When people ask me what Blake and I do in our spare time, I cringe. Never do I feel more boring than when explaining to someone that my favorite things to do are to eat, watch Netflix, and sleep while Blake is out rock climbing, camping, and playing music. But I often forget (or block out) that there is one thing we do together regularly – we play video games. No, I am not a diehard and you will never find me on Xbox Live insulting anyone’s mother, but I do use my love of spreadsheets to make gaming even more nerdy than it already is.
If you’re unfamiliar with video games let me explain something very quickly before I get back to embarrassing myself. Most games come with achievements/trophies that you can earn by completing certain tasks within the game. These achievements are linked to your gaming profile, and people can see what games you’ve played and what trophies you’ve earned. This is where my very strange competitive nature comes out. Challenge me to a race or football game and I’ll laugh in your face while stuffing mine with ice cream, but say that some guy in South Korea has more PlayStation trophies than I do and it’s on!
Before Blake and I start a new game, I sit down with my computer, open up a new tab on our trophy spreadsheet and chart out all of the trophies. I mark anything that’s missable, anything that may require some extra effort, and I read any trophy walkthroughs that are available online. Sometimes we both play games – we’ll drag the tv from our bedroom out into the living room and play different games side by side. Sometimes he just plays the game and I shout out directions to the nearest collectible or scold him for his lack of digital morals. It’s very serious, slightly embarrassing business, but it’s quality time that we get to spend together. And that’s all we’re really looking for.
Keep smiling!
Kaylina
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