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[SmokyDave]

I think I just had an ephinany when I moved to Manchester about how much of my life I've wasted sitting on the sofa stoned watching TV and playing video games. I was scared of looking back when I'm 40 and thinking "wow, you really did fuck all with your life didn't you". You've got the rest of your life to be a couch potato, that's what retirement is for!

In the last 9 months I've sold most of my blurays, three consoles and a fuck load of games. I now have like 20 blurays, a PS4 and 5 games. I barely touch my PS4 and I don't watch anywhere near as much telly as I used to.

I just don't have the time anymore, my priorities have changed.

I had the same epiphany early in 2013. Feels good, most of the time. I do sometimes wish I could spend a straight week getting mashed and playing games though. Seeing my PS4 and XBone backlog sitting there kills me sometimes. As you said though, that's what retirement is for.

...man I miss weed.

 

[Screaming Meat]

I think there's this expectation on people to do certain things: see the world, meet new people, have "experiences" etc. I'm not sure if it's a natural human urge or imposed from without in some way.

For instance, is it bad that I like being at home rather than going abroad? Is it bad that I get more pleasure out of reading a good book or dabbling on the geet or watching good movies or going to some shitty venue and watching a band than I do getting cancer on hot beaches or backpacking across a mountain or shitting in a hole in the ground? I do and always have "lived" in my head and that's often not considered "living" at all.

I dunno. All I know is my gut's telling me "maybe."

#realtalk

 

[sploatee]

I think I just had an ephinany when I moved to Manchester about how much of my life I've wasted sitting on the sofa stoned watching TV and playing video games. I was scared of looking back when I'm 40 and thinking "wow, you really did fuck all with your life didn't you". You've got the rest of your life to be a couch potato, that's what retirement is for!

In the last 9 months I've sold most of my blurays, three consoles and a fuck load of games. I now have like 20 blurays, a PS4 and 5 games. I barely touch my PS4 and I don't watch anywhere near as much telly as I used to.

I just don't have the time anymore, my priorities have changed.

But what do you do instead?

My protective rationalisation is that it's my replacement for watching TV, that it keeps my brain busy and occasionally can be quite inspirational artistically. But I do feel a bit old and weird for playing quite so many games. I feel like a weirdo freak most of the time anyway though'

I hope that in a few years time when things have settled down I can play less and be a bit more social and things like that. Right now my self-esteem is so damn low games are just perfect.

Oh and away from all that cod psychoanalysis rubbish , I just enjoy them!

 

[SmokyDave]

But what do you do instead?

That's the killer question, ain't it. I must admit that I still 'waste' most of my weekday evenings, just not in the same way. I know it's my age showing, but I'm just too old and lazy to do much during the week. By the time the kid's in bed and me and the missus have caught up with jobs / dinner / chitchat, there's barely time for much else.

I don't think I manage my time very efficiently. That ain't helping things at all.

 

[show me your skeleton]

for me life is at its best when my girlfriend and i have the day to pursue our hobbies together, so for me that is either composing or writing and for her it is painting. both of us are driven by the desire to turn these into careers so what some may see as time killers akin to watching tv, done right it'll be 'worth it'. i barely play games all that much now and reading news on the game side of 'gaf just bores me now.
i mean bioshock infinite has been and gone, what else could gaming deliver?

 

[Reknoc]

for me life is at its best when my girlfriend and i have the day to pursue our hobbies together, so for me that is either composing or writing and for her it is painting. both of us are driven by the desire to turn these into careers so what some may see as time killers akin to watching tv, done right it'll be 'worth it'. i barely play games all that much now and reading news on the game side of 'gaf just bores me now.
i mean bioshock infinite has been and gone, what else could gaming deliver?

Something good.

 

[Symphonia]

Bloodborne will be my next and last purchase of 2015.

Spoiler

Probably not, but I can't remember what games are due this year.

