A Conversation Snippet

M: "You're awfully cute. I'm surprised you haven't been cougar-mauled yet."

A: "Well thank you. I'm flattered that you think I should be mauled by cougars."

VG Cleanse - I cheated a little bit

So I guess I've cheated a little. It all started at work on friday. I had a task that involved a few scattered minutes of uptime between longer periods of downtime. To make the task more bearable, I started playing a game on facebook that's nothing more than a simple time-waster. Which wasn't a problem, since I stated in my own rules that games at work are allowed.

But then I found myself playing that same facebook game yesterday for two sittings of 30 minutes each. And again today for another 30 minutes. And while it may not be a PC game or a console game, it's still basically gaming. The point at which I decided I'm "wasting time" was the point at which I decided I had to stop.

Even still, I've made it three weeks without much extra-curicular gaming. And I intend to finish out the month as planned. I'll just have to keep off the silly facebook game while I'm at home.

Only one more week to go!

VG Cleanse - Week Three

I'm past the two week hump. In the past two weeks I've only played video games three times: Rock Band twice at a friend's house, and a single round of Dawn of War 2 at lunch today.

It's day 15, and I'm starting to get twitchy. I'm proud of myself for going this long without games, but I have an itch that I really want to scratch. I wonder if this is what it's like for people to quit smoking?

I'm also not getting nearly as much done in my newfound free time as I thought I would. So for the next two weeks I'm going to try and make a more concentrated effort. At the very least, I'm going to start phoning people and sending e-mails. I said I'd try and keep in better touch with people, but so far I'm still falling short in that department.

VG Cleanse - Week 2

Well, I'm on to week 2. I've done really well so far. Even Sunday wasn't so bad. Granted, I was dead tired Sunday and so I mostly just fell asleep on the couch.

Rule 3 of my "cleanse" came into effect this evening. I went to a friend's place and we played some Rock Band for an hour or so. We do this on Mondays. We play Rock Band, they feed me, and we watch House. Man, am I rusty. I could barely stumble my way through the chords on March of the Pigs. Yikes. Haven't played it in ages; I'll have to practice up.

So this experiment is going well. It's funny though, how I haven't actually discovered much more "quality time" in my schedule. I guess I've gone out a bit more in the evenings on weekdays to visit with people. But the nights I've been home have mainly been spent working on a portfolio piece. It's not games, so I guess it's more productive. But ultimately, it's still 3 hours staring at a screen and ignoring the world around me. So while I feel like I'm getting some work done, I still feel pretty disconnected from society. But the weekends seem to be making up for that.

Went to an awesome housewarming party at some friends' place Saturday night. They turned it into a mini-rave in their kitchen - complete with 4 or 5 alternating DJs and a laser-light show. I guess that's what happens when all the people you know (which is to say, all the people that they know) DJ or hang out at the same bar on the same night of every week.

I can definitely feel the pull of games lately though, too. Even though I'm not playing them in my spare time, I'm still surrounded by them every day. On Transit, in the media, on the internet, at lunch-hour... the industry doesn't rest, even if I am. Like anything, there's always temptation. But I guess it's all mind over matter.

Rock Band Network went online last week. There are songs on there by KMFDM. KM-[F]reakin'-DM!! I'm sticking to the plan. I'm not going to download them yet. But I've made a note to myself to do so as soon as April rolls around. I've also passed up a few good sale-deals on games that I would have otherwise jumped on as impulse buys. Hooray for saving money.

In the meantime, I need to think up some entertainment for my friends and I for next Monday. The rules are clear: no gaming at home. They'll probably come over for dinner and House - it's my turn - but outside of that we'll have to play cards or a board game or watch a movie or something.

I also need to think up something simple to cook that will feed three. I've got my usual go-to recipe: stir-fry. But one friend is allergic to many of the vegetables that would be staples in said stir-fry, so that limits me.

Cleanse - Day Three

Well, it's wednesday night at 10pm. I've now made it three days without playing any games in my spare time.

Monday I went to visit some friends for dinner and light socializing.

Tuesday was a quiet night at home watching TV and an attempt at some portfolio work. I gave that up after 90 minutes of frustration, feeling technically satisfied but suffering from an artistic block.

Tonight I went for beer and wings with a friend that I don't see very often. Then he dropped by and we shared and listened to any interesting bands we'd been listening to lately. Sent an e-mail to another friend I haven't heard from in a while. It's been good.

I've only sort of cheated once today at work during my lunch hour. I spent about 20 minutes playing a game demo I'd downloaded last week. Thankfully, I was unimpressed by the demo and so it was easy to turn it off. It certainly didn't leave me with any desire to play other games either.

Of course, every time the brain turns to boredom that gaming reflex is still there. But I've been able to catch it every time and stop myself.

I think the weekend will be the biggest challenge. I've got plenty to do Saturday to keep me occupied. But Sunday evening is when I usually do the most gaming. There are a lot of free hours to fill, and I hope I can maintain my resolve.