I had an entirely different article planned today. I had it all planned out, outlined, and ready to go. But then life threw a curve-ball my way. My grandmother fell ill and had to be taking to the hospital. So I'm writing this from the lobby of said Hospital, fulled by vending machine coffee and anxiety.
(Author's Note: Cj's Grandma came out of the hospital perfectly fine)
Waiting has always made me antsy. I was never the person who could sit and wait patiently while waiting for something to happen. So of course I brought my Switch with me. As of writing this article, the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney trilogy was released on the Switch and a few other consoles (including PC), so I spent the time playing it. It is not my first time playing these games. Its not even my 5th time. I know all the puzzles, all the twists, and a good chunk of the jokes. But something about it is still fulfilling.
I was having a strangely good time. Not only because the game is very good (which it is) but because even though everything was familiar, I was still finding little things that seemed new. Maybe it was something I forgot, or maybe it was something I never noticed before. It was an experience that was both familiar and brand new at the same time. Just like every time I visit my mom and she makes her famous soup for me after a hard day.
As I thought about it, there were several games like this for me. Final Fantasy 7 when I needed to escape from the day to day life. Dragon Quest 8 when I feel the need to adventure and explore when life has kept me chained to my desk. Oddworld:Stranger's Wrath when I felt like the world just doesn't have enough nonsense in it.
My list goes on and on of games I go back to countless time. If Steam is any indicator, the Borderlands games most of all. I find that each of them is for a different reason. Its not always for nostalgia, or for simplicity. I find that sometimes, in our chaotic world, sometimes you need something reliable. Something you recognize. But if its too predictable then it just leaves you wanting more.
Its like when you're sick and nothing quit makes you feel better than a bowl of soup. Sure, you know how it's going to taste. But every time you have it, you find something new and unique. Maybe that's why I keep going back to certain games when I don't know what else to play. Maybe they just fill a craving I didn't even know I was having.
I'm sure you all have your chicken soup too. Maybe its not even a game. Maybe you enjoy watching old Yu-Gi-Oh episodes to find out its much more self aware than you remember. Maybe you like listening to an album from the 90's just to see the bass was a lot more intricate than it seemed the first few listens. But no matter what it is, I think this a powerful emotion in our pop culture and what we choose to spend our time doing. Maybe a game or a movie doesn't need to be world changing or have some powerful message. Maybe sometimes all it needs to be a nice, hot bowl of soup for our exhausted gamer souls.
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