The Power of Gaming as a Cognitive Respite

I've always preferred local, cooperative gaming over the competitive online stuff as I have a desire for connection, not conflict. Some of my happiest memories are rooted in the camaraderie of couch co-op classics like Micro Machines and Streets of Rage 2, or that shared emotional rollercoaster of "pass-the-pad" single-player games like Resident Evil VII and Amnesia: The Dark Descent. That spirit of collaboration continues now with my daughters, whether we’re trash-talking over Mario Kart 8 or working together in Kirby and the Forgotten Land or Mario 3D World.

However, sometimes I like to experience a game at my own pace—no anxiety about having to "git gud", prove anything to strangers or even talk to anyone. That's why I gravitate toward narrative-driven games; they give me a clear end goal but the journey lets me explore things on my own terms. As a teacher, my life is constantly full of people, so my mental bandwidth often needs a genuine chance to recalibrate.

But here's the kicker: the real, subtle power of these solo experiences lies in a weird, thematic irony. I'm trying to escape the depressing cycle of global news - all the wars, genocides, and political noise - but I end up playing games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (trying to revive a blighted world against an all-encompassing enemy) or World of Horror (confronting cosmic evil). These aren't simple escapist fantasies; they're narratives about desperation, grief and inhumanity.

I suspect that these games aren't providing an escape from the void but rather a structured way to look into it. The act of engaging with these fictional struggles, where I have agency and a defined objective, feels like a genuine form of cognitive processing and emotional regulation - a kind of therapy. We saw this clearly during the early days of Covid, when those structured digital worlds offered routine and a sense of mastery during a time of utter chaos. Now, facing the deep emotional toll of current events, like the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, that need for solace feels even more critical for me.

Gaming provides a controlled emotional container. By parsing the fantastical horrors in a safe space, I may be subconsciously processing the real-world chaos and existential unease that constantly permeates my news feeds. The entire spectrum of human emotion - vulnerability, sadness, pain - is covered in these games.

Just recently, while dealing with the emotional weight of the situation, the simple act of playing Island of Illusion with my daughters offered a vital, momentary distraction and a precious connection. The immersive nature of a videogame, regardless of its theme, creates a world where complexity and loss can be understood and momentarily set aside, offering genuine solace during these challenging times.

The Rise of Retro Gaming During Covid

The retro gaming market has gone crazy over the past year or so and it's been interesting to investigate why this has been the case. The global pandemic left much of the world stuck at home and many looked to the past for familiar comforts such as classic telly, films and video games.

My old mancave was full to the brim of comics, graphic novels, video game vinyl soundtracks and stuffies. It’s my nostalgia den!

So why is the past such a siren, especially when things are going wrong? Well, for many the pandemic caused fear, anxiety and discomfort, and so they looked to find something that would help them; nostalgia. Nostalgia is a sentimental often rose-tinted look at the past. This process helped many to deal with the difficulties of the situation here and now, acting almost as a comforter during these unprecedented times; they offer secure memories about better times. The Rule of Drift is the process whereby we create a cohesive whole by being selective with our information and past memories. For example, we imagine the long summers that seemed to stretch on forever, playing football in the park from morning till evening only going home for lunch and staying home for dinner, the hurricane of '86 where we went to the park and gathered hundreds of fallen conkers to play at school etc. It seems like a single cohesive timeline rather than the confusing hodgepodge that life actually is where we spent rainy Sundays playing Monopoly at home, being bored and fighting with siblings. Nostalgia is a powerful thing and we are selective with what we choose to remember and so, spending hours playing games offered many the comfort they sought. In the gallery below are some of my comfort purchases which reminded me of yesteryear.

I've been into gaming for nearly all my life and, whilst in my younger years I sold my collection to buy the upgraded consoles and games, ever since the N64, PS2 and GameCube era, I've kept my favourites games. About 10 years ago, I got into the retro game collecting scene and bought much of the older games I had liked in my youth for the Mega Drive, Master System and Gameboy, as these were the systems I most associated with my youth. Needless to say, I've got a pretty solid collection of games I've kept and loved but I've had no desire to be a hardcore collector and have every game on a console system or have a complete set of anything; I collect the things I love. But, over the past year some of the prices have doubled, tripled or even more.

