Writers block because of the “F” word
Sometimes I just don’t feel like investing too much of myself when I play a game. Perhaps I don’t have the time but still want to play something. Or maybe I’m burnt out from work and want to play something simple with not much story or a ton of strategy. Shooters can fill that role but even they often need a high level of focus and reflex – two things I usually don’t have after a long day.
I have a long list of games that fit the bill, each with a particular game mechanic that matches what I’m looking for that day. These games have enough substance to be a challenge but are light enough to be fun when I’m in that particular mood. I don’t feel guilty about ignoring them for long periods of time either. They’re great filler between more involved titles. I had originally written this post around naming a bunch of my favorite go-to games in this category but fell short when trying to describe exactly what attracted me to them.
Take Flock! for example. It’s a game where you play as an alien spaceship trying to herd farm animals into the main mother-ship. The animals run in the opposite direction of your UFO and you must use this reaction to guide them. As the game goes on, more animals are unlocked and different obstacles are introduced. That’s about it. There’s no epic story, no major goal – just herd sheep into the big spaceship as quickly as possible.
I wasn’t able to write a lot of exposition on Flock! other than I like the squeaky noise the sheep make when running. The same went for the other games I had planned on writing about.
These games and many others are all fun to play but writing about and naming them specifically (even though I did just name one) felt like I was recommending that people go out and buy them. Not that they shouldn’t but it’s more that I’m not certain they’ll find them as fun as I do.
And that “F” word is where I ended up. Often the word “fun” isn’t allowed in intelligent conversations about video games. I’ve always scoffed at that notion. But now trying to write about these games I play casually, where fun is the only descriptive word I come up with, I see why many people hesitate. I now understand why many talking heads in the video game industry avoid using the word; it’s the nuclear option in any discussion. “Fun” is not something that can be easily quantified or argued against.
Sometimes a game is fun because, for you, it is. Sometimes a game you play casually has meaning for you even if it doesn’t set new standards in video games. It’s the best description I can give the casual games I play – they’re fun. When writing posts going forward that word is something I’ll be mindful of, but in the end, I may have to use it. And I think I’m ok with that.
