by Pushkin. Cornel West was introduced to me many years ago and I practically indulged in his lectures of American Literature while I was in uni. He's the real deal when it comes to connecting with writers - also solid in politics. I have shared in that Reading thread before, but there were a lot of manga and genre series I wasn't familiar with at all, so I guess I slipped away, but will share my thoughts there more

Another way I was moved on my trip was to take up painting, just water color works. I love birds, bit of an ornithophile, so I want to try my hand at some portraits of blue jays and loons to start. I've always been fond of how people describe what something like painting, pottery, playing guitar, etc. do for one's mind and well-being. Took a while, but it's time for a creative outlet in addition to my writing.

One more thing literature related as I always bring poetry with me, but I recommend Percy Shelley's collection if anyone can get a hold of. I have a special text from the 1940s which actually include annotations by none other than his widowed love, Mary Shelley. She writes within the extensive footnotes about Percy's life and habits before he passed, it's incredible.

@Enriesto Yes indeed. I think we all have different blind spots which we may or may not eventually discover 😅. Being self-aware of our shortcomings is a big step in building our character, for sure.

And I think I’ve actually watched that video! “In defense of Dark Souls 2” I think it’s actually called. Great stuff!

@Enriesto I think a good case can be made for Dostoevsky taking the crown of Russian Literature, in my estimation at least. Have you read either The Devils or The Brothers Karamazov? two of his best, with an honorable mention going to The House of the Dead, about his time spent in prison as a nobleman in Russia, all fantastic books, but especially the first two. Life-changing stuff! I have discovered the Mary Shelley/Percy book online for a fair sum, so I think I will purchase that at a later stage. Thank you for the recommendation!

It's really cool that you're familiar with Dr. West. Very intelligent guy ,for sure. Also, I was just wondering what sort of writing it is that you do? I studied Creative Writing as part of a Literature degree in the past, so I have dabbled, somewhat.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN The Bros K!! That's what we used to call it back in uni, total masterclass in novel writing. I've read it twice, and might just read it again with your mention. I've otherwise read The Idiot (also twice) and Crime and Punishment, and then some variety of short stories and letters. I think I'll have to bump up The Devils after reading Resurrection (what I'm reading now by Tolstoy). May we all be more like Alyosha in this hurting world...

As for writing, it's primarily through letters and self-imposed synopses of readings I engage. Ranges from many styles, but I've been focusing on poetry lately. We take for granted how sound and imagery move within our minds as we read, and how poets are able to pierce into some truth about a given experience with a remarkable punctuation of these sounds within their use of phrase and structure. That's what I've been exploring lately My own poems are terrible! But it's okay, I write a banger once in a while and ultimately believe in the activity's continuation given the hopelessly unending inspiration I feel from the Greats that have existed prior.

Seeing that pro-AI article that PC Gamer put out, written by the hardware editor-in-chief of all people, has never made me more glad of not getting a job lmao