Thoughts & Things

Nostalgia Gaming

Honestly, there is just something about playing old favourite video games that just feels good. It's like being a little kid again, and nothing distracts me from my problems quite as effectively.

Morrowind is a big one for me, although I genuinely just love the game. I've been playing it since it was fairly new, which was over a decade ago now. Nothing makes me feel at home quite the way a replay of Morrowind does. The later Elder Scrolls games have a similar impact on me by extension, but they aren't quite as old so I don't see them as one of the purest parts of my childhood the way I do Morrowind. I've been playing the Dragonborn expansion to Skyrim recently, as it is something I had not done much with before, and it gives me a ton of nostalgia. Dragonborn takes place in Solstheim, where the Bloodmoon expansion of Morrowind was set.

Any sort of simulation game tends to get me into that childhood mindset. Sim City variants, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Monopoly Tycoon, Sim Safari, and so on. SIm Safari was an underrated little gem that allowed you to build a safari, managing everything from accommodations for tourists, to helping the locals, to placing the flora and fauna. I actually remember learning about animals I was less familiar with as a result of this game. The Sims specifically was a huge part of my childhood, so I have a lot of nostalgia for the first two, and childish enjoyment of the more recent two. Today I have been playing Theme Hospital, which is definitely a favourite. It came out in 1997, so I played it all the time as a kid. I was actually able to get it for free on origin awhile back, so it's been nice to pull it out to reminisce about my childhood. I am also far better at it now than I ever was as a child.

It's nice to just have the chance to unwind with things I have played a hundred times. It doesn't take as much effort as a new game does. It makes me feel like I felt when I was home sick and all cozy as a child, rather than the helplessness I feel as an adult on sick leave. It soothes me.