A week of stories looking at the crossover between health and gaming
January 11, 2023 4:51 AM Subscribe
Welcome to Training Mode: [Polygon] “Have you ever thought to yourself, I want to get better at games, but I don’t want to destroy my life or physical health? Or, What should a gaming “workout” routine look like? We’re here to help with a special week dedicated to all things video games and health. From workout routines to rehab stories, ergonomics, meditation, signs to look for when you’re pushing too far, how to balance games and life, and more, we have stories lined up to help anyone develop a healthy relationship to gaming — especially if you really care about nontoxic ways to improve or compete.”
• How to tell when you’re gaming too much, according to a therapist
• How to tell when you’re gaming too much, according to a therapist
“Here is a walkthrough I’d do with one of my patients to examine the relationship they have with video games if brought up as a potential concern in one of our sessions. First, how do you actually feel while playing video games? This might seem like a stupid question, especially when you are screaming at your team to stay with the payload. However, video games are designed to be as frictionless as possible to remove any slow moments that could spark emotional clarity. This can be good game design (or good manipulation, depending on your point of view) but it’s bad for emotional self-regulation. You need breaks in the action to assess whether you are actually enjoying what you are currently doing. The easiest way to do that is to keep a simple emotions log and jot down what you are feeling every 15-30 minutes while you play. It can be as short as a single word. Set a timer as a reminder. Do that for a couple of weeks and then review the results, either with yourself or a mental health professional.”• Skyrim is the best place to meditate
“Meditation within gaming is often associated with a “flow state,” which psychologists theorize can be achieved with titles like Tetris, where a user is focused on one sole activity. There are tasks within Skyrim that could be associated with this style of play; cooking, smithing, and alchemy are all simple and repetitive enough. However, the immersion of an RPG and its tranquil environments elevates this concept to a different level of mindfulness for me. To explore this idea, I reached out to Thomas McConkie, the founder of Lower Lights School of Wisdom currently studying transformative practice at Harvard University. He hosts the Mindfulness Plus podcast, where he explores topics such as using technology to deepen and express mindful awareness. He believes that role-playing as another character within a game like Skyrim is in fact an extremely effective tool for meditation, especially if we spend a lot of time dwelling on our own existence as we go through day-to-day life.”• Overwatch 2 coach says gameplay isn’t the key — it’s ‘how you are as a person’
“According to Spilo, some of the “most rewarding times as a team coach” came from working with shy players over a few months and seeing their personal development. He recounted an experience coaching an Overwatch League player who had then circled back to him in the postseason. The player told Spilo that he had a lot to think about and that he wouldn’t have been able to finish the season without Spilo’s help and his support, and that it really changed him as a person. “That made my week,” said Spilo. “That was just everything to me, knowing that – you feel like you have a permanent impact, you know?” On top of esports demanding long hours and location changes, Spilo’s interest in having a personal impact on players led him away from formal esports coaching and back to streaming and engaging one-on-one with players seeking feedback. “Sometimes I just wanted to talk with people,” he said. “You know, sometimes the best parts of my coaching are when I just get to have frank and honest, relaxed conversations, or when I feel like I have a significant impact on somebody personally, or even just the stupid stuff when I’m chatting with folks in Twitch chat about patch notes.””• Video games screwed up my hands — and helped rehabilitate them
“Then, my wrist started to hurt. I saw a local physical therapist; he recommended wrist supports and ice and suggested it was tendonitis. I had no reason to believe that this pain was connected to similar discomfort I’d suffered before, in weeklong bouts following strenuous activity that came and went like the wind, or the frequent body aches that had been dismissed as “growing pains” since childhood. So I carried on with my life, playing with an unhealthy dedication that reared its ugly head when I was denied access to the game. My friends and I rang in the new year with a winning match, and when I woke up on Jan. 1, 2021, I could no longer hold a glass of water. [...] Though symptoms of JHS can be managed through physiotherapy and often ease with age, it is incurable. Still, this wasn’t the blow you might think. For me, a diagnosis was hope, and since I finally knew what was wrong, that meant I could try to do something about it.”• Playing Street Fighter made me a better piano teacher
“In June of 2014, the week following Ultra Street Fighter 4’s console release, I earned my master’s degree in music education, with a focus on piano pedagogy. Staring down the barrel of what would turn out to be nearly a year of unemployment, I decided to satisfy a long-held curiosity: I bought a copy of the game and a fight stick and started losing matches. The accountability that fighting games command intrigued me, and as I worked on my fundamentals in the training stage, I noticed I often entered into a similar headspace as when I sat at the piano bench to work on a difficult piece. If I can teach myself a Beethoven sonata, surely I can learn how to knock down an opponent jumping at me! This comparison proved to be more salient than I knew, and, nearly a decade later, having opened a teaching studio with about 45 students, I’ve noticed a reciprocal relationship between learning fighting games and playing musical instruments.”• Motherhood doesn’t mean giving up on gaming
“It was just me, The Penitent One, and Our Lady of the Charred Visage. I was ducking and dodging purple laser beams like a pro, and she was down to less than half her health. I knew I would defeat her this time. Then my 3-week-old daughter woke up and started crying. While feeding her, I kept running through the attack pattern in my mind, desperate to hold onto the feeling of accomplishment and pending victory that awaited me in Blasphemous. By the time I got her back to sleep and unpaused the game, I died in less than two minutes. In that moment of rage and disappointment, I wondered if having a kid meant saying goodbye to gaming. Have you ever thought to yourself, I want to get better at games, but I don't want to destroy my life? We're here to help with a special week dedicated to all things video games and health. Before I get too deep in the weeds, I love my daughter. I wouldn’t trade her 6-month-old habits for anything. However, parenting can significantly affect your emotional, physical, and mental health. I just never thought it would make me question my relationship with video games — a medium that’s been in my life since I was 5 years old.”
