A little bit of gaming (and a little work, too) – End of the Day for March 23, 2014

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy, as the saying goes. So today I engaged in a little game play interspersed with quite a bit of work, too. Joseph is a big video gamer these days and we often have discussions about the various games he tries out. Noe that Stream has their Family Sharing plan, I am able to play almost any game that Joe has purchased on my own computer and with my own characters and save files. In my day, I found that mixing a little gaming in between work sessions actually made me a bit more productive. It has often been thought that taking regular breaks in any form of work helps your focus and I think that certainly applies to me.

So, what did I play today? Many of the games I have seen at least a little play through or I have discussed them with Joe as he was playing. Sometimes games can leave me a bit confused, but today I felt I actually did a bit better than I thought I would. I never got “stuck” in any of the games, even if it took me a little time to figure out a particular feature or tactic.

First on the list was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This is an amazing beautiful games with probably at least a hundred hours of gameplay possible. There is a main story quest but also probably a hundred sub quests to achieve. The world is quite immersive and combines exploration, interaction, battling, alchemy, blacksmithing and other crafts in quite a balanced world. Of all the games I played today, this is probably the one I would return to again. When playing Skyrim it often feels as if you are starring in your own movie where you not only control where your character goes, but also where the story leads.

Next was an entirely different experience. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. This is the type of game I usually avoid. It is all guns and ammo and “twitch” gaming that typically kills my character before I even know what happened. I have watched Joe play it and only moderately know what is happening. Of course, he plays the multiplayer version almost exclusively, but he thought I should start out with the single player campaign mode, which takes you through various scenes with a connected storyline. I was surprised how well I did. Even thought Joe provided a bit of coaching, I didn’t die nearly as often as I expected, even though I still had a hard time figuring out where to go and what to do. I might play a little more of this, but highly doubt I would ever even try the multiplayer mode.

The next game was Civilization V. This is a Risk-style game that is equal parts history lesson and a Simcity of ancient civilizations. You found a small town, build an army, granary, cultural institutions, establish diplomatic relations with nearby city-states, fight with the barbarians, and try to finance it all so that you don’t go bankrupt or get conquered. I only planned on playing for about an hour, but 2 hours later I was so involved I had to force myself to stop playing long enough to get something to eat. I might have to spend some more time with Civ 5 to see what other surprises it holds.

Finally, the last part of my gaming day was spent in tutorial sessions for League of Legends. Oh dear, is this a complicated game! I hear Joseph talking with his team as he plays live sessions of LoL and even watch some gameplay, but the depth of the game is staggering for a newbie. There are dozens of different champions to chose, each with their own special abilities and play styles. There are a host of spells and abilities to buy for each character and situation. You are scored in points, conquest of turrets, attacking various other creatures and the opposing team, but also gain gold to purchase new buffs and abilities, health potions and more. Joe rattles off the various strategies of the game, but the amount of learning you have to do seems overwhelming. I think it would require some long hours with Joe’s coaching before I could even begin to play a real game online.

It is no surprise that League of Legends is one of the premiere games in the “pro-gaming” circuit with huge tournaments (and large prizes) held all over the world, including right here in our own LA backyard. Tournaments are covered and commentated just like traditional sporting events and the fans are just as rabid about their favorite teams.

So there is my overview of the games I played today. I think it is important to keep a hand in the various technology industries, even if you don’t live there. I also think it is good to see what Joseph is doing with his leisure time and sharing a bit of his excitement. It is one small thing we can share as he grows older.

Previously on End of the Day: