Finding Meaningful Side Content

Good Diversions

    Last time, I discussed how hard it can be to focus on playing a game for the story. Confession: I still find myself grinding to get a few levels above quest requirements or to get new gear. However, side content isn't necessarily bad.

    One thing I want to improve when I'm gaming is my selection of side content. I know with side quests this can be especially hard, as they often outnumber the main campaign fifteen to one and aren't usually as satisfying. Also, their rewards can make you feel pretty dumb upon completion (let's be honest). 

    Let's take another example from Horizon Forbidden West. I had the option of doing a side quest for a bow, but I put it off for a time since I figured it would be similar to what I already owned. Later, while clearing a rebel camp, I discovered a different bow. Initially, its stats seemed similar to my sharpshot, but upon further inspection, it offered an ammo type I hadn't yet found: piercing. 

    See, piercing arrows do slightly more damage than precision arrows (the kind I'd been using), and they let you hit more than one target, if your shots line up well. Plus, this bow had Tenankth accessories, which made it look cooler than any bow I'd obtained thus far. 

    These activities got me thinking; both offered similar rewards and encounters yet came with notable distinctions. The quest let me explore a cool cave system, but the combat sequences felt tacked on. While the camp was familiar, it provided varied combat options, better loot, and an intriguing audio log that brought me back to a sub-plot about a mysterious faction and prompted a new conversation with Erend, one of my favorite characters. Now, I was invested; suddenly, the dots were connecting, and this side content became meaningful. 

Know Your Roleplay

    This moment in Forbidden West helped me to start considering what meaningful side content was to me. Just like in real life, I have to decide what I value and steward time accordingly. This means I'll lay other things aside, if only temporarily (Like how I've wrestled with editing this post several times when I would've rather played Cross Code). 

    Gaming is one of my favorite hobbies because it hits many of the right notes for me, storytelling included. So, I avoid either playing games with bad stories or those without them. In this way, I can use my preferences to good effect, but that's not all.

    My responsibilities also give a framework for my beloved pastime. Some may say: "I wish I didn't have so many of those," but hear me out. Responsibility comes from the Lord and is therefore a good and necessary thing, as we see in Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV): "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (see also 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12). 

   Now, I am not saying to stop playing with photo mode or whatever. The truth is, games can get heavy, and things like photo modes, text logs, or playing with a game's physics can be a welcome change of pace like time with friends, a nap, etc.

    What I am saying is that my preferences and priorities give me direction while playing. These might change by the game, which is okay, too. Regardless, I choose to engage with content that supplements my overall goal. 

    We have both spontaneous and regular occurrences for resting and working in our lives, but it's important to remember that we cannot do everything, so I find it best to consider and cultivate what we enjoy and will enrich our lives and others' the most (Philippians 2:3-5). So next time you and I are playing our favorite games, let's consider how to do that!