 

[sploatee]

I think there's this expectation on people to do certain things: see the world, meet new people, have "experiences" etc. I'm not sure if it's a natural human urge or imposed from without in some way.

For instance, is it bad that I like being at home rather than going abroad? Is it bad that I get more pleasure out of reading a good book or dabbling on the geet or watching good movies or going to some shitty venue and watching a band than I do getting cancer on hot beaches or backpacking across a mountain or shitting in a hole in the ground? I do and always have "lived" in my head and that's often not considered "living" at all.

I dunno. All I know is my gut's telling me "maybe."

#realtalk

I know what you mean. "Going out" and especially getting wasted are seen as what "should be done" but I don't really understand. Some of my best days have been just at home pottering about. I think it's finding a balance. If you go too far into your own head you end up with no real human contact and it's probably not good for your mental health.

That's the killer question, ain't it. I must admit that I still 'waste' most of my weekday evenings, just not in the same way. I know it's my age showing, but I'm just too old and lazy to do much during the week. By the time the kid's in bed and me and the missus have caught up with jobs / dinner / chitchat, there's barely time for much else.

I don't think I manage my time very efficiently. That ain't helping things at all.

But what do you feel you should be doing, I guess is the question. Family is more important than most things, imo.

for me life is at its best when my girlfriend and i have the day to pursue our hobbies together, so for me that is either composing or writing and for her it is painting. both of us are driven by the desire to turn these into careers so what some may see as time killers akin to watching tv, done right it'll be 'worth it'. i barely play games all that much now and reading news on the game side of 'gaf just bores me now.
i mean bioshock infinite has been and gone, what else could gaming deliver?

So agree. I love when I have enough energy to sit there and read some Latin or delve into art books and obscure things and write and draw and collage. Sadly when I get home from work (and generally these days) I get in so existentially exhausted (copyright Ironside (TM) ) I just want to vegetate. I want to change and have more friends and do more things, but I just don't feel up to it most of the time. Srsly I could write books on all the reasons I hate myself. So I let games beat me up instead

What do you write / compose? What does your gf paint?

 

[Screaming Meat]

I know what you mean. "Going out" and especially getting wasted are seen as what "should be done" but I don't really understand. Some of my best days have been just at home pottering about. I think it's finding a balance. If you go too far into your own head you end up with no real human contact and it's probably not good for your mental health.

With Evy and the missus, I've got plenty of human contact at the moment. If they weren't around then, yeah, that'd probably be an issue. In fact, I pretty much went crazy at my first uni. A concoction of drugs, obsessively studying music, and being alone 90% of the time did fuck with my perception somewhat. Extreme paranoia and unhealthy rage issues. Lucky I met my wife there and she pulled me out of it. Love her.

Seems I'm too much of a pussy to chase my dream of being a crazy Outsider Artist XD

 

[NinjaBoiX]

It's not so much that I'm condemning the idea of sitting at home watching TV and playing games, I still like doing that occasionally, it's just I have a lot more variety in my social pursuits now which means I actually enjoy doing that rather than it feeling like a mundane habit I've gotten into. And I've made some great friends while I've been here, I really feel like I've come out of my shell since moving, I was a bit of a hermit a year ago.

I like knowing that I have a few different things planned out for the week; going out with some pals for a drink, maybe a bike ride, pub quiz, Sunday lunch with pals from work, helping the bro with an event, wine club, various nights out that roll round every month, working at the club on weekends, and yes, chilling with some telly at home.

I just needed to get off the monotonous merry-go-round of work, get home, get stoned, sleep, work, etc. The fact I'm in a thriving exciting city now as opposed to, well, Sunderland certainly helps in that regard!

 

[sploatee]

With Evy and the missus, I've got plenty of human contact at the moment. If they weren't around then, yeah, that'd probably be an issue. In fact, I pretty much went crazy at my first uni. A concoction of drugs, obsessively studying music, and being alone 90% of the time did fuck with my perception somewhat. Extreme paranoia and unhealthy rage issues. Lucky I met my wife there and she pulled me out of it. Love her.

