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Valerie Putman: Too Lazy to Game
Ok, not really. I got a call this afternoon with a last minute offer to play games and I went. I had a great time playing Dominion, Agricola, and ItYotD. But I must admit, I hesitated. It’s nearly the end of the semester and as burnout sets in, an evening pretending to be a vegetable instead of trying to farm them can be very tempting. How many of you have had a battle of the couch vs. the game lately? Who usually wins?
How lazy are you feeling? As the school year nears the end, I do find that I am less likely to squeeze in an extra night of gaming. Actually, this has been a crazy year with our 10-year University accreditation visit (lots of awful paperwork and meetings), my application for tenure (lots of awful paperwork and stress), and the regular stuff. Early in the fall I gave up my weekly pub game night and I made far fewer gaming trips this year. I really can’t wait to get back to a more regular gaming schedule this summer. But on a school night, an evening of snuggling on the couch with honey bunny and Bones often wins out over that game of 1960 I keep meaning to have hubby teach me.
How far away is it? I’m impressed that Kris Hall drove 3 ½ hours each way to join us at CABS on Friday. I almost didn’t play games tonight because Ian, the host, lives 35 minutes across town (and I have two episodes of Torchwood on Netflix)! Of course, if the length of gaming is at least as long as the round trip, I usually decide it’s worth it. (So I need at least 20 hours of gaming to make a trip to GA worth it.)
Who’s going to be there? Now, now.... I don’t mean it like that. I can’t think of anyone in any of my game groups that would detract from the gaming fun enough to make the couch potato win out over the gamer. But there are some people I’ll go extra lengths to game with, like my “nephews” (Dale’s boys). Ok, fine, and I get to watch Survivor with Dale and Tracy if I make the trip to Cinci.
How much is it going to cost? Can you believe the gas prices these days? With a longer event, you also need to figure in housing, food, and registration costs. Again, like the travel time, there needs to be sufficient bang for the buck— unless the writer’s strike is finally over and I’ve got a new episode of Gossip Girl.
What will we be playing? There are games I won’t get off the couch for--especially if David Cook (American Idol) is singing.
Sigh. TV is bad.
I’d rather be watching How I Met Your Mother, er, I mean gaming,
Valerie Putman
Posted by Valerie Putman on May 4, 2008 at 01:00 AM in Columnists, Valerie Putman / 803
Comments:
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Gaming vs. the couch? Gaming ALWAYS wins, unless I’m sick. Other things may trump The Game, such as family or work obligations, but I am NEVER too tired to game! :-) Posted by Larry Levy on May 4, 2008 at 01:58 AM | #
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Hi Larry, before I started working for a game company I would have answered like you did ... but in the meantime after playing thousands of games I am tired sometimes. It happened that we had an appointment for playing some games but in the end we cooked something and opened a good bottle of wine. No gaming - only talking about everything. And I must annotate: it was a real good evening. ;-) Have fun with all the games - I will stay on the couch today. :-) Posted by Christian Hildenbrand on May 4, 2008 at 02:53 AM | #
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No - clearly Torchwood would win out. I’m kinda bummed that I’m between seasons now - I wish these British TV seasons would be as long as their American counterparts! Even with the writers strike, some of my domestic shows will have more episodes than Torchwood (or Doctor Who)! dale Posted by Dale Yu on May 4, 2008 at 07:40 AM | #
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Well, it’s a kind of “too lazy to anything” - we had the option of a games day yesterday, but the 5 yr old was cranky and I was tired and it was cold outside - and the thought of just staying home won out quite convincingly. Now if I’d had something lined up, I probably would have gone, but sometimes a lazy day (and a HABA game) wins out. Posted by Melissa Rogerson on May 4, 2008 at 09:24 AM | #
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Dale, I had no idea you were a Doctor Who fan. I have a new level of respect for you. Have you tried the Sarah Jane Adventures? Fun for the whole family. Val: Gossip Girl? Really? *shakes head sadly* Posted by Jay Bloodworth on May 4, 2008 at 09:59 AM | #