I haven't intentionally made a low skill Sim grill in a doorless house for years.
I am the picture of mental health.
posted by phunniemee at 5:19 AM on January 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
I am the picture of mental health.
posted by phunniemee at 5:19 AM on January 11, 2023 [6 favorites]
Good mental health is NOT checking to see how many total hours I've sent playing Skyrim and/or The Binding of Isaac.
*eyes glaze over*
posted by Fizz at 5:24 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
*eyes glaze over*
posted by Fizz at 5:24 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also, that Skyrim meditation article references how slowing down in games can be rewarding and it's something I've been thinking about a lot and trying to put into practice.
Just slow down. A mantra I repeat to myself.
I often find myself just rushing through games because I just feel like I have to min/max my way from one mission-quest to another. Slowing down though and just letting myself exist in another world is such a good feeling and I'm doing this more and more, especially in open-world games. You also realize how much you miss when you do slow down.
posted by Fizz at 5:30 AM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
Just slow down. A mantra I repeat to myself.
I often find myself just rushing through games because I just feel like I have to min/max my way from one mission-quest to another. Slowing down though and just letting myself exist in another world is such a good feeling and I'm doing this more and more, especially in open-world games. You also realize how much you miss when you do slow down.
posted by Fizz at 5:30 AM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey, played a long time after their hype-release when I upgraded my PC and got an ultrawide monitor, were beautiful experiences; if maybe not quite meditative certainly powerfully transporting.
I too found myself deliberately slowing down in them, using the walk key when I arrived in new areas and spending a lot of time messing around with photo mode. A really nice, bright, recharging diversion at a time when real life didn't have much of that going on.
I've not played them in their "discovery tour" (combat-free historical exploration) mode yet, but I suspect I will at some point.
posted by protorp at 5:51 AM on January 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
I too found myself deliberately slowing down in them, using the walk key when I arrived in new areas and spending a lot of time messing around with photo mode. A really nice, bright, recharging diversion at a time when real life didn't have much of that going on.
I've not played them in their "discovery tour" (combat-free historical exploration) mode yet, but I suspect I will at some point.
posted by protorp at 5:51 AM on January 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
My usual thing in games where there's a horse is to never ever use the horse until I have walked everywhere first. I find this deeply satisfying and soothing.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:17 AM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:17 AM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
... and still I wish the games were bigger. Like Horizon: Forbidden West is about the size of downtown Toronto, from the Don Valley to High Park. It is shockingly small. It's so small that when you get the option to fly, your flight speed is barely twice as fast as your sprinting speed (and way too slow to support the "gliding" your mount is animated to perform), because if it was realistically fast you'd be across the map in two minutes. I want these things to be big, not just pretend to be big, like a ten minute haunted house walk folded into fifty square meters by clever use of pipe and drape. The seams are way too visible.
Ahh me. So fussy.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:29 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ahh me. So fussy.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:29 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
One of my favorite gaming experiences was walking everywhere in Skyrim, with the Frostfall mod. Slow, deliberate, mostly quiet and peaceful. Set up camp every night and get a fire going.
My rule for any game with a loading screen or waiting room is to get up and move around a bit -- do some quick push-ups or jumping jacks, or just stand and stretch.
I gave up on Destiny 2 a few months ago, just wildly burned out on it. Hitting that flow state was great, but I was getting... let's say "pretty angry" at the game way too often whenever I dropped out of it. (being "forced" into endless shitty PVP matches for the season progression didn't help) Stopping playing when I'm not getting anything from a game is something I have to re-learn every 4-5 years.
posted by curious nu at 6:33 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
My rule for any game with a loading screen or waiting room is to get up and move around a bit -- do some quick push-ups or jumping jacks, or just stand and stretch.
I gave up on Destiny 2 a few months ago, just wildly burned out on it. Hitting that flow state was great, but I was getting... let's say "pretty angry" at the game way too often whenever I dropped out of it. (being "forced" into endless shitty PVP matches for the season progression didn't help) Stopping playing when I'm not getting anything from a game is something I have to re-learn every 4-5 years.
posted by curious nu at 6:33 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I wish there was a Xbox controller that didn’t murder my hands. I’ve tried ergonomic positioning, I’ve tried warmups and other suggested exercises, but the form factor seems to be the problem.
posted by interogative mood at 6:44 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by interogative mood at 6:44 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I wish there was a Xbox controller that didn’t murder my hands. I’ve tried ergonomic positioning, I’ve tried warmups and other suggested exercises, but the form factor seems to be the problem.