Seems I'm too much of a pussy to chase my dream of being a crazy Outsider Artist XD

Oh my god. We must never meet!

But to actually get back on topic - the art I did at that time was immense

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Blur - Go Out

Feeling it boys!

 

[Symphonia]

Watch_Dogs Deluxe Edition is only £26 on the PS Store, down from £64.99. Is it worth buying or is it really as bad as people are saying it is?

 

[Screaming Meat]

Oh my god. We must never meet!

I told you! Universe! Explode! Flux Capacitor!

But to actually get back on topic - the art I did at that time was immense

Yup. Same.

Have you ever read Diary by Chuck Phalanuick?

 

[toythatkills]

Watch_Dogs Deluxe Edition is only £26 on the PS Store, down from £64.99. Is it worth buying or is it really as bad as people are saying it is?

There's no way you need to pay as much as £26 for it. It bombed. Even the collectors editions with boxes full of crap don't sell for that much.

 

[Messofanego]

I think I just had an ephinany when I moved to Manchester about how much of my life I've wasted sitting on the sofa stoned watching TV and playing video games. I was scared of looking back when I'm 40 and thinking "wow, you really did fuck all with your life didn't you". You've got the rest of your life to be a couch potato, that's what retirement is for!

In the last 9 months I've sold most of my blurays, three consoles and a fuck load of games. I now have like 20 blurays, a PS4 and 5 games. I barely touch my PS4 and I don't watch anywhere near as much telly as I used to.

I just don't have the time anymore, my priorities have changed.

That's all weaksauce compared to avoiding GAF

Try a self-imposed ban for just a month, I dare ya!

 

[SuperSah]

Yo guys.

I ordered MonHun4 from Amazon this morning and stuck it on Prime delivery, so it's guaranteed to arrive for tomorrow, or so they say.

The game is still "dispatching now". Will this thing even ship tonight, and will it even make it here tomorrow? Any experiences?

 

[Reknoc]

Yo guys.

I ordered MonHun4 from Amazon this morning and stuck it on Prime delivery, so it's guaranteed to arrive for tomorrow, or so they say.

The game is still "dispatching now". Will this thing even ship tonight, and will it even make it here tomorrow? Any experiences?

Yea, should do if you ordered it before the next day cutoff. I had a period where Prime was useless and nothing was next day but that's over now and everything is golden. Depends on the area I guess though.

 

[Symphonia]

There's no way you need to pay as much as £26 for it. It bombed. Even the collectors editions with boxes full of crap don't sell for that much.

That bad, huh? Well, I'll put that £26 towards something else. That new DBZ game is supposed to be decent, and Dying Light is out in retail now. Hm, tough call.

 

[toythatkills]

It'll ship tonight but in my experience Amazon Logistics are horrible so it'll probably arrive in April.

That bad, huh? Well, I'll put that £26 towards something else. That new DBZ game is supposed to be decent, and Dying Light is out in retail now. Hm, tough call.

I haven't played it so I can't comment on its quality, just that it's available for waaaaay cheaper and would have some small resale value on top of that. That £26 would be dead money.

 

[Little Old Man]

Yo guys.

I ordered MonHun4 from Amazon this morning and stuck it on Prime delivery, so it's guaranteed to arrive for tomorrow, or so they say.

The game is still "dispatching now". Will this thing even ship tonight, and will it even make it here tomorrow? Any experiences?

You'l be fine! Just got my copy the other day, we should hunt together like manly bastards, and put meat into spit roasts.

 

[show me your skeleton]

What do you write / compose? What does your gf paint?

just stuff for games, plus other things on the side for my own enjoyment:

sounnddddclouddddd

that's what i'd like to do as a way of obtaining financial security. i'm generally lazy though.

my girlfriend paints fashion illustrations, so basically gets to draw pretty girls all day long:

instamagram

 

[SuperSah]

You'l be fine! Just got my copy the other day, we should hunt together like manly bastards, and put meat into spit roasts.