My Streets of Rage 1 and 2 mint in box with booklets have jumped in price due to the interest caused with the release of Streets of Rage 4 last year but even the games that haven't been in the spotlight recently have shot up, and many of those aren't even rare or limited in print quantity!
And don't get me started on the mini consoles, my £59 SNES Mini is currently available for about £250 and that's not even at the top end of the scale! Scalpers are definitely price gouging here but there has been genuinely huge interest in the mini consoles, (except the PS One Classic as the games on that were shite) as it was the most affordable and practical way to enjoy retro games on the new television setups.

I did make a retro purchase (kinda) when I bought the Bubble Bobble Mini Arcade Machine but I would have bought that at any time, irrespective of lockdown. I was just lucky it came out then to quench that nostalgia thirst. There is great power in nostalgia, but a rose tinted view of the past doesn't disguise the fact that tastes and things have changed. Many of the gaming norms from days past feel positively antiquated by today's standards. Now, I love Bubble Bobble as it scratches that itch and is pretty evergreen in its gaming loop but I wonder how often Altered Beast was turned on before being swiftly switched out for something more playable this year. I know scalpers have affected the market somewhat but this is more than that. The market is too huge for scalpers to affect it so greatly so I think is genuinely is a lot of people either trying to recapture that memory or fondness of past times or trying to share their nostalgia with their children, who they've had to spend an inordinate amount of time with this past 18 months. I know I've shared Bubble Bobble and the Mysterious Cities of Gold with the girls so far and they've loved this 'Daddy-daughter' time.

I'm not sure if the retro gaming market will balance out or if this is the new normal but I don't care really. I'll keep buying what I like and won't pay the premium to keep up with the Joneses. With the London Gaming Market opening up this weekend, I'll be interested to see what the prices are like as they were always at a premium anyways.

I wonder if any of the vendors will be able to say:

Simpsons- kids through college.gif

Our 'New Normal' v1.0

So, tomorrow marks the day that pubs open in England which is a good a marker of any that 'normality' has arrived in Blighty. When they've dubbed it 'Super Saturday' and the HM Treasury tweets 'Raise a glass' you know that social distancing may be difficult to maintain but we’ll see. I hope people are sensible and do the right thing whilst grabbing a pint.

Not the best tweet in the world…

Not the best tweet in the world…

You'd think that the 4th July reopening of pubs, restaurants and bars means that the British government have nailed the virus here in England but with at least 44,000 deaths and the R Number (reinfection rate) oscillating close to or above 1 is some places, we are most definitely not out of the woods yet. I'm remaining cautiously pessimistic as our nation has not covered itself with glory through this pandemic but I hope I'm pleasantly surprised. No amount of jingoistic nonsense, harkening back to past glories or Latin gobbledygook from our fearless leader is going to take the tragic number of lives lost away.

However, before we tentatively move into 'new normal' v1.0, I want to reflect on what I've been doing with my time in lockdown, to save it for digital posterity.

I've caught up on most of my cult DVD sets and series. I'd built up quite a collection of rarities, oddities and just strange DVDs from my many visits to Computer Exchange and now I've seen most of them, which is nice. There's been some great pleasures such as BBCs ‘Day of the Triffids’ but also great WTF moments (but in an awesome way) with ‘The Singing Ringing Tree’ .

I've finish many video games from my pile of shame including Spiderman, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Call of Cthulhu, Panzer Dragoon and A Plague Tale: Innocence . I'm now working through Skyrim (still after a year) and Control but still have God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn to start.

I've read loads of books, especially on social issues like the rise of suffragettes, flappers, the creator of the monster fromCreature from the Black Lagoon and issues of race and Black identity. I feel that I've grown and matured, but to balance this I've also read some tween graphic novels so that's equilibrium achieved. I've liked holding actual books in my hand as it's been a comfort to snuggle up in bed and immerse myself in the writing. 

When I can't sit and read, due to having two kids running around, I have been listening to Audible as I have had a digital pile of shame in my library, about 15 books of varying length for over a year. I find 1.3x a good speed to listen to things generally, as I'm a fast reader and this pace suits me as it makes me chuckle as some narrators start to sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks. I've been able to work my way through several books this way. 

I've been trying to improve my posture as I have looked like Mr. Burns and had the makings of "A mighty fine hump". So, between my sleep apnea machine, my octogenarian Floridian walking shoes and my posture fixing I'm an old man in a (nearly) middle aged man's body. 