Have you looked into the Xbox Adaptive Controller? It's pretty legit. Might be worth seeing if that clicks with you.
posted by Fizz at 6:48 AM on January 11, 2023
Have you looked into the Xbox Adaptive Controller? It's pretty legit. Might be worth seeing if that clicks with you.
posted by Fizz at 6:48 AM on January 11, 2023
> I maintain that all anyone needs to mix gaming and exercise is Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix.
Utterances that contain the string "all anyone needs" are always wrong. If you think you know what "all anyone needs" is, I hope you are never responsible for arranging for the well-being of another person.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:56 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Utterances that contain the string "all anyone needs" are always wrong. If you think you know what "all anyone needs" is, I hope you are never responsible for arranging for the well-being of another person.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 6:56 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Utterances that contain the string "all anyone needs" are always wrong. If you think you know what "all anyone needs" is, I hope you are never responsible for arranging for the well-being of another person.
No one should take a comment containing the string "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix" so seriously.
posted by simmering octagon at 7:01 AM on January 11, 2023 [21 favorites]
No one should take a comment containing the string "Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix" so seriously.
posted by simmering octagon at 7:01 AM on January 11, 2023 [21 favorites]
C'mon. One person says something stupid and ableist and another person calls them on it -- the correct response is to just let it go, not double down on the stupidity by saying "lighten up, francis."
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:18 AM on January 11, 2023
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:18 AM on January 11, 2023
This is your timer going off to prompt you to write down your predominant emotions while playing "Metafilter: Special Gaming Edition".
posted by tigrrrlily at 7:41 AM on January 11, 2023 [20 favorites]
posted by tigrrrlily at 7:41 AM on January 11, 2023 [20 favorites]
being "forced" into endless shitty PVP matches for the season progression didn't help
Weird, I'm still playing Destiny 2 and I don't think I've played more than a handful of PVP matches in a very long time. PVP is only required for specific triumphs or loot drops, not for season progression. I guess if you're trying to complete the "get all season triumphs" triumph, you do have to do PVP, but that's completely optional and the number of matches required is far from "endless."
I've also burned out on it a bit, though. I've done the things you can solo or that have matchmaking too often, and there's just too much social friction involved in arranging the things you can't.
One of the things that freed me from logging on to it when I'm not really enjoying it is the knowledge that I don't have to do everything. I don't need every weapon or armor set or triumph or whatever. Seeing the manipulation behind the game design that pushes you towards completionism and saying "no."
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 7:42 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Weird, I'm still playing Destiny 2 and I don't think I've played more than a handful of PVP matches in a very long time. PVP is only required for specific triumphs or loot drops, not for season progression. I guess if you're trying to complete the "get all season triumphs" triumph, you do have to do PVP, but that's completely optional and the number of matches required is far from "endless."
I've also burned out on it a bit, though. I've done the things you can solo or that have matchmaking too often, and there's just too much social friction involved in arranging the things you can't.
One of the things that freed me from logging on to it when I'm not really enjoying it is the knowledge that I don't have to do everything. I don't need every weapon or armor set or triumph or whatever. Seeing the manipulation behind the game design that pushes you towards completionism and saying "no."
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 7:42 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
...the knowledge that I don't have to do everything. I don't need every weapon or armor set or triumph or whatever. Seeing the manipulation behind the game design that pushes you towards completionism and saying "no."
Indeed. I think so many games approach the actual gameplay itself through a capitalist/growth mind-set. We're always trying to MAX out everything. And then the numbers go up. And this can be super rewarding and fun, watching yourself get stronger so you can take on more complex/difficult enemies is a joy. But it doesn't need to be present in ALL aspects of the game.
posted by Fizz at 7:51 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Indeed. I think so many games approach the actual gameplay itself through a capitalist/growth mind-set. We're always trying to MAX out everything. And then the numbers go up. And this can be super rewarding and fun, watching yourself get stronger so you can take on more complex/difficult enemies is a joy. But it doesn't need to be present in ALL aspects of the game.
posted by Fizz at 7:51 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Utterances that contain the string "all anyone needs" are always wrong. If you think you know what "all anyone needs" is, I hope you are never responsible for arranging for the well-being of another person.
I lost a significant amount of weight dancing to Mario Mix in 2005. Today I walk with a cane and can't play the game anymore and very much wish I still could because while my weight is fine now, it was a lot of fun. I know what I'm missing. I still recommend it even though I can't play it.
posted by Servo5678 at 8:00 AM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
I lost a significant amount of weight dancing to Mario Mix in 2005. Today I walk with a cane and can't play the game anymore and very much wish I still could because while my weight is fine now, it was a lot of fun. I know what I'm missing. I still recommend it even though I can't play it.
posted by Servo5678 at 8:00 AM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
Speaking of numbers-go-up games, I started playing Vampire Survivors the other day. Yikes. I understand that the developer has also worked on video slot machines, and it shows. Honestly, I made one thirty-minute run and ... I think I'm done? I'm not sure what else would be more satisfying for me.
