It’s Labor Day today here in the US, so happy day off of work if you have it. Since I’m sitting at home and not doing much else, it seems like a good time to write a post about the future of the site. I’m not planning to quit or even to slow down my pace here. As I’ve said before, writing here, and writing in general, is one of the few things I do that keeps me sane and connected to reality. I intend to keep writing until the day I die, assuming God is merciful enough to let me go before I go senile. However, my situation is about to change a bit. I’ve been working at a contract job that allows me some flexibility and plenty of time off whenever I need it. The problem is I’m uninsured and have no real opportunity to make much more than I’m making right now at this job, so I’m looking for a regular salaried position again. That most likely means falling back into the endless hell that is litigation.
Or maybe I’m just being my usual pessimistic self, I don’t know
I’ve complained enough about the practice of law already, so I won’t get into much depth about it here. The part of this that’s relevant to the blog is that I won’t have nearly as much time to play games as I’ve had over the last several months. I’ll probably have to start working regular weekends again. And I’ll probably also have to start dealing with clients, which is a special kind of hell in itself considering the fact that the 25% or so of people who are fucking crazy in the world make up 90% of the trouble you end up running into in practice. (I’m including manipulative asshole lawyers in that 25%, by the way.)
So where does that leave my blog? And where does it leave me? As I said, I’m going to keep writing here on a regular basis. However, I’ll have to make a few changes to cope with the new reality I’ll be back in soon. Here’s my plan:
A greater focus on indie games
I already like playing and reviewing games that are independently developed and funded, made by a small studio or a guy in his basement. I find them a lot more interesting than some of the big AAA games on the market. I hope I’m not sounding too much like a video game hipster here (shit, I probably am one already if that’s a thing.) I just like how unpredictable these games are. The big developers and publishers usually have to play it safe, whereas the indie guys don’t — in fact, taking risks is a way for them to get noticed.
Games like Strange Telephone, a bizarre Yume Nikki-ish exploration game I’ve been playing
It also helps that these games tend to be a lot shorter to play. I have to face the fact that I won’t have time to play 50+ hour RPGs anymore. Though I’ll be making an exception for Persona 5 Royal, and also for Shin Megami Tensei V whenever the hell that comes out.
More anime/music-related posts
Since I have to change the way I get my entertainment, I’ll have to change the focus of the site slightly. This was always first and foremost a game blog, but since I’m probably about to lose most of the time I had to commit to games, I’ve been getting more back into other media. I’m going to keep my Seasonal Anime Draft series of posts going into next season and the seasons after that. I’ve also been listening to a lot more music while at work and stuck in my car and on the train to and from work, and some of it is the kind of game/weeb-related stuff you’d expect, stuff I’d be able to write about here in a hopefully meaningful way. I’ll never stop writing about games, but it will probably be more of a mix of games/anime/music going forward.
Even more complaining
Yes, even more. I’m still ready to pull out my soapbox at any time, so if I read about a development in the game industry or a related field that sets me off, I might go into brain-dump mode and post something here that I end up regretting but that I’ll never take down. Even if alcohol is involved.
I know I’ve used this screenshot from Welcome to the NHK! before but it really fits this time
So that’s the plan. I hope you’re not too put off by it. If I win the lottery tomorrow, I’ll quit working as a lawyer and dedicate myself to games and writing and whatever the hell else I feel like doing full time, but as long as I’m living in the real world, I have to accept real world responsibilities, as much as I’d rather not. Since I don’t find life to be much fun, though, I’ll keep escaping from it as much as I can, and writing here is part of that escape for me.
4 thoughts on “The Labor Day update: making adjustments”
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Everything is bad for you 
I think the people who are happiest in life are the ones who can get by on a modest sum. Work few hours and have more free time. Work is exhausting and eats up so much time. Unlike you, who enjoys writing, I often find that the blog loses out to games/anime when I have to sacrifice a hobby due to not enough hours.
I agree. If I had the freedom to live that way, I would. I also get taking more games and anime over writing. In fact, when P5 Royal does come out things might slow down here a bit, but they certainly won’t stop.
Good luck with the job hunt. I hope you end up in a position in your field that’s not so stressful. I swear, I have met some lawyers who are actually rather happy with their jobs and are not horrible people in doing so, so I know there are positions out there that leave your soul intact. Best of luck catching one, and I’ll look forward to the content you have in the meantime.
Thanks for your wishes. You’re right that there are lawyers who both like their jobs and aren’t jerks. I know some myself. I’m going to keep hoping I get a job that I can at least tolerate. And thanks — I’ll keep writing here no matter what happens.