It's been despatched!

You enjoying it thus far?

 

[dapperbandit]

just stuff for games, plus other things on the side for my own enjoyment:

sounnddddclouddddd

that's what i'd like to do as a way of obtaining financial security. i'm generally lazy though.

my girlfriend paints fashion illustrations, so basically gets to draw pretty girls all day long:

instamagram

Wow.

You're (both) super talented, I'm jealous of your abilities

 

[show me your skeleton]

Wow.

You're (both) super talented, I'm jealous of your abilities

oh hush! thank you mister dapper.


bandit.



mister bandit.

 

[dapperbandit]

oh hush! thank you mister dapper.


bandit.



mister bandit.

It's "your dapperness."

 

[show me your skeleton]

you've got to be having a (dapper) laugh.

 

[sploatee]

I told you! Universe! Explode! Flux Capacitor!



Yup. Same.

Have you ever read Diary by Chuck Phalanuick?

I did go on a big overshare, but got in there quick before anybody saw it, thankfully!

No I haven't. Why?

just stuff for games, plus other things on the side for my own enjoyment:

sounnddddclouddddd

that's what i'd like to do as a way of obtaining financial security. i'm generally lazy though.

my girlfriend paints fashion illustrations, so basically gets to draw pretty girls all day long:

instamagram

Wow. Super cool! You're both very talented.

It makes me feel all melancholy looking at your gf's portfolio. I went to London College of Fashion to do a make up course and ended up doing make up counter work and even got invited to do a Vidal Sassoon academy photoshoot. Obviously I chickened out, got nervous and didn't do it. Ah, what could've been, story of my life. "Hey you! You're actually not a freak! Here's [insert good thing]!" "ARGH! Erm does this mean you like / accept me and think I'm good? Sorry! Gotta run! Didn't save your number! Byeeeeee!".

I literally (not figuratively) cannot remember half of the people that made friends with me / wanted to do creative things with me. There was this dude in Manchester when I first went to uni and dyed my hair pink and "experimented" who turned me on to Serge Gainsbourg, Can and all sorts of far-out stuff. We made diagrams of the music we were going to do. I've totally forgotten his name. I remember he had black hair though. It was probably Screaming Meat's doppelganger!

One day I'm going to do things other than play games! I love fashion illustration. I love Coby Whitmore and Andy Warhol's early illustrations.

So, yes, very jealous of your collective talents and sorry for the introspection. I'm in a kind of "moment" out here in the hood Me, me, me and moreover me.

--

Sorry dudes, since I came out to y'all I've sort of opened the floodgates on bags of my past that I'd buried away / completely forgotten. Y'all gonna suffer till it's out of my system.

--

Also, sushi. I had sushi for tea today. It was fit.

--

And cyst don't get Watch Dogs! Get Dark Souls! Do nothing but play Dark Souls! Nothing will be as good as Dark Souls. So just get Dark Souls!

 

[Reknoc]

You'l be fine! Just got my copy the other day, we should hunt together like manly bastards, and put meat into spit roasts.

 

[dapperbandit]

you've got to be having a (dapper) laugh.

I've been known to joke at times.

Spoiler

That wasn't one of those times

 

[Symphonia]

And cyst don't get Watch Dogs! Get Dark Souls! Do nothing but play Dark Souls! Nothing will be as good as Dark Souls. So just get Dark Souls!

Don't have a PS3, but I know they're releasing DS2 on PS4 in April, as well as Bloodborne at the end of March. I might invest in them both so I can actually understand all this Dark Souls talk!

 

[show me your skeleton]

Wow. Super cool! You're both very talented.

It makes me feel all melancholy looking at your gf's portfolio. I went to London College of Fashion to do a make up course and ended up doing make up counter work and even got invited to do a Vidal Sassoon academy photoshoot. Obviously I chickened out, got nervous and didn't do it. Ah, what could've been, story of my life. "Hey you! You're actually not a freak! Here's [insert good thing]!" "ARGH! Erm does this mean you like / accept me and think I'm good? Sorry! Gotta run! Didn't save your number! Byeeeeee!".