As for meditative Skyrim, I also find Breath of the Wild to be meditative for me. Likewise Red Dead Redemption 2. Like Skyrim, you can just sort of toddle around doing whatever for as long as you'd like at whatever pace suits you. I'm not one for crafting, so I don't really get lost in the zen of the crafting mechanics of any of these games, but I do really like just wandering around, climbing mountains and discovering parts of the map I hadn't seen before.
Hell, I put hundreds of hours into Skyrim in 2020, and I picked it up again a couple of weeks ago and immediately discovered something I hadn't come across before. I really appreciate games where there's always something interesting to see, even after having "seen it all."
posted by uncleozzy at 8:03 AM on January 11, 2023
As for meditative Skyrim, I also find Breath of the Wild to be meditative for me. Likewise Red Dead Redemption 2. Like Skyrim, you can just sort of toddle around doing whatever for as long as you'd like at whatever pace suits you. I'm not one for crafting, so I don't really get lost in the zen of the crafting mechanics of any of these games, but I do really like just wandering around, climbing mountains and discovering parts of the map I hadn't seen before.
Hell, I put hundreds of hours into Skyrim in 2020, and I picked it up again a couple of weeks ago and immediately discovered something I hadn't come across before. I really appreciate games where there's always something interesting to see, even after having "seen it all."
posted by uncleozzy at 8:03 AM on January 11, 2023
i'm not really a gamer, but for a few christmases, about ten or so year sago, i would play SSX snowboarding on playstation with my brother in law. it was typically a 10-14 hour overnight marathon every time. i'm remembering that once i got “good”, i really enjoyed just snowboarding around and exploring (without an eye on the clock or the points) - really enjoying the graphics and all the little nooks & crannies.
posted by rude.boy at 8:10 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rude.boy at 8:10 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
“Meditation within gaming is often associated with a “flow state,”.... Skyrim
I love Skyrim. But for me, it's never close to the flow state I can get with a a good puzzle game (Puyo Pop, Bust-a-Move, etc), or even a great bullet hell like Ikaruga or rRootage. Even the new splash mobile hit Vampire Survivors is evokes more of that thoughtless flow for me than the (admittedly pleasurable) wandering around hills and crafting stuff of Skyrim. That's nice, but it aint flow. Horses for courses ofc, ymmv etc.
(On preview: SSX and other more casual downhill games also capture the flow state for me, especially if there is an endless mode or some procedural aspect).
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:12 AM on January 11, 2023
I love Skyrim. But for me, it's never close to the flow state I can get with a a good puzzle game (Puyo Pop, Bust-a-Move, etc), or even a great bullet hell like Ikaruga or rRootage. Even the new splash mobile hit Vampire Survivors is evokes more of that thoughtless flow for me than the (admittedly pleasurable) wandering around hills and crafting stuff of Skyrim. That's nice, but it aint flow. Horses for courses ofc, ymmv etc.
(On preview: SSX and other more casual downhill games also capture the flow state for me, especially if there is an endless mode or some procedural aspect).
posted by SaltySalticid at 8:12 AM on January 11, 2023
... and still I wish the games were bigger.
posted by seanmpuckett
You might enjoy Haven and Hearth if you like large worlds. It's a free to play Java sandbox with fairly simplistic graphics but the world is large enough to have several continents. So far the old server has been wiped roughly once a year or eighteen months and regenerated from scratch.
You start walking, can soon make a canoe and get a little faster by going by water, can try taming and riding horses, and then towards the end game you can get more speed by using larger faster ships and breeding your horses for speed and endurance. You can do random teleports by sailing into a swirling vortex which will spit out at some other random swirling vortex in the world, or teleport from Thingwall to any other Thingwall you know that is linked to the first; and people can build charterstones to allow other people to teleport into their village. So the slow trudge across the wilderness soon provides you with shortcuts, which may or may not help you get where you want to go. But it all starts with trudging naked across the map, saving your stamina and sprinting power so you can run away if a predatory animal gets close to you, and even in the end it takes literally hours to get to the far sides of the map even if you are riding horseback or have an ocean going ship.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:12 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett
You might enjoy Haven and Hearth if you like large worlds. It's a free to play Java sandbox with fairly simplistic graphics but the world is large enough to have several continents. So far the old server has been wiped roughly once a year or eighteen months and regenerated from scratch.
You start walking, can soon make a canoe and get a little faster by going by water, can try taming and riding horses, and then towards the end game you can get more speed by using larger faster ships and breeding your horses for speed and endurance. You can do random teleports by sailing into a swirling vortex which will spit out at some other random swirling vortex in the world, or teleport from Thingwall to any other Thingwall you know that is linked to the first; and people can build charterstones to allow other people to teleport into their village. So the slow trudge across the wilderness soon provides you with shortcuts, which may or may not help you get where you want to go. But it all starts with trudging naked across the map, saving your stamina and sprinting power so you can run away if a predatory animal gets close to you, and even in the end it takes literally hours to get to the far sides of the map even if you are riding horseback or have an ocean going ship.
posted by Jane the Brown at 8:12 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
I went from playing Skyrim as a way to distract myself from life's challenges, to using Skyrim as a way to meditate, heal, and explore my creative self. It even helps me in my job as a developmental editor because I often use my Skyrim characters to experiment with narrative, conflict, dialogue, character development, and cause/effect.
