The last year and a half has been quite stressful for me. Too many projects both personal and professional have overlapped and are slowly sapping my will to live. When I start to feel that old familiar burn-out feeling and productivity starts hitting rock bottom, the one thing I do to get by (aside from going on sabbatical for 6 months) is play video games. Typically, no matter what the console is, be it PS2, Xbox, or Xbox 360… it tends to sit around gathering dust 11 months of the year. But usually once a year I go out and buy new games and start huddling in front of the TV a couple hours a night just before bed, trying to ward off the dread of tomorrow’s challenges.
A few days ago I went out to a games shop, picked up Halo 3:ODST, Army of Two – 40th Day, and Borderlands. I dusted off the ol’ girl and fired up Halo 3: ODST. It only took me a few nights playing to run through the game at normal difficulty, but despite the odd/creepy music that plays as you run around a relatively empty city, I rather enjoyed the game and look forward to running through it again on a harder difficulty level.
But I have to say the game I love spending my time on the most is Borderlands. I think the reason I like it so much is because, unlike some of my work projects, I get the feeling I’m constantly progressing… constantly achieving something… even if it is just to level up and fight slightly bigger/badder dudes. For those of you that don’t know anything about it, here’s the official trailer:
But that’s not the only reason I like the game… it’s also because the creators are pretty much awesome peeps. I don’t see Microsoft putting out official videos like these anytime soon:
Tags: fun, psychology, review
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