I literally (not figuratively) cannot remember half of the people that made friends with me / wanted to do creative things with me. There was this dude in Manchester when I first went to uni and dyed my hair pink and "experimented" who turned me on to Serge Gainsbourg, Can and all sorts of far-out stuff. We made diagrams of the music we were going to do. I've totally forgotten his name. I remember he had black hair though. It was probably Screaming Meat's doppelganger!

One day I'm going to do things other than play games! I love fashion illustration. I love Coby Whitmore and Andy Warhol's early illustrations.

So, yes, very jealous of your collective talents and sorry for the introspection. I'm in a kind of "moment" out here in the hood Me, me, me and moreover me.

--

Sorry dudes, since I came out to y'all I've sort of opened the floodgates on bags of my past that I'd buried away / completely forgotten. Y'all gonna suffer till it's out of my system.

apologies on the melancholia! thank you very much for the compliments mind. i hope that the venting is good in the end. if not, there's always video games.

always.

 

[Screaming Meat]

I did go on a big overshare, but got in there quick before anybody saw it, thankfully!

No I haven't. Why?

It's good. It has a Twin Peaks vibe and it's about Art. It might even be a twisted manifesto.

It was probably Screaming Meat's doppelganger!

I always thought I was a unique little snowflake...?

 

[8bit]

Sorry dudes, since I came out to y'all I've sort of opened the floodgates on bags of my past that I'd buried away / completely forgotten. Y'all gonna suffer till it's out of my system.

--

Also, sushi. I had sushi for tea today. It was fit.

--

And cyst don't get Watch Dogs! Get Dark Souls! Do nothing but play Dark Souls! Nothing will be as good as Dark Souls. So just get Dark Souls!

It's cool, I'm sure we're happy to suffer with you.

I made the mistake of getting supermarket sushi yesterday, it was terrible. The rice was kind of gloopy and overdone. Should have just went with the carrot & mango soup instead.

It wasn't quite as terrible as Watch_dogs though.

 

[show me your skeleton]

whilst in japan i ate sea urchin, it was like french kissing the ocean.
no more sushi for me thanks!

 

[Screaming Meat]

i ate sea urchin
like french kissing the ocean.
no more sushi thanks!

Haiku'd that for you.

 

[sploatee]

Don't have a PS3, but I know they're releasing DS2 on PS4 in April, as well as Bloodborne at the end of March. I might invest in them both so I can actually understand all this Dark Souls talk!

I've heard DS2 isn't so good, not that I've played it. My plan is to finish DS again and then try Demon's Souls (maybe, I'm a bit scared of it) and then maybe Bloodborne in a year or two. I want to play the Miyazaki games. I love it when a game has a authorial stamp about it and I also don't want to play anything that might make me think less of something I actually think is pretty much unequivocally brilliant.

It's good. It has a Twin Peaks vibe and it's about Art. It might even be a twisted manifesto.



I always thought I was a unique little snowflake...?

You are! He was a dude, you're a dude! Snow don't come into it!

It's cool, I'm sure we're happy to suffer with you.

I made the mistake of getting supermarket sushi yesterday, it was terrible. The rice was kind of gloopy and overdone. Should have just went with the carrot & mango soup instead.

It wasn't quite as terrible as Watch_dogs though.

Ah good. I've never had supermarket sushi. It always looks so shrivelled and sad. I don't eat prawn either and it always has prawn. Carrot and Mango?!

I have nothing nice to say about Watch underscore Dogs so I won't. I've not played it, so I am going to be diplomatic. I will say that the Aiden Pearce guy looks like a pretty cool guy.

 

[Little Old Man]

It's been despatched!

You enjoying it thus far?