That's why the article about meditating in Skyrim rang so true for me. I used to practice Soto Zen meditation with great regularity, and my practice included walking meditation--something I still try to incorporate in my day-to-day life. This is why RPGs, especially those in open worlds like Skyrim, can be so healing. They can serve as a safe context in which to explore new ideas and approaches to life.
There are many ways to work through one's personal mental health struggles, and many ways to achieve one's personal goals. When it comes to exercise, I think games like DDR and Ring Fit Adventure can be game-changers. No, they will not work for everyone and they are not a one-stop solution to fitness, but it's remarkable at times to see how "gamifying" a task that's otherwise overwhelming, challenging, or unpleasant can make that same task fun, inspiring, and something to look forward to each day.
Video games, like most things in life, are not intrinsically good or bad for humankind. They can become whatever we want or need them to become. I appreciate these articles for celebrating the new possibilities gaming has brought us.
posted by nightrecordings at 8:18 AM on January 11, 2023 [5 favorites]
That's why the article about meditating in Skyrim rang so true for me. I used to practice Soto Zen meditation with great regularity, and my practice included walking meditation--something I still try to incorporate in my day-to-day life. This is why RPGs, especially those in open worlds like Skyrim, can be so healing. They can serve as a safe context in which to explore new ideas and approaches to life.
There are many ways to work through one's personal mental health struggles, and many ways to achieve one's personal goals. When it comes to exercise, I think games like DDR and Ring Fit Adventure can be game-changers. No, they will not work for everyone and they are not a one-stop solution to fitness, but it's remarkable at times to see how "gamifying" a task that's otherwise overwhelming, challenging, or unpleasant can make that same task fun, inspiring, and something to look forward to each day.
Video games, like most things in life, are not intrinsically good or bad for humankind. They can become whatever we want or need them to become. I appreciate these articles for celebrating the new possibilities gaming has brought us.
posted by nightrecordings at 8:18 AM on January 11, 2023 [5 favorites]
(On preview: SSX and other more casual downhill games also capture the flow state for me, especially if there is an endless mode or some procedural aspect).
Absolutely perfect experience: doing an All-Mountain run in SSX 3, which can take something like a real-life 30 minutes, just start at the very top and cruise your way down in free mode, skip races and half-pipes and whatever else you don't feel like doing, just cruise. It's wonderufl.
posted by curious nu at 8:25 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Absolutely perfect experience: doing an All-Mountain run in SSX 3, which can take something like a real-life 30 minutes, just start at the very top and cruise your way down in free mode, skip races and half-pipes and whatever else you don't feel like doing, just cruise. It's wonderufl.
posted by curious nu at 8:25 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Speaking of flow-like games, similar to SSX 3, anyone who likes this type of game should check out Riders Republic, which is basically an open-world extreme sports playground (from the same people that did Steep). Skiing, snowboarding, road & bmx cycling, flight-suit, etc. It's such a vibe, especially if you're on edibles. Cannot recommend it enough.
posted by Fizz at 9:02 AM on January 11, 2023
posted by Fizz at 9:02 AM on January 11, 2023
C'mon. One person says something stupid and ableist
do you generally sit when you game? I'm going to assume that you do. As I've mentioned here before, I have a family member who (due to an old bicycling injury) can't sit for any period of time without being in pain. If they must sit too long, that pain becomes excruciating. So, if they tended to think that way (they don't), they'd be entirely in their rights to write this whole discussion off as ableist.
The point still stands though, I think. Ableism doesn't scale well. It's great to be aware that some of us can't do everyday "normal" stuff for reasons, and to have empathy in this regard, and if needs be get serious about rethinking some of our word choices (and related assumptions). But as a means toward "calling out" or whatever ... well, like I said, ableism doesn't scale well at all.
posted by philip-random at 9:11 AM on January 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
do you generally sit when you game? I'm going to assume that you do. As I've mentioned here before, I have a family member who (due to an old bicycling injury) can't sit for any period of time without being in pain. If they must sit too long, that pain becomes excruciating. So, if they tended to think that way (they don't), they'd be entirely in their rights to write this whole discussion off as ableist.
The point still stands though, I think. Ableism doesn't scale well. It's great to be aware that some of us can't do everyday "normal" stuff for reasons, and to have empathy in this regard, and if needs be get serious about rethinking some of our word choices (and related assumptions). But as a means toward "calling out" or whatever ... well, like I said, ableism doesn't scale well at all.
posted by philip-random at 9:11 AM on January 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
I hope this isn’t too off topic, but I’ve found more success in finding nongaming activity that I can relate to games to keep me active and healthy, rather than trying to find that within the games themselves.
