Playing games

I have to make a confession: the last video games I played were Smash Bros and Goldeneye for N64. When I watch people playing these newer high-powered consoles, all I can think is how time and energy it require just to learn all the buttons on the controller. This is not a judgment, watching kids play Call of Duty like they’re connected to The Matrix absolutely amazes me, and I actually can understand why fans will watch YouTube videos of the best players.

My soft spot is for strategy board games. Risk, Abalone, Monopoly, and the ultimate: Dominion, of which thanks to a free online version that sets up all the cards and pairs you with an unlimited supply of eager partners, I’ve played thousands of games. Playing Dominion is a near-daily activity for me that is therapeutically relaxing as there are no real world demands. It is also mentally stimulating, with logic and creativity you piece together boundless combos to wreak havoc on your opponent— it utilizes the same levers in my brain needed to solve a building or coding problem. And of course, there’s the element of luck remaining for some excitement. Add to the mix that no two games are the same and two seasoned players can knock one out in under 15 minutes, and you have what I consider to be the recipe for the perfect strategy game.

The key for me is making sure I carve out time to play cards around what matters, instead of taking time away from playing to read and write words and code.