I was having a conversation the other day and realized pretty much all the skills I use in my current profession I learned from having video games as a hobby. Admittedly, the games I played and how I played them were a-typical but still. Not that long ago I'd have told you all my time spent gaming was just a horrific depression hole that ate years of my life.

I still think basically that, especially as gaming becomes increasingly preys upon addiction, but at least I've accidentally had something useful come out of my misspent youth.

I go do something that helps others. Maybe volunteer, donate blood, etc. Doesn't have to be big, particularly social or part of some formal charity structure. I just find the best way to feel connected is to excerise empathy and act upon it.

Boring answer, but I think Baldur's Gate 3 is the only game released this year that I really enjoyed. There are some new games I haven't gotten around to that I might enjoy, like Tears of the Kingdom, but I tend not to play that many games per year and usually let them age a little first for updates.

I think the favourite game I've played this year though was Citizen Sleeper. Technically it came out last year. Gorgeous art style, beautiful soundtrack, a novel central mechanic that reinforces the themes and the writing tugged at my heart strings. It also doesn't overstay it's welcome at all - I've only got 16 hours in it despite multiple playthroughs and all the DLC content.

I feel like a whole generation of writers were told that in medias res was a worn out trope and they all fled to the extreme opposite.