I've worked extra hard to create lots of articles *sigh* 'content' for the website and it's been a joy to do. I love getting my thoughts and feeling out on this website and even though I don't get all that many hits, I find it therapeutic, like knitting, whale song or matcha for the soul. 

I've been watching a sheesh tonne of Netflix, where we've binged Dead Like Me and Awkward, as well as watching Disney + and the straight to DVD sequels that the company plopped out in the late 90s/early 00s like Mogli's Revenge, Aladdin 4: Rub Me the Right Way or 102 Dalmatians: Doggy Style. Okay, I kid about the titles but there are some horrendous Disney sequels out there. I've not been the biggest fan of them but my girls like them just fine. 

I've been listening to lots of classical and instrumental music as I find it sublime and  majestic; it enraptures my soul. The music transports me with its ethereal notes to another times, place, realm. Much of the music moves me and of particular note are:

Taverner- The Lamb- Kings College

Vaughan Williams-Fantasia on a Theme of John Tallis 

And whilst not classical, I've been listening to these stunning tracks on loop:

Olafur Arnauds- Nyepi (Voce8 version)

Jon Hopkins- Scene Suspended

Pauline Oliveros- The Last Time

Much time has been spent working out the most efficient way to sleep on a sofa bed as my wife and daughters share the one actual bed in the bedroom. I haven't minded as I've had a couple of hours to myself to play games, read, listen to music or whatever I like as long as I remain quiet so as not to wake them. Neck ache and a curvature of the spine are a small price to pay for quiet time as a parent. 

I've been listening to podcasts, especially Desert Island Discs, Louis Theroux's Grounded and Dermot O'Leary's People, Just People. I've rediscovered that I actually like people, but only from afar so social distancing works in my favour.

Oh, and in between doing all this I've been spending, at the time of writing, 6 weeks (since we arrived in England) day and night with my lovely family where we've:

  • Climbed Haytor in Dartmoor,

  • Going to the beach when very few people are there,

  • Decorated, grown grass and maintained ‘My Fairy Garden' with my daughters,

  • Spent an indecent amount in Hobby Craft to keep our kids busy with paint your own pottery kits, glitter, stickers, water colors and markers,

  • Cooking and baking as a family (Jeannie insists I talk about her cookies, which were in all honesty amazing.... I'm not just saying that as there'll be some repercussions otherwise, honest)

Teignmouth Beach has been a bit of life saver for us and it has rarely been busy.

Teignmouth Beach has been a bit of life saver for us and it has rarely been busy.

So, all in all, whilst it's been a challenging few weeks in England, time has passed by quite quickly and I've actually had a pretty enjoyable time of it. I have some trepidation with the opening up but we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Stay safe and my the odd be ever in your favour.

Stay safe and my the odd be ever in your favour.

Let's All Create A 'New Normal'

*I usually post light-hearted posts but this is a little heavier. Not ‘French art-house’ heavy but heavy-ish. You have been warned. Also, no offense is intended so cool any jets before coming at me bros. That said, Cummings has acted like a complete muppet*

If you watch the news, are linked by social media or participate in any online discourse you’ll notice that there does seem to be a divisive and often aggressive stance presented about pretty much any topic. The inventor of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, stated a couple of years ago that, "Humanity connected by technology on the web is functioning in a dystopian way." He decried the "outraged and polarised tone and quality of online discourse", and this was before something like the Covid-19 pandemic happened. So how is the world functioning under this 'new normal' and what does it mean?

Whilst there have been many scenes of packed beaches, many have remained quiet and when people have been there they have socially distanced. Not everyone who goes to the beach is a ‘Covidiot’ and labelling them doesn’t help wider discourse.

Whilst there have been many scenes of packed beaches, many have remained quiet and when people have been there they have socially distanced. Not everyone who goes to the beach is a ‘Covidiot’ and labelling them doesn’t help wider discourse.

In much of the left and centre-left media I've read, I've been told how ‘Covidiots’ are putting others in danger. The probably Brexit voting, bog roll hording gits are gonna cause a second wave and kill many more people by their selfish actions. The sods probably bang their pans on the Thursday for the NHS and carers whilst continuing to put them in danger through their actions. How dare these people enjoy the beach, socially distancing for the most part, and contributing a little to the devastated local economy? The bastards. They're not like you, me or our circle of friends who are sensibly self-isolating and waiting for the scientific evidence to bear out.