Yeah, I mean that I've literally done a quest to cook meat, and another to create a potion, but I'm eager to go deeper into the rabbit hole!

 

[Screaming Meat]

Snow don't come into it!

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Last shift working for the agency at CLV today, they want to take me on in April so they need to give me a month break to avoid paying the agency a finders fee.

Not sure what to do with myself the next few weeks! I could easily find other work through an agency, but my bro would really like a hand a few days a week helping him out in the kitchen.

I could get a few extra shifts at Mint and Eilidh offered me a few disco shifts (no obligation, cash-in-hand shifts) at Roadhouse so I have plenty of options.

Or I could just do fuck all for a month and enjoy some downtime.

Hmm...

 

[show me your skeleton]

Haiku'd that for you.

that's racist.

 

[Screaming Meat]

that's racist.

Nah, it's Japanese.

 

[Skele7on]

Last shift working for the agency at CLV today, they want to take me on in April so they need to give me a month break to avoid paying the agency a finders fee.

Not sure what to do with myself the next few weeks! I could easily find other work through an agency, but my bro would really like a hand a few days a week helping him out in the kitchen.

I could get a few extra shifts at Mint and Eilidh offered me a few disco shifts (no obligation, cash-in-hand shifts) at Roadhouse so I have plenty of options.

Or I could just do fuck all for a month and enjoy some downtime.

Hmm...

Video Games and weed?

I guess kitchen and the disco shifts would be enough to cover you right?

What you guys doing this weekend???

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Video Games and weed?

I guess kitchen and the disco shifts would be enough to cover you right?

What you guys doing this weekend???

I'll definitely be playing more games while I've got some time off! I've been meaning to get back into it for a while.

And yeah, I'm thinking kitchen and disco shifts will suffice for a few weeks. She just text me about one tonight but I'm at Mint innit.

This weekend is work tonight, bike ride tomorrow then work again, Sunday probably a few beers during the day then a flick and a curry on the night.

 

[banofypie]

Nah, it's Japanese.

a culture well known for its rampant xenophobia

you rampant ruddy racist

 

[show me your skeleton]

i don't want to change the Rs into Ls. i don't. i just don't.

 

[Musha_Soturi]

What you guys doing this weekend???

It's the bloke's pre birthday weekend so I've told him we can do whatever he likes.

So far he has decided tonight we're going to the Harvester, and tomorrow we are going to Ikea because he really likes their hot dogs and we need to get some sort of shelving unit for all our retro consoles. I love how easily pleased he is.

 

[Symphonia]

What you guys doing this weekend???

Working tomorrow during the day, out tomorrow night, then working again all day Sunday. I might pop in to town to pick up Dying Light and spend Sunday night with it. I'm still not sure if I want to wait for DS2/Bloodborne.

 

[Volotaire]

Organising a day conference speakers event!

 

[dapperbandit]

So I've been told I got the job with this IT support company.

My interview went fairly well obviously, I got to have a look at what I'd actually be doing, talked with some of the guys I'd be working with, a young crowd, all seem very nice. The job itself seems like it could be overwhelming to start with but I get the impression it's just a lot of actually quite simple things.

I've accepted the job but not without some hesitation I'm afraid. I wish I could convince myself to stop being such a fanny and just get on with it. But annoyingly I've been distracted by the possible alternatives. 10 minutes before I actually arrive to the interview I get a call from a pharma consultant asking if I would be interested in a 4 month contract job doing something I'm very comfortable with paying roughly 125% more than what I'd get with this job I've accepted, with an interview possible next week. The thing is I can't turn down a job without knowing for certain I have something else. It's just damned frustrating that I don't have the freedom to make a balanced and informed choice that benefits me.

So they asked me at this new place what my start date could be and I made some excuses for why next week would be difficult and suggested the week after. For some reason I can't shake the feeling that this was somehow a cowardly thing to do and that I should just jump on the opportunity to get work ASAP. At the same time though, I'd really rather just get what I want if its within reach.