My mindset for this has always been to pair gaming with some kind of immersive outdoor activity - climbing, surfing, hiking - and to consider them as two sides of a coin. It’s shocking to me how much, say, Breath of the Wild improves and is improved by camping and hiking at my local state park. There are game aspects to climbing that are very similar to puzzles. Also, if you have limited mobility I’ve found the outdoor community to be the most proactive in providing adaptive options.
posted by q*ben at 9:16 AM on January 11, 2023
My mindset for this has always been to pair gaming with some kind of immersive outdoor activity - climbing, surfing, hiking - and to consider them as two sides of a coin. It’s shocking to me how much, say, Breath of the Wild improves and is improved by camping and hiking at my local state park. There are game aspects to climbing that are very similar to puzzles. Also, if you have limited mobility I’ve found the outdoor community to be the most proactive in providing adaptive options.
posted by q*ben at 9:16 AM on January 11, 2023
Speaking of ergonomics, I am ready for Nintendo to make some kind of strap device so that I can hold the Switch an appropriate distance from my head, without having to look down at my hands. A recent reactivation of a neck injury has left me with no way to play without some discomfort or pain. I mean, yeah, dock it to the TV, but that means no portability--handheld and tabletop modes both end up hurting. I guess this also counts out ever getting a Steam Deck. It's very upsetting to have a human body! It was all a very bad idea.
posted by mittens at 9:20 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mittens at 9:20 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I have been playing various flavors of nethack for decades. It's turn based so stopping to "meditate" is no problem. A single game can last for weeks. While a solitary pursuit, eyeballs might always be watching you on a public server. The terminal text interface, while quite informative, is somewhat less than visually stunning. I did however manage to give myself carpal tunnel syndrome playing it on a chromebook. Rather than using the awkward two-key CAPS LOCK combination, I just held down SHIFT with my pinkie when typing long capitalized strings. Ouch...
posted by jim in austin at 10:09 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jim in austin at 10:09 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
@mittens - I hold my Switch at a comfortable viewing position using this flexible holder thingie. That way my hands can be basically in my lap while my neck is at a better angle.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 10:38 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 10:38 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
@mrgoldenbrown - Thanks for linking to that flexible holder/mount. Just ordered one for my wife as she's had similar complaints about long-term use of the Switch while in handheld mode.
I am glad that we're starting to see accessibility creep its way into the mainstream. It should and could be better but as the industry ages, my hope is that this trend continues. Sony just announced their own Project Leonardo for PS5, an accessibility controller kit. And Xbox already introduced theirs a few years back.
posted by Fizz at 10:51 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I am glad that we're starting to see accessibility creep its way into the mainstream. It should and could be better but as the industry ages, my hope is that this trend continues. Sony just announced their own Project Leonardo for PS5, an accessibility controller kit. And Xbox already introduced theirs a few years back.
posted by Fizz at 10:51 AM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I want these things to be big, not just pretend to be big, like a ten minute haunted house walk folded into fifty square meters by clever use of pipe and drape.
Reminds me of when I realized that the actual "world" of World of Warcraft was just a few not-terribly-big islands, which led me to contemplate (I think that this was around the time that Dubai started building artificial islands offshore) a story with the M. Night Shyamalan twist that that's exactly what WoW was, with maybe a little bit of hologram-type shenanigans for the magic stuff, which led me in turn to wonder if that was going to be the big twist at the end of Game of Thrones, arguably better than the one we got. But anyway.
Hmm... this discussion has generally centered more on game controller ergonomics and in-game meditation and less on DDR-type incorporate-physical-movement-into-gaming games. I've experimented with VR-type exergaming things, with mixed results; Apple Fitness+ generally tends to be a much better workout in terms of raising my pulse and generating a bit of sweat. Wondering what Apple's "augmented reality" headset might offer.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:08 AM on January 11, 2023
Reminds me of when I realized that the actual "world" of World of Warcraft was just a few not-terribly-big islands, which led me to contemplate (I think that this was around the time that Dubai started building artificial islands offshore) a story with the M. Night Shyamalan twist that that's exactly what WoW was, with maybe a little bit of hologram-type shenanigans for the magic stuff, which led me in turn to wonder if that was going to be the big twist at the end of Game of Thrones, arguably better than the one we got. But anyway.
Hmm... this discussion has generally centered more on game controller ergonomics and in-game meditation and less on DDR-type incorporate-physical-movement-into-gaming games. I've experimented with VR-type exergaming things, with mixed results; Apple Fitness+ generally tends to be a much better workout in terms of raising my pulse and generating a bit of sweat. Wondering what Apple's "augmented reality" headset might offer.
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:08 AM on January 11, 2023
Skyrim in VR was a wonderfully meditative experience for me - sitting among trees watching the sun go down over beautiful mountain ranges was a great way to not feel cooped up during the pandemic.
posted by bakerybob at 11:13 AM on January 11, 2023
posted by bakerybob at 11:13 AM on January 11, 2023
It's funny, now that I've beaten out both Horizon games, I wish there was a mode where you could just make all the machines ignore you so you could just wander without having to worry about the possibility of a fight. They're so beautiful, those games, so so beautiful. The Witcher 3 is up there in scenic beauty also.
