Gaming was never NOT my thing, but aside from an obsession with The Sims 2 in high school, and some Sega/N64 energy as a kid, the concept of spending hours in front of a game wasn’t for me.
Not that I judged anyone who DID, necessarily. Unless, maybe, you wore adult nappies for the express purpose of not needing to shit in the toilet for a weekend. Even then I’m kind of like, you do you friend. Why should I judge?
I just never had the urge to buy the latest gaming console. My hobbies were (and still are) reading, eating, and deep-lurking my ex boyfriend’s new girlfriends.
But lockdown, while easing up, still leaves me bored at home a lot. So I decided to give gaming a proper try. I hit up Playstation to get a loaner PS4 and whatever games Pedestrian.TV’s resident gaming enthusiast, Matt Hopkins, recommended.
He said Red Dead Redemption 2 (“because you have that cowgirl aesthetic”), and God Of War (“because it’s so fucking outlandish”).
I was set. Here’s my verdict.
1. Holy Shit, The Graphics
I got my hands on God of War first. The most immediate shock for me was how insaneeeeee the graphics are on games these days. I know, I know – obvious shit, right? But remember, I have barely touched a game since the late-2000s. I didn’t realise these things were like, basically the latest Pixar graphics or whatever!
This meant I got really, really scared a LOT. God Of War isn’t exactly a terrifying game, but given it’s based in a sort of mythical world, there are some pretty creepy monsters to fight. Like, when my dude in God Of War encountered this giant troll guy and had to kill him by stabbing his calves repeatedly, but then got absolutely owned with the troll’s large stone boulder he was swinging around. TERRIFYING. Cue me screaming and closing my eyes which isn’t exactly great gameplay.
I also couldn’t get over the sound quality. Surround sound, proper cinematic music, the works. What a vibe! I completely understood why I knew people who spent hours gaming instead of watching the latest Netflix series.
2. Controlling Characters Is Hard
I was really, insanely shit at getting my God Of War guy (I had a google, the guy’s name is Kratos) to run. At some point, I managed to get him ONLY to run sideways, which was very slow and gave me a terrible viewpoint of the road.
I don’t know how I did this, or how to get him back to normal, but a wise word for you if you’re reading this as a fellow gaming noob – Playstation controls (and prob Nintendo and so on, I can only judge Playstation 4 here) are not the easiest to navigate as a newbie. There are about 400 buttons and sometimes you have to press TWO buttons at a time.
After getting over the sideways running I couldn’t turn off, I actually bought Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Years ago a boyfriend of mine was really into Assassin’s Creed 2, and I remember playing one level and enjoying it. Odyssey was allegedly the best in the series according to online forums, so I got it off Amazon.
My dude on Odyssey was WAY easier to control. But it’s still a bit of a process to work out what all the buttons do. I’m sure it wouldn’t be if you were a relatively old hand at Playstation consoles, but I am… not.
3. These RPG Games Require A Bit Of Work
I am STILL working out exactly how to navigate my way around the Greek islands in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. The thing with RPG games is that the entire point is for them to have complex worlds and to go on an adventure, but when you’re new to the entire gaming SYSTEM it can be kinda hard to work it all out.
I’ve done a fair bit of Googling (“who is Marcos and where the fuck is he”) at varying points to get a bit of help, and the great thing with gaming is that people band together as a community – there is heaps of forum help if you need it.
Still, I’ve definitely given up in frustration a few times – only to be lured back. I spent an entire afternoon figuring out how to shoot arrows. I’m hooked.
4. It’s Stressful
HOW is this a relaxation exercise for anyone, I ask you. I have never been more stressed in my entire life. It’s like MY life is on the line, not just my character’s.
By the time I’ve finished playing of an evening, I feel more stressed than when I began. But like, good stress? I feel like I’ve actually saved the planet or something.
Anyway, 10/10 don’t recommend for lowering your stress levels, but 10/10 DO recommend for feeling some purpose in life.
5. I Totally Get It Now
After a weekend of on/off playing, I felt this urge inside me. Each day the following week, I’d long for 5.30pm so I could flick on my Playstation and get back into the wild world of whatever I had going.
Gaming is just really fucking fun – specifically, to be playing the same character and making it through a world on a journey is really fucking fun, for me. I think the element that “got” me the most with gaming this time around was connecting to a character and feeling like their journey was also my journey.
The graphics definitely help – having such crisp, realistic scenes makes you feel like you’re playing in a movie. Far better than the pixellated crap from my childhood. The storylines are also far more fleshed out in these RPG style games. I found myself wanting to know what the deal was behind my character’s behaviour. What their secrets were and so on.
I wouldn’t say I’m 100% a gamer now, but I’m definitely more into it than I used to be.
PEDESTRIAN.TV‘s editors independently choose and write about products and other stuff we love and think you’ll froth on, too. We have affiliate partnerships so we might get a cut of the revenue from any purchase you make based on our recs. Happy buying.