The right and centre right media meanwhile have a very different narrative; after more than 8 weeks in lockdown we must get back to a 'new normal.' The science by SAGE (the government's advisory scientific body, so totally impartial then…) says we're probably fine sending Year R, 1 and year 6 kids back to school on June 1st, after all younger kids are less likely to get the virus. They may spread it but it probably won't be that bad. Also, younger kids are well known to respect social distancing guidelines and definitely know what 2 metres looks like as they learned it in school. Talking about schools, they have most definitely been closed and those lazy/ heroic teachers have been chilling at home/ working heroically to support/ letting parents suffer with no support/ too much work. The sods! Yes, there may be a second wave, but the impact to Britain's economy would be more devastating and in the long run this will lead to longer term problems that will be worse than death, like a disparity between rich and poor students. Won't anyone think of the kids? C'mon folks, we're Great Britain, we won the war and we will win this because we're a sovereign island nation who don't need no-one else. *sassy finger clicks* Let's get Brexit done!

The centrists are seen as the worst in many peoples eyes as they have a nuanced approach. They've isolated for the duration of lockdown but have recently gone out to get some fresh air or gone to the beach, if they live near the coast. Contrary buggers, choose a side! This is no time for shades of grey, it's only black and white. A great former U.S. president, George W. Bush said, “You're either with us or against us.” So choose your side you mealy-mouthed muppets!

I'm obviously taking the piss here (just to be clear) and speaking in very broad terms but the general gist is there; whatever your political views or leanings, the narrative being told is it feels better to negatively judge people who have differing views and think of them in derogatory terms, de-humanising them.

I think after 12 years in which we've had extreme economic hardship due to the 2008 crash, the ‘Hostile Environment’ immigration policy that led to the Windrush Scandal, a general demonising of foreigners and 'low skilled' workers amongst certain political groups and media interests during Brexit, and a raised awareness of inequality due to the tragedy in Grenfell, we need to rebuild the sense of community and trust in this fractured country.

This was Teignmouth riverside at 11am on Saturday. Not packed and the people who were there were socially distancing for the most part.

This was Teignmouth riverside at 11am on Saturday. Not packed and the people who were there were socially distancing for the most part.

A lot of it is to do with social media and media as a whole. We are hyper-connected and in the news cycle and social media filter and algorithm, all we hear are the shrill extremes of the bell curve, the extreme views from either end of the spectrum. However, most people are in the middle without the extreme views of whatever is being discussed; "You're either with us or against us" both sides cry, when actually most people are neither. The extreme views of the bell curve become the norm and people who don't feel those extremes feel left out and marginalised whilst the shrill just get 'shiller.'

The problem of toxic comments comes from both sides of the spectrum, snowflakism is real on both sides and not just the reserve of the left. On the Web it's very difficult to have a sensible centrist conversation so why shout into the wind? I look back at some of the thoughts and opinions I have shared over the years and I stand by many but looking back reflectively some were antagonistic and reactionary, being written in anger, fear and other heightened feelings that I felt at the time.

I dare to dream… of a world where people aren’t complete muppets to one another, and they listen respectfully…

I dare to dream… of a world where people aren’t complete muppets to one another, and they listen respectfully…

All that this polarising rhetoric does is take the emphasis away from thinking clearly about how disorganised and confused the government response has been. This is not a post to bash the Tory's, however no matter how you cut it the death count is tragically high and this is largely due to the lack of true leadership shown and inadequate preparation, no matter what they say in those daily briefings. Shaking hands with patients who had Covid-19 shows the arrogance exhibited by Boris. Churchill, who he would like to emulate, had a lot on his plate but I don't remember him being arrogant enough to go out to a field, pulling his pants down and mooning the Luftwaffe during the Blitz. Informed choices and smart decisions (and a little luck, for sure) won the day for Churchill, but for Boris, alas, the emperor has been found to have no clothes on. Except when he's defending Dominic Cummings, but then we know who's really wearing the trousers in that relationship.

