ElderGnome
Gnome of the World
I've spent a good chunk of time in life learning about gaming as it applies to helping people relax, with mental illness, and people with disabilities using gaming to gain back a sense of joy and control in their lives. (My mother, for example, suffers from multiple chronic illnesses and doesn't get out much. Getting her an Alexa and an iPad and explaining to her how to play simple games made a huge difference in her depression levels, and quality of life.)
Right now the ElderGnome is dealing with a bit of his own mental stress, and I keep finding myself coming back to the one game that is just letting me "grind" with little mental input. "Stranger of Sword City" - on Beginner. Doing class changes just to keep grinding, ambushing monsters, and be wildly over-leveled and over-powered for most parts of the game.
I do this because it's relaxing to "grind" - my wife has several hobbies that could be considered "grinding" - like knitting. Or macrame. Or pickling and canning. All things that take a lot of sheer time and energy more than any real mental effort. (Both of us are people with generally high IQs as they're currently tested, and very bad panic/depression disorders that, unfortunately, often go hand in hand with high IQs… I have a family of doctors myself and three suicides in my immediate family; they're either high-functioning or they off themselves.)
So sometimes I say, let me grind. Let my tired 37 year old mind just blur out for a bit on something that doesn't require a lot of mental effort. Let me just do peaceful, repetitive things. Grinding in Stranger of Sword City is like a meditation for me, and I'd be less happy with the game unless it gave me that ability to just… grind. No real story development, nothing I have to pay attention to until I feel like moving the story along.
Anyone else use these types of repetitive games for "grinding" as a way to relax? Could that major complaint of JRPG games in general actually be meditative and soothing to a large population of people?
I'm curious. Do you grind, do you like grinding, or is it just a pointless, boring activity? I will say if you asked me at 25 if I liked grinding, I'd say no. At 37, it's a definite, "Sometimes!"
Right now the ElderGnome is dealing with a bit of his own mental stress, and I keep finding myself coming back to the one game that is just letting me "grind" with little mental input. "Stranger of Sword City" - on Beginner. Doing class changes just to keep grinding, ambushing monsters, and be wildly over-leveled and over-powered for most parts of the game.
I do this because it's relaxing to "grind" - my wife has several hobbies that could be considered "grinding" - like knitting. Or macrame. Or pickling and canning. All things that take a lot of sheer time and energy more than any real mental effort. (Both of us are people with generally high IQs as they're currently tested, and very bad panic/depression disorders that, unfortunately, often go hand in hand with high IQs… I have a family of doctors myself and three suicides in my immediate family; they're either high-functioning or they off themselves.)
So sometimes I say, let me grind. Let my tired 37 year old mind just blur out for a bit on something that doesn't require a lot of mental effort. Let me just do peaceful, repetitive things. Grinding in Stranger of Sword City is like a meditation for me, and I'd be less happy with the game unless it gave me that ability to just… grind. No real story development, nothing I have to pay attention to until I feel like moving the story along.
Anyone else use these types of repetitive games for "grinding" as a way to relax? Could that major complaint of JRPG games in general actually be meditative and soothing to a large population of people?
I'm curious. Do you grind, do you like grinding, or is it just a pointless, boring activity? I will say if you asked me at 25 if I liked grinding, I'd say no. At 37, it's a definite, "Sometimes!"