A day after Arkham Knight released, I got a review copy from the good people over at Games the Shop. They are awesome people, selling a totally rad game regardless of all the PC bugs, and you should totally buy it.

But I diagress. The arrival of the game conicided with my shifting of bases. I moved from Bangalore to Delhi, so I was closer home in anticipation of my impending marriage. This shift also marked the beginning of my new job; so needless to say I wasn’t able to finish the review on time (Sorry Allwyn!!!, I will make it up to you I promise). As I settled into my new schedule of a 11 hour work shift (commute included), and lots of quality time with my family, and weekends filled with diplomatic obligations, I realized that I had passed a very important phase of my life. I wasn’t a hardcore gamer anymore. I had become something that I had abhorred and looked down upon, THE CASUAL.

The signs were all there of course.

The difficulty slide

One look at my achievement and trophy collection, and you will instantly know that I am a difficulty whore. I tend to play on the most difficult setting available and try to net those stackable achievements, if you know what I mean. But in my current playthrough of Arkham Knight, I honestly contemplated bumping down my difficulty a notch, even if that meant I would have to start a totally new game. I even went ahead with it, but rolled back because I was totally unable to skip the opening cut-scene (BOOOO!!!!). I was totally sick of getting pummeled and one hitted by my opponents and being stuck at same checkpoint for the entirety of the 2 hours that I was getting each day. My batman felt like a cheap thug in a costume and not a superhero vigilante, and I was to blame because I wasn’t spending enough time with it. So, finally I decided that whatever game that I buy next is gonna be played on the easiest difficulty possible, trophies be damned.

Destiny and The Order are my type of games

I know I know. Blasphemy. But hear me out first. I play video games, like a lot of people watch TV, or listen to music. I zone out, and let my hand eye co-ordination do the rest. Daily Destiny missions are just perfect for that goal. Each one is an hour long at max, and I eventually end up earning something, which makes me feel levelled. The Order 1886, short length on the other hand, gave me the satisfaction of completing the game, and not worrying about any filler or inconsequential grinding (that game is still short on the story though). Once again I just don’t have the kind of time it’s needed to grind away, or even drive aimlessly (its a popular fact that I hate GTA), so that I could finally make some progress and move forward.

The dreaded Mobile

My gaming library consists of Witcher 3, LIMBO, Mortal Kombat X, Arkham Knight, GTA V and Destiny. Yet the one game that I have played the most is WWE Immortals on my phone (Seriously that game is the dope and should be on the phone of every WWE fan). Once again its the combination of circumstances. I am a web developer and most of work involves staring at a computer screen for hours. When I get back from work, I rarely have the inclination to turn on my computer or my PS4. I would rather talk to my brother, parents, fiance, read a book or play sports. Anything to keep myself away from the screens. And yet when I am in my bed, or in the car, or in the washroom; I have this inherent itch to play. It doesn’t help that I own a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo, which has some excellent hardware, and did I say the game is freaking awesome. I cave in, and before I know it I have had my fix of gaming for that day. I am weak, and its right there, I am sorry.

Gaming becomes an event

This is the biggest change that has cropped up into my lifestyle. Earlier gaming was a part of my life. Wake up, decide whether to shower or not, play sports, watch a movie/tv show and then sit down for some old fashioned gaming. Night long sessions were common and complete weekends/love life have been sacrificed for Prince of Persia and NFS. But as time went on, I had to take out time for my most precious hobby (ok 2nd most precious, I love you Cricket!!!) and as anybody worth his RAM knows you need to be able to atleast devote 3 consecutive hours each day per week to be any good at any game. These slots have become increasingly hard to find and are much further apart than they were earlier. If not for sometimes bullish nature to play, these slots might have disappeared completely.

Time to grow up

Comic books, Wrestling and Video games. These are the 3 things which I believe connect me to my younger self. They signify the child in me; and hence I tend to protect them with all my fervor. But recently, and without the persuasion of anyone, it has become much easier to lie down and sleep, than to keep awake and play on. Having said that, I am adjusting and is now finding new afternoon slots on weekend, where the people are asleep and the atmosphere is quiet. But one thing is for sure, I have changed. I am still a gamer, but not the one which I was 2 years ago. LIFE!!!