by Emma Howes January 14, 2022
Are you still in the unknown and don't know if you are considered a gamer with all your daily life interruptions?
Maybe you have to conjugate both your activities but still manage to have some free time to make some playthrough?
The gaming lifestyle is not an exact science, as every gamer's life is different and suits with responsibilities.
Teens can fancy more time on games requiring advanced skills, and adults have more duties, limiting their way to play.
Still, they both have time to fancy video games with their family and friends.
And that should be as it is for many years.
Even coworkers discuss the latest releases for mobile games, and cousins message us about the newest character in our favorites.
Video games are everywhere in our lives, and hopefully, still present for a long time.
This article will show you what it means to be a gamer and how you can perfectly balance your daily life duties with your favorite hobby.
There's a bit of a difference between just enjoying video games and being a gamer.
There's nothing wrong with either one!
Being a gamer is not even necessarily the time spent on the game or its knowledge.
It is someone passionate about video gaming, whatever spent time on games or their skills.
For them, gaming isn't just something to pass the time.
They strive to do better at or aspire to get into, enjoy the fandoms, and consume the material around them.
For instance, I certainly have friends who game often but don't consider themselves gamers, even casual ones.
They don't care much for the lore, they aren't focused on improving their in-game skills, and they really play it as an entertaining way to pass the time.
But you know what?
That's okay!
There's nothing wrong with this mindset.
For them, other interests consume their time and hearts.
They don't have an absolute need or interest to reach all achievements possible or complete the game in less than a few minutes.
For me, I've been an avid player for a while.
When a game is released that I'm passionate about, I can't get enough of it!
Every bit of lore, every trailer, every soundtrack is mine to enjoy.
Even if my games are not the most recent ones, there are things about them that I may know off the back of my hand.
I can recite the facts about my main ones as easily as a biologist could explain photosynthesis.
It's a matter of how interested in them someone is.
Gaming as a hobby is quite common in America, if not really popular.
Whatever it is about teens or adults.
According to the Entertainment Software Association's recent study on essential facts about the video game industry, we are talking about nearly 227 million Americans playing video games.
So unless you're a pro gamer on the esports scene, a professional streamer, or a live commentator, that's likely all that video games are for you.
And to be honest, that's completely fine!
The gamer life can be a fun way to relax after a stressful day at work or simply an excellent way to catch up with friends.
And the best with it is that there a way more benefits of gaming while it's one of your hobbies.
Let's run through some of them.
Gaming allows you to work with others, whether they are people you know in real life or strangers you've just met in a playthrough.
While this may seem scary, it's just like meeting someone for the first time.
Only in the gaming scene, you have a clear goal in mind, whatever it is.
You have strengths and abilities that can benefit each other to reach that goal.
And at the end of the day, if it doesn't work out, you can simply find someone who more accurately fits your comfort levels.
This is why gaming is such a safe hobby, especially for those stuck at home during quarantine.
While it may not be safe to socialize face to face in a game setting, it's perfectly normal and even encouraged to build a sense of camaraderie.
The nice thing about gaming is that you can choose games that allow you to work in co-op, meaning literally 'cooperative' games, or you can play solo.
If you're comfortable, you can work with other people just like you, sitting at their computers or holding their phones.
You can learn how to communicate in a relatively safe setting.
That's worth multiple tries, as benefits are huge here and could even result in joining a crew or a guild to belong to a community.
Nowadays, video games bring joy, especially when playing and communicating with other people in difficult times.
And if you're shy or just want to do your own thing, you can play solo and still learn teamwork.
In fact, solo games will often place you with other characters.
Think of Genshin Impact, where even when you're technically doing all of the work yourself, you're playing with a team you create.
And often, NPCs are speaking as if they're working alongside you.
It fosters a sense of responsibility and communication within the game.
Even if it's not exceptionally real, it allows you to grow your skills until you're ready to communicate with others in the game.
Video games have a clear sense of goals.
In many recent games with a bit of role-playing, the player can have missions or quests, and once they achieve them, they receive some rewards.
It is huge!
Especially when it can be so difficult for people to be rewarded for their hard work in real life as they can do in a game world.
But in a game, the rewards are clear, as are the goals and the achievements.
There is nothing unclear or delicate subject.
Do action and be rewarded.
That's pretty much it!
It's a sense of accomplishment for many to complete something successfully.
Many hardcore gamers chase accomplishments for this exact reason.
For people whose everyday life may not offer them this sense, video games are an important reminder that their hard work will pay off if they are working hard.
And this mental stimulation applies in video games and in daily life, whatever the domain.
Often, adults lament their inability to get through a whole book anymore.
They feel that they waste their time on social media and don't have the time to sit down and read through a story cover to cover.
It is entirely understandable and typical for a variety of reasons.
But video games allow an in-between.
While social media offers some reading material, it's essentially random in short spurts.
Video games, of course, have their own storylines. And some of them have in-depth stories with lore as advanced as the most famous fictional sagas.
While you may not immediately think of them as similar to books, their plotlines, character arcs, and morality questions contribute to the overall story.
