Anyone that knows me for very long figures out quickly that I am a passionate gamer. While I did play Atari and Nintendo growing up, my real love for video games started when I was 30 years old. I needed a social activity that I could do as a single mom after my young son was in bed, and my sister and her friends were playing computer games together online in the evenings. Adult conversation and zombie killing? Perfect! I’m in!
My gaming hobby has become something of a part-time job. For the past four years or so, I have run a small community that plays games together. We have an annual get together, and we even made the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running online gaming guild (over 22 years old!) I have made some amazing friends through gaming, and I love when we get the chance to hang out in person. Even more, I love that I can hang out with them most evenings through voice chat programs and in game, and I don’t even need to have shoes on to do it!
This past year, I jumped into an amateur esports organization. It started as a chance to play a game on a team with some friends, and then I ended up helping to run the league. It kinda cracks me up. Here I am, 40 years old, and I’m helping to run an esports rec league! And yet, it’s really cool, and a great brain break from my normal work grind of dealing with incredibly ill people and their families on a daily basis. I get to interact with players, game developers, and community personalities about the games I love.
Why am I writing about this, you may be asking? Too often, we get caught up in what we “should” be doing as adults. We do not make time to find and do the things that are fulfilling to ourselves. Maybe you love to dance, or hike, or sing; be in theater, draw, paint, or even play video and board games…whatever it is that you love, that fills you with inner joy, give yourself the OK to pursue it. Make a hobby of it. You will not regret it.
Deathwine 