Geek Syndicate Issue 9 March 2014 | Page 29

Geek Syndicate
Dion: “When it comes to computer games the only repetitive
behaviour I seem to exhibit is obsession and foul language. The
air around me turns blue as I smack my head against the wall of
a particularly challenging puzzle or a brutal action scene that I
just can’t get past, time and again until I finally crack it. It got
to the point where I had to stop playing during the day at weekends because my daughter was growing old enough to repeat
words...”
Other quirks or gaming rituals might have to be left unexplained; but maybe “because I can” is enough of a reason
anyway:

Image © Bioware, 2012

Matt: “I always alternate the gender of my avatars, one
male, then one female, whenever I get the choice. Don’t
really know why but I always have.”

As you can see, there are so many aspects of gaming that
sometimes go unheeded. Gaming isn’t a cheap hobby.
With hundreds of items of DLC and other business models
all nibbling away at your funds, I think it makes a lot of
sense to look for anything simple and free that you can do
to suck every last morsel of enjoyment from your hobby.
Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of awareness about your
current habits to see what works and what is holding you
back. Writing this article led me to pick up on a few rituals
that I didn’t even know I did. I can now decide if they are
worth doing or not in a conscious way, rather than letting
routine dictate. Whether you decide to wear a parrot on
your shoulder when you play Assassins Creed: Black Flag
or play Cooking Mama while you are at the kitchen table, I
hope this article and the experiences of the gamers it features will all go some way to help you get more from your
little silicon playmates.

Casey Douglass

Image © Bioware, 2012

Sometimes though, the actions you might take are more
to preserve sanity and let off steam than to boost your
gaming prowess:

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