To create a game is to learn that the act of gaming is more important than your creation. The same can be said for preparing a game.
   The activity is bigger than the product or plan. The product is a tool of the activity, not the other way around. The same could be said about any creative endeavor.
An Augmented Reality
We live in an interesting world full of more things to do and more places to see than we can ever hope to accomplish.
Marketing teams remind me every time I check my email.
- RE: your next trip–Just For You
- Must-Try Activities
- NEW Weekend Deals
Social media knows what I look at and who I care about, targeting me with content.
- Flashy pictures of who, what, and where I search
- Click bait headlines of what I read about
- The ever-evolving drama of friends, family, and associates
Overwhelming amounts of advertisements lead the lists of our search engines and surround our shows, it is almost inescapable! Our constant connection to the internet can distract us with something new or something noteworthy at nearly every moment. Trying to reduce the number of notifications by unsubscribing, changing settings (in each app), and unfollowing people is a constant battle as software updates and mailing lists grow.
When was the last time you were bored? When was the last time you didn’t have something you needed to do?
I didn’t ask the last time you had to replace your cell phone.
I mean truly bored. Bored enough to try something new.
A War Is Being Fought For Your Attention
Your attention, your time, is precious and you only have so much of it. Just think about it.
When do you have a valuable attention span?
- First thing in the morning?
- Just before noon?
- After the kiddos are asleep?
What do you do with it and when do you spend time doing what you love? Do they align?
Fight Back
Make time for what you love to do. In the battle for your attention, you must make it a point to spend time doing what you love. Â Because when you are not, you are allowing all the distractions, all the advertising, all the junk – to occupy your valuable time.
What activity will make your heart sing? What do you create to share with others, enrich others?
Look around, if you have even one person nearby, you’ll see it. It isn’t just you or me. The clutter is robbing us of time with our loved ones too. Why do you think it is so hard to get people to show up to game? Everyone is short on time. Everyone is a victim.
If you are not standing up for what you love, you are letting it wither. Letting it just fade into the background – the void. So many things are vying for your time and the time of others, don’t lose the things you love in the process. Maybe you draw dungeons, maybe you write worlds, maybe you write for Gnome Stew. When people no longer pay attention to tabletop role-playing games, what is left of your creations?
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Don’t let your thing go quietly.
I love role playing games. We have been through thick and thin together. Like a constant companion, we have visited dangerous places, faced great challenges, and even managed to save the day on occasion. I have so many great friends and shared memories thanks to this hobby. I have been able to explore new worlds and creatively express myself without the repercussions of a society that is too quick to judge. I’ve been so many different characters and lived so many different lives. Who else can say that?
Profess your love, don’t hide from it. Â Don’t hide it from other people. Â
Take the time to stand up for what you are passionate about. Â Make a point to pursue the things you love, before they fade behind the noise of notifications or the next new iPhone game.
Make time for what you love.
What do you need to make more time for? How do you remind players to make time for gaming? How do you find more time for gaming?Â
Yes, definitely! I recently restarted my blog (also used as my jumping-off point) because I was spending too much time just scrolling Facebook and I realised I could be proactively doing, and reading about, stuff I love.
Amen and well said!