Getting Back To The Joy of Gaming

Unscripted joy.

I recently stumbled upon a Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time commercial featuring Robin Williams and Zelda Williams. Like any good Youtube rabbit trail, I continued to watch the second commercial and then came the behind the scene video and one thing struck me more than anything else, joy. These ads were full of unscripted joy and captured what makes playing these games so wonderful; the laughs, the adventure, and the memories together. It may be silly that a six-year-old ad for an almost twenty-year-old invoked such an emotional response in me, but it brought about some much-needed perspective.

All work and no play

As I watched Robin Williams interacting with his daughter I could not help but think back to times with my dad and games we played. These are memories that I looked back on fondly and often and I had to ask myself “am I giving my kids these memories?” I strive so hard to break into the game industry that games have become more about work and less about play. Rarely do I lose myself in a game to relax and even more rare is time spent with my kids creating similar memories to ones I cherish so greatly. The laughs and smiles in the behind the scene video helped me to see what I have been neglecting and showed me how to remedy the problem, I need to play. I need to make time smile more and laugh more and get back to the joy of gaming with family and friends.

Finding joy in the little things

Watching Robin and his daughter interact together stirred something in me to create similar moments with my wife and kids. As I reflect on how much time I work and constantly wonder if I will succeed in this venture, I am left to wonder if I am sacrificing joy in the present for perceived joy in the future? I know the state of my mental health and there are days that my depression beats me into the ground. There are days that it feels like I am taking on a boss in a game, but I don’t have the weapons needed to attack it. After watching these videos it is clear to me that the weapon I need is joy and that joy is found in the moment making memories with loved ones. Finding joy in the little things is what I need to do. I will continue to work towards my goals, adding a goal of laughing daily and making memories needs to be on list because for me it is where life is found. Watching these videos has made it abundantly clear to me that when my focus is on what I don’t have, I miss the joy that I have access to right now. There are worlds we can explore together, kart races to compete in, or just find time to be goofy together. Watching Robin and Zelda together showed me what I have been missing and how to find it.