As I noticed when walking along the beach in Shaldon, Devon today on Tuesday 2nd June 2020, people are making good choices for the most part. However, I know from a few friends across the country who live next to the coast that there are many people a who are not following social distancing guidelines and are ignoring protocols by grouping together at beaches. They should be dealt with properly by the authorities, but not everyone on the beach should be tarred with the same ‘covidiot’ brush. I’ve also seen choice photos of other beaches taken at angles which make the people look closer together than they really are or even old photos pre-pandemic of packed beaches claiming to have been taken during the pandemic, these do not help build trust in what is being communicated online.

That's why we have many people not believing everything they read or see in ‘mainstream media’ but rather seeking ‘alternative media’ to get their ‘news’. Many people believed alternate dimension blood drinking lizard botherer David Icke with his 5G conspiracy and lit up phone masts. It's a shame we've never had anything like this untested, unknown technology before, like maybe 4G, 3G, 2G... . It's also why if there is a vaccine many people will elect not to take it, some for valid reasoned medical reasons and some because they saw a YouTube video by a random guy talking about its dangers from his shed and he seemed legit so they told their circle of friends, some of who are flat earthers and believe that man never really landed on the moon. We are through the looking glass here people!

Since when has it been the norm to believe more in conspiracy theorists than scientists? It's no coincidence that the countries with the strongest trust in institutions like the police, scientists and politicians have had the most cohesive and effective response against the spread of Covid-19. With a government that specifically stated that "People have had enough of experts" what else did they expect when people turned to other sources of information and questioned those they should have been listening to in this critical time? This erosion of trust has caused huge problems and meant that the messages are not being received with trust, or they are being interpreted in different ways.

So, where do we go from here? Well, first off we need to stop judging and belittling people (apart from conspiracy theorists as they need to be called out on their more outlandish nonsense), either through passive aggressive virtue signalling on Facebook, Twitter or any other medium as it doesn't help, it just entrenches those views. Also, some flash in pan hashtags often don't help, they're often just a short term trend. #BeKind was a wonderful idea but was soon forgotten whilst the whole Facebook forwarding of "I can say that I've stayed at home since lockdown began, have you" is not helpful as it assumes people are all in the exact same position. How about key workers or carers who don't have that luxury? You don't know what people are going through and shaming them does not help. People may be going through some mental health issues, having difficulties supporting their children or maybe they are looking after someone with a disability. For many financial hardship has grown, even more since austerity 'ended' and there are harder times to come with the unemployment rate skyrocketing and expected to grow even more. So to assume that everyone should behave in one way is unfair, I mean don’t drive to a castle 60 miles away with your 4 year old son strapped to the back of the car to ‘check your eyesight,’ but do follow the spirit of the guidelines to help wider society and don’t be a selfish git.

Simply put, there is not one good way to create the' new normal' but could it please be one in which we respect difference and appreciate each other and maybe listen.

Politicians and political commentators must look at how they are contributing to an ‘us’ vs ‘them’ narrative which has led to populism sweeping across the world. There’s nothing wrong in populism but some of the statements which are shown in the 24 news cycle and shared online, pervade society and give credence to certain xenophobic, racist, homophobic beliefs. This adds fuel to the fire and all it takes is one spark to ignite the flames for discord and discontent. I could place any number of quotes from Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson or many other politicians in here but I won’t as by cherry picking a few points without context, I’d be doing what I am railing against.

I don’t know how to end this as what is going on in the world is too big to grapple with here but I think the ‘new normal’ should have a simple overarching rule to follow: Be the best that you can be as a human being and make informed decisions that help create a fairer world for all people, irrespective of colour, creed, religion or orientation. Difficult, I know but dare to dream…

LINK- On And On And Colston ( Or, How We Kinda Sort of Learned to Talk About the Legacy of Colonialism and the British Empire)

LINK- Straight Outta Quarantine: 14 Days in Blighty

LINK- Flying Home From Coronavirus

LINK- One Month on From Social Distancing in Saudi

LINK- Life in Coronavirus Lockdown Saudi

LINK- Life in the Times of the Coronavirus

LINK- Bahrain II: The Revenge

LINK- The Further Adventures of Anjum of Arabia in Saudi

LINK- High Tea and High Times in the Riyadh Globe

LINK- Reflecting on Life in Saudi Arabia After 5 Months

LINK- Life in Saudi Arabia 3 Month On

LINK- An English Geek in Saudi Arabia

LINK- Video Gaming In Saudi Arabia