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Oops, Val. I missed that you were watching Torchwood too. You win back some points for that. Still… Gossip Girl? Posted by Jay Bloodworth on May 4, 2008 at 10:01 AM | #
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Yes, Jay - though it took the help of Netflix to catch me up with the new BBC incarnation; I can proudly say that at some point in my life I’ve watched every Dr. Who episode. Thanks to PBS was able to catch all the older seasons as a child. Dale Posted by Dale Yu on May 4, 2008 at 11:00 AM | #
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Television shows over gaming? That’s just not right! That’s why God invented Tivo! :-) Christian, I understand completely. As wonderful as it must be to be able to work at something you love, it can also be a problem when the thing that you love is work. I’ve always been leery at prospect of turning my hobby into my job. Fortunately, no one has ever offered, so whenever I play, it’s play! Posted by Larry Levy on May 4, 2008 at 11:13 AM | #
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Games Always Wins! Posted by Marc Gilutin on May 4, 2008 at 12:36 PM | #
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When my “other” hobbies get in the way I’ll sometimes question whether I can afford (timewise) to go game. While I haven’t failed to attend any of my “regular” game nights for quite awhile, I will fail to show up at some casual gaming offerings at times. With my current schedule of about 1.5 regular game evenings a week I feel fairly saturated (with the exceptions of good occasional game-a-thons). I’m sure I’ll feel otherwise once summer kicks in and I have more free time. Dale - every episode? I’ve seen many, but am pretty sure I’ve missed out on a few episodes of the first two Doctors - although I did see a few of those made-for-TV movies that had a first-doctor like guy on them. Shoot, I have a 14-foot scarf in my closet I got one Christmas and even drove my friends and I down to Minneapolis to go to a giant Dr. Who convention… Posted by Matt J. Carlson on May 4, 2008 at 07:35 PM | #
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TV’s not even a temptation for me anymore. I’m with Christian, though--sometimes just drinking some fine wine or even finer German beer (or a Milchkaffee) and talking with good friends is--dare I say--even better than gaming! Posted by Jeff Allers on May 4, 2008 at 10:38 PM | #
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>Have fun with all the games - I will stay on the couch today. :-) Valerie and Christian. You both should not be lazy on the couch but find a theme and title for Game X. Or you have to send me your prototype Christian! p.s.: Congratulations to the Championship… Posted by Klaus Knechtskern on May 5, 2008 at 07:39 AM | #
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Oooops, I just saw your older coloumn which was not in the RSS any more. So get back to your couch enjoying TV ;-) Posted by Klaus Knechtskern on May 5, 2008 at 07:43 AM | #
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I’m working in China at the moment and we were comparing petrol (gasoline prices) across the world as I’m working for an international NGO. For a gallon or so
USA $3.50 ish
So Valerie, gas prics cannot be the reason, surely. Posted by Alan How on May 5, 2008 at 08:21 AM | #
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For my wife and I, our free time is often after 10:00 pm, so the contest is between gaming and sleep. Sleep usually wins. Posted by S. Deniz Bucak on May 6, 2008 at 02:16 PM | #
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Somebody tell the Bengals fan to leave our TV alone! Posted by Geoff Brown on May 9, 2008 at 07:55 AM | #
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Geoff - at least the Bengals weren’t as bad as the Niners this past year… d Posted by Dale Yu on May 9, 2008 at 09:31 AM | #
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Don’t pay any attention to Geoff, Dale. He thinks football’s played with...er....his feet. Posted by Marc Gilutin on May 9, 2008 at 10:37 AM | #
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Marc, i wish i could. but i have I know that he is a staunch 49ers fan. Which is simply wrong. Dale Posted by Dale Yu on May 9, 2008 at 10:38 AM | #
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