On top of that, they also provide interactive features that make the immersion complete and something even more intense than what books can provide.
Instead of being a passive appraiser, the player is causing the events to change.
He has a hand in what he does, making a massive difference in immersion.
Some game genres are also less action-focused, like visual novels.
Visual novels are an excellent option for those who prefer slow-paced reading.
And they're exactly what they sound like.
They are basically like reading a book or an ebook on your Kindle but with characters, expressions, sounds, backgrounds that result in a unique reading experience.
Depending on the game, the player reads through prompts at their own pace, while the characters onscreen may or may not make some consequences moves.
There are so many available for mobile form!
It's not even funny.
But other games have their heavy plotlines, too, especially single-player games.
And of course, there's all the lore to consume, in videos format released by the game developer companies and websites.
Sometimes, there's even comics or manga material to read!
We recently even see some popular show adaptations like The Witcher and Arcade from League Of Legends.
And we recently even heard about the Fallout series.
Both are video games first.
The excitement generated by this amount of interest in a game doesn't have to stop there.
While it can be hard to find book clubs running now, finding other people who like the same games that you do is easy!
Most social media does have some form of 'fanbase' for popular material.
Some of the longest-running games even have their own forums dedicated to learning more about characters, abilities, and ideas of what's coming next.
Does this seem like a weird thing to bring up?
Gaming art is the inside of every game, the beautiful visuals existing for you to enjoy.
For artists, it's essential not to get burnt out.
Creating something requires ideas, passion, and exposure.
An artist needs to see other art to generate their own work more efficiently.
For gamers, this exposure happens on a daily basis, even on the way to work.
They get to witness multiple artistic styles, each one tailored to the type of game they're playing.
There are countless color studies examples done on specific scenes in games.
Think The Witcher and the assortment of characters, landscapes, and settings available to appraise.
Each of these has the potential to not only be inspiring but to teach artists about what published art looks like, in its many nuances of use.
There are so many layers to this type of work, including the designs of characters in 3D and 2D models, the layout of the menu selection, and even the contribution of voice actors and background music.
Artists have a wide range of careers within the scope of gaming.
Many enthusiasts become graphic and game designers who create the characters or landscapes found within games.
Many more become game developers or programmers, formatting how the pieces of the realm fit together.
Some others are more focused on creative promotional materials content like making game trailers, announcement campaigns, press events, or social media management.
All these jobs are also accessible for those who want to become professional gamers.
Some people find that gaming takes up too much of their time or that they forgo their responsibilities to continue leisure activities.
The common reaction to these issues is forfeit relaxation time entirely to focus on 'more important matters'.
But humans don't work like that.
People require time to unwind.
Otherwise, they suffer from burn-out, fatigue, and a loss of purpose.
There is nothing to gain from continuously working, without taking any breaks, while forfeiting every means of entertainment.
Thankfully, even if your schedule is 'busy', there are options for a few minutes of relief to put it in kind terms.
Mobile games are exploding at the moment, allowing commuters to play along on the bus, train, or while walking.
Handheld consoles allow for an easy setup and access at the press of a button.
While it's important to fulfill your responsibilities, this knowledge is nothing new.
You've known that for a long time and have a good understanding of it.
You simply need to be able to take a break without it interfering.
For parents, this might mean incorporating your fun time with your children.
There's no real age limit on those games they enjoy, so why not join in?
It's a good bonding time.
It can mean game nights for students, as long as you take snack breaks and head to bed at a reasonable hour.
This is what keeps gaming healthy rather than allowing it to seem like a burden.
Even if playing video games is fun and relaxing, it's important to have other hobbies as well, especially if you're a casual gamer or work with games.
For more information on gaming on the professional level, refer to our article about pro gamers.
Gaming is a very mobile hobby in that it can be used in multiple settings, but at the end of the day, your body tends to remain stagnant.
The first step here is to try and change your seating.
Get up, move around, do a little dance.
Purchase a VR headset or games that require movement.
And try to put time and energy into your other hobbies as well.
Try your hand at writing or photography.
Try to go for walks, or play a sport.
While the pandemic may be impacting your ability to head out in teams, you can still run practices with yourself.
Listen to your favorite music while you do.
After every hour or so of game time, it's good to get up and move around.
Fit in a few chores, like taking out the trash or doing the dishes.
It lets you balance those responsibilities with your need to enjoy your time at home.
It would be best to not force yourself to get everything done at once.
You don't have to win the game today, and if it's not going well for you, take a break from it.
Becoming a gamer is a lot of fun and relieves stress in everyday life.
It allows individuals the freedom to choose interactions that they are comfortable with, find a good balance between daily duties and playtime, and give them ideas for their work.
While we're stuck at home, it's a valuable asset to our overall health and wellbeing.
So don't hesitate to take the time to make some playthrough.
Gaming is entertainment, after all.
Go for some play runs, either solo or with a group.
As long as you keep track of what's happening in real life, too, that's okay!
And you, what do you think about it?
Don't hesitate to let us know how video games are part of your life on Twitter!
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