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:39 AM on January 11, 2023
posted by seanmpuckett at 11:39 AM on January 11, 2023
I play a lot of Switch while lying down in bed and yeah it is tough to find a comfortable position that'll stay that way for a long time. But really if I'm in bed I should be sleeping so I take the eventual discomfort as another signal to stop playing and get to sleep.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:09 PM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:09 PM on January 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Is there a game like ssx that can be played on the switch?
(Riders Republic looks good for the pc, but I'm really not in the $80 per game mode these days.)
posted by Acari at 6:35 PM on January 11, 2023
(Riders Republic looks good for the pc, but I'm really not in the $80 per game mode these days.)
posted by Acari at 6:35 PM on January 11, 2023
I got No Man's Sky for the Switch in October when it came out. I'd been hearing about the game for years and it was something I wanted to play but not enough to buy a game system so when it finally came out for the system I had I bought it. It's a game that doesn't end so you can play fast and rush through things or go slow and either way you'll end up in the same place. It would take a very long time to fully explore a single planet and there are effectively an infinite number of planets to explore so the game very quickly becomes what you make of it. For some people it's just exploring and seeing as many different things as they can, for others its becoming extremely wealth or searching out specific space ships or tools where the thing that makes them desirable could be how powerful they are or just that you like how they look. On the main subreddit for the game a good portion of posts are people just showing nice looking screenshots from the game.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:28 PM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:28 PM on January 11, 2023 [3 favorites]
Thanks for sharing these articles, I've enjoyed reading them, particularly the one about how to tell when you're gaming too much. I don't really think video games are good for me or my mental health, but I have a video-game-as-metaphor story that sort of disproves that. I'd been despondent and miserable, and playing a lot of video games to cope, and I picked up Portal 1 and 2 for the first time. When I started the first game, I'd walk into the room and spend ages looking around and trying to figure out a solution to the puzzle. I don't really remember when it was, but at some point I started to realise: considering your options is worthwhile for a minute or two, but the best way to solve these puzzles is by shooting portals and walking through them. On the other side of the portal, your perspective on the room will be a little different; from there, you might have an idea that will carry you a bit further; from there, a tactic that didn't work the first time might work in a slightly different way. You just have to shoot at the walls and see what sticks.
... well, I don't know much, but I carry that with me now.
posted by happyfrog at 3:29 AM on January 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
... well, I don't know much, but I carry that with me now.
posted by happyfrog at 3:29 AM on January 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm so curious about No Man's Sky on the Switch (said the person who was literally just complaining of neck pain) because I really enjoyed it for a while on PC until the plotlessness of it began to get to me, and then I went back to it because I wanted a sort of meditative wandering experience, but then forgot how the controls work and just got mad instead of meditative. Does the Switch version have all the updates? Is it playable?
And definitely seconding Portal as a contemplative tool. A few months ago the whole household was like, you're playing that AGAIN? but there was something so soothing about the repetition, the familiarity of it. It was like taking a long, thoughtful walk, only without the, y'know, exercise and cardiovascular benefits.
posted by mittens at 6:08 AM on January 12, 2023
And definitely seconding Portal as a contemplative tool. A few months ago the whole household was like, you're playing that AGAIN? but there was something so soothing about the repetition, the familiarity of it. It was like taking a long, thoughtful walk, only without the, y'know, exercise and cardiovascular benefits.
posted by mittens at 6:08 AM on January 12, 2023
I'm so curious about No Man's Sky on the Switch (said the person who was literally just complaining of neck pain) because I really enjoyed it for a while on PC until the plotlessness of it began to get to me, and then I went back to it because I wanted a sort of meditative wandering experience, but then forgot how the controls work and just got mad instead of meditative. Does the Switch version have all the updates? Is it playable?
So... I'll say that while NMS may not have something typically described as a plot, it DOES have a mystery to solve, and I think it's really very profound in what it's saying. I posted about this over on Mefightclub years ago when I finally got through it and it really, really sticks with me. I think it's a rare case where going in spoiler-free makes a difference so I don't want to say too much. There's something to dig into there, about trauma and patterns, if you've got the time.
The downside is that you do need to do quite a bit of digging and you may get to a point where you just read a wiki to get the background and that's fine too. :) But I encourage folks who just saw "aimless wandering space sim" to take another look.
posted by curious nu at 8:28 AM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
So... I'll say that while NMS may not have something typically described as a plot, it DOES have a mystery to solve, and I think it's really very profound in what it's saying. I posted about this over on Mefightclub years ago when I finally got through it and it really, really sticks with me. I think it's a rare case where going in spoiler-free makes a difference so I don't want to say too much. There's something to dig into there, about trauma and patterns, if you've got the time.
The downside is that you do need to do quite a bit of digging and you may get to a point where you just read a wiki to get the background and that's fine too. :) But I encourage folks who just saw "aimless wandering space sim" to take another look.
posted by curious nu at 8:28 AM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Skyrim in VR was a wonderfully meditative experience for me - sitting among trees watching the sun go down over beautiful mountain ranges
Sometimes, in VR, I really do just sit down on the ground, or even lie down, and look up at the sky or the world around me. I remember crying when I was able to lie down on the floor of a Federation shuttle and almost feel the warp drive thrumming under me.
