Finding time to play games as an adult

I was recently talking with my husband and a friend about how we wish we could go back to being kids again solely for the reason that we had more time to do the things we love - like hanging out with friends, going out, and yes, playing video games. During this conversation I realized that, as an almost 30-year-old, I sometimes go months without touching a game controller. This is never intentional; sometimes life just gets crazy and I don’t carve out time to do the things I love - the things that bring me joy but don’t line my pockets.

The older I get, the more I realize that the reason so many adults are depressed is because capitalism is eating us alive; we forget about the things we once enjoyed, like playing an instrument, painting, or playing a video game. Billie Eilish has a lyric in her song “Getting Older” that really hits home with me: “Things I once enjoyed just keep me employed now.” Have you ever found yourself trying to monetize every single one of your hobbies? Playing video games? Better start streaming on Twitch to try to gain a following and get a G-Fuel sponsorship. Like to play guitar? You better film a cover of a popular song and post it to TikTok or YouTube hoping the right person will see it. While there is nothing wrong with monetizing a hobby, I think it’s really concerning that we, as slaves to capitalism in America, feel that if we aren’t being productive 24/7 and finding new ways to make money, we are failing. I find intrusive thoughts creeping in whenever I’m doing something just purely because I enjoy doing it - thoughts telling me that I should be doing something productive. But remember this - human beings were not made to be productive all the time. This lifestyle is not sustainable, and this is why we are all burnt out and exhausted, and why taking a day off here and there is only a band-aid to burnout and not a permanent solution.

I find that when I don’t carve out time to play video games - one of my favorite hobbies -  I get really depressed and exhausted. I work a full-time job, run an online stationery shop, and a half-dozen other things…so it’s easy to feel like I need to be working all the time. What I have realized is that if I don’t take time for me, my mind and body will shut down. All work and no play makes Cassie a dull girl.

Burnout is so common in working adults in America - especially in the age of COVID - and I think it’s more important than ever that we make time to do the things we love. Even if you only have 10 minutes, do something that makes you happy: Play your favorite game, pull out your old guitar, put some paint on a canvas…do something that makes your soul happy and fills your cup. For me, that currently means overriding or killing machines in Horizon Forbidden West, or defeating bugs and searching for treasure in Bug Fables. You will never regret taking time for you.