I am, as I have previously noted, On Holiday this week. On Holiday in the sense that "I don't have to work" rather than "I am going anywhere", although I am taking a trip back to East Anglia towards the end of the week for various things I talked about the other day.
Today has been a day of pretty much nothing but Zelda, which means I don't have a whole lot to talk about other than Zelda, but I shall resist doing so for now as there has been a lot of Zelda recently. Instead, I thought I'd talk about how a midweek day off always feels just a little bit different from the weekend.
I'm not really sure why this is. I think it's most likely to do with the fact that you know under normal circumstances, at this time you would be doing work, but right now, you have no obligations. That, in itself, makes it feel like a separate and distinct thing — and, in my mind, made me feel like "I have earned a day off". Hence, the aforementioned day of nothing but Zelda.
But a day off from what if I'm already not working? Well, anything, really. I have some videos scripted and ready to record, but I thought about doing them today and my mind just went "nope, do as little as possible today", so for once I listened to it without guilt and did exactly that. I will probably make a start on these videos tomorrow.
In these busy, perpetually online days where at times it can feel like your whole life is on display whether or not you want it to be, it's easy to feel like you "should" constantly be "doing something". This is particularly true if you are someone who enjoys making things and posting them online — be they articles, videos, podcasts, anything like that. It's very easy to succumb to the temptation that "everything must be content" — when in fact, it's perfectly fine for some, even all of the things you do for fun, to be just for you.
I mean, yes, I am almost definitely going to write about Zelda when I've finished it, but writing about the games I have played is part of my process of enjoying them at this point. It helps me to reflect on what I've just played, what I liked about it, and it also, in years to come, serves as a record of the things I've enjoyed and the experiences I've had. It's nice to look back on all this, because it's surprisingly easy to forget individual things that you've spent your time doing as the years go by.
But aside from the knowledge I will write something up when I've finished Zelda (and likewise Final Fantasy Resonance), I am not worrying about turning these things into "content". I don't need to add another Zelda video to YouTube as there are almost certainly hundreds, thousands already. One might argue that, therefore, I don't need to add another Zelda article to the mix, either, but for me, posting a video and posting an article are two quite different things; the former requires a lot of forward planning to ensure I get the footage I want, while the latter is something I can do much more "on the fly" once I'm finished with something. And, as I say, it's basically part of my "hobby process" now, anyway; writing about the game and contemplating it after I've finished is as much a part of the routine as simply experiencing the thing.
Anyway, this is a lot of words to say I didn't really feel like making any videos today, so I didn't do that. I have enjoyed my day, regardless, and I feel somewhat revitalised to tackle the self-imposed challenges ahead of me tomorrow!
For now, though, back to Zelda…
Want to read my thoughts on various video games, visual novels and other popular culture things? Stop by MoeGamer.net, my site for all things fun where I am generally a lot more cheerful. And if you fancy watching some vids on classic games, drop by my YouTube channel.
If you want this nonsense in your inbox every day, please feel free to subscribe via email. Your email address won't be used for anything else.