It's helped me during the isolation I've experienced since March 2020, and still helps me feel like I can still see new skies even when I can't safely go far from my home.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 9:14 AM on January 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
Sometimes, in VR, I really do just sit down on the ground, or even lie down, and look up at the sky or the world around me. I remember crying when I was able to lie down on the floor of a Federation shuttle and almost feel the warp drive thrumming under me.
It's helped me during the isolation I've experienced since March 2020, and still helps me feel like I can still see new skies even when I can't safely go far from my home.
posted by Flight Hardware, do not touch at 9:14 AM on January 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
So... I'll say that while NMS may not have something typically described as a plot, it DOES have a mystery to solve, and I think it's really very profound in what it's saying. I posted about this over on Mefightclub years ago when I finally got through it and it really, really sticks with me. I think it's a rare case where going in spoiler-free makes a difference so I don't want to say too much. There's something to dig into there, about trauma and patterns, if you've got the time.
Are you referring to completing the Atlas path or the lore you pick up from various terminals?
Does the Switch version have all the updates? Is it playable?
It does and it is BUT with a bunch of caveats. And I say this as someone that has never played the game on a proper system:
All features are there with the exception of multiplayer and settlements. You are still playing the same game as everyone else and can see their bases and maybe even modify them but you won't be able to see them at the Nexus or interact with them directly. Apparently there are missions you can get on the Nexus to earn quicksilver and this is also missing on the Switch. You can still do the community expeditions which allows you to get stuff like the void egg or interesting companions. This means as a Switch player you really are travelling through a fairly empty universe and can only see the remains/artifacts of those that have gone before you.
Base building isn't great. It's a PITA to make even simple buildings so all of my bases end up being as simple as possible. Maybe it's a PITA on all systems but I have visited other people's bases and I wouldn't have the patience to build anything so elaborate. My kids seem to be fine playing Minecraft on the Switch (they can play on their computers to but will still use the Switch on occasion which leads me to believe it isn't so bad) so I think it is an experience that can be further improved.
The graphics are fine while you're playing but when I see screenshots that other people post I can see how much better they could be on a more powerful system. One thing that I think affects gameplay is that I don't think you can see things like buildings or plants from as far away on the Switch as on a a more powerful system so it makes it harder to just fly around in your ship and look for interesting places to stop. While you're in-system loading times are fine but loading times for warping or teleporting are long. Feels like a minute to load up a new system.
I think the controls might be easier on the Switch. I see a lot of posts on the subreddit about how difficult the combat is and people optimize their weapons to get really high DPS numbers. I have a reasonable amount of upgrades for my stuff but I'm at fractions of these people and combat (battling pirates in the air or sentinels on the ground) might take a while but I never feel particularly in danger. The DPS optimizers might just be doing it for the sake of doing it though because there's a lot of that going on in the NMS community, which makes sense because it doesn't take long to be extremely rich and powerful so at that point it's either keep exploring, play the game as Minecraft, or search out rare stuff.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:40 AM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Are you referring to completing the Atlas path or the lore you pick up from various terminals?
Does the Switch version have all the updates? Is it playable?
It does and it is BUT with a bunch of caveats. And I say this as someone that has never played the game on a proper system:
All features are there with the exception of multiplayer and settlements. You are still playing the same game as everyone else and can see their bases and maybe even modify them but you won't be able to see them at the Nexus or interact with them directly. Apparently there are missions you can get on the Nexus to earn quicksilver and this is also missing on the Switch. You can still do the community expeditions which allows you to get stuff like the void egg or interesting companions. This means as a Switch player you really are travelling through a fairly empty universe and can only see the remains/artifacts of those that have gone before you.
Base building isn't great. It's a PITA to make even simple buildings so all of my bases end up being as simple as possible. Maybe it's a PITA on all systems but I have visited other people's bases and I wouldn't have the patience to build anything so elaborate. My kids seem to be fine playing Minecraft on the Switch (they can play on their computers to but will still use the Switch on occasion which leads me to believe it isn't so bad) so I think it is an experience that can be further improved.
The graphics are fine while you're playing but when I see screenshots that other people post I can see how much better they could be on a more powerful system. One thing that I think affects gameplay is that I don't think you can see things like buildings or plants from as far away on the Switch as on a a more powerful system so it makes it harder to just fly around in your ship and look for interesting places to stop. While you're in-system loading times are fine but loading times for warping or teleporting are long. Feels like a minute to load up a new system.
I think the controls might be easier on the Switch. I see a lot of posts on the subreddit about how difficult the combat is and people optimize their weapons to get really high DPS numbers. I have a reasonable amount of upgrades for my stuff but I'm at fractions of these people and combat (battling pirates in the air or sentinels on the ground) might take a while but I never feel particularly in danger. The DPS optimizers might just be doing it for the sake of doing it though because there's a lot of that going on in the NMS community, which makes sense because it doesn't take long to be extremely rich and powerful so at that point it's either keep exploring, play the game as Minecraft, or search out rare stuff.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:40 AM on January 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by Servo5678 at 4:54 AM on January 11, 2023 [2 favorites]