Max Riffner

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All Work and No Play

Walking into the new location for Nuke-Con was impressive; they’ve grown quite a bit since I first started to drop in on them about 4 years ago. My friend Ann helps run this gaming convention, and Fredd is always a guest artist because of his gaming illustration work for a couple of the RPG and LARP companies. I like to go and support my friends. Unfortunately, I have no interest in gaming at all.

One of the things that have really stuck with me from Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind is how important it is to have playtime in your life. Any sort of gaming is wonderful for your mind’s potential and for relaxation. I do not make time for games. The Chief would probably like me to, but I get all cagey when someone brings up the possibility of play. A weird work ethic gets in the way of enjoying myself. I especially don’t like playing boardgames at dinner parties or gatherings of the like since most people get a little too competitive for my tastes.

However, the worker bee inside myself is bushed, and with the onset of cooler weather this week I’ve been thinking about gaming more since being outside is not going to be an option for much longer. I felt the first pangs of game guilt as I left Nuke-Con and saw someone with a Settlers of Catan boardgame, a game I have read is purportedly one of the best. Next came a conversation about World of Warcraft with a friend; the community aspects and sheer scope of the game fascinate the hell out of me. Then there are Kenneth’s giant Xbox LAN parties.

I definitely need some sort of downtime, and I would like to get more into gaming because it is important. Maybe I just need to get my ass handed to me again in Monopoly to get this out of my system?

Anybody out there have some fav games?

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