8 Things To Do As A Gamer During Lockdown
As a gamer – whether you’re into board games or video games – you’re perhaps a little luckier than most during this coronavirus pandemic.
It’s not quite as difficult for you to maintain your hobbies, after all, although board gaming with regular groups might be more tricky thanks to social distancing rules. If you do find yourself at a loose end during quarantine and are looking for something else to do, there are plenty of alternate hobbies and interests you could be pursuing. You can also look at your existing hobbies from a different angle. Here are 10 things you can do as a gamer to keep yourself entertained during the lockdown.
- Work through your backlog
All gamers have shockingly long backlogs of games they mean to get to but never can. The quarantine period is the perfect time to take a look at that backlog and see if you can’t whittle it down a little. Of course, being in lockdown is no guarantee that you’ll be less busy than before, but with many of us furloughed, there’s a good chance you’ve found yourself with more free time. Why not have a look at your Steam library and see if there’s anything you can get started with? Alternately, if you’re a board gamer, see if you can get your family interested in something new.
- Try some browser gaming
Thankfully, the internet is still accessible to most of us during this time. If it wasn’t, we’d find our work impossible to complete and would start to slowly lose our sanity. If traditional gaming isn’t doing it for you, why not try some online browser gaming? You can often find diamonds in the rough or hidden gems if you look in the right places. Alternatively, you could look for something a little different, like online casino gaming with a platform like Betway. That way, you’re scratching your gaming itch and earning the chance to make some real money in the process.
“This info-graphic is by Betway.”
- Give writing a go
Whether it’s journalistic writing or creative writing, you’d be surprised how much you might have absorbed over the years of playing games. Why not have a try at writing something yourself? If you’re more inclined towards informative writing, you could try a review of something you’ve played recently, or a feature detailing your favourite aspects of a certain game or series. Alternately, take inspiration from the best games you’ve played recently to construct something creative. Don’t worry too much about originality, to begin with – you’ll develop a unique style as you write.
- Pick up a musical instrument
Your hand-eye coordination is already being sharpened every time you play a video game, so music could be the perfect way for you to further develop that skill. Research has shown that playing musical instruments has many benefits for us, both from a physical perspective and a mental health perspective. Besides, it’s just great fun to wail on a set of drums or strum a guitar absentmindedly. Don’t expect to be amazing at the instrument when you start; music takes dedication and time in order to truly excel. Stick with it, though, and you’ll have another string to your bow.
- Read some books
Very few media are similar to video games, but perhaps books have the most kinship with them. They’re both long-form storytelling devices that have the time to expand and unfold their narratives slowly, and you’re in direct control of how quickly the story moves along in both cases. If you’re a gamer but you’ve never really devoted any time to reading before, now may be the time to start. You don’t need to worry about lengthy classics; if that’s not where your tastes lie, there’s no shame in devouring pulpy detective novels or fantasy stories. Just pick books you like and spend a few afternoons with them.
- Learn to code
Coding is very similar in nature to playing a video game. It’s all about logical connections and creating ways for your code to make sense. By learning the basics of code, you’re also teaching yourself to assemble the building blocks of game development, so you could even think about creating your own video game. Even if you don’t want to take it that far, though, you could work on an app or think about web design. A gamer’s mind is often logical and lateral, which are both qualities that coding and software development value in spades.
- Get some outdoor exercise
Whether or not you’re allowed outside to exercise will, of course, vary depending on what location you’re in. For the most part, though, countries are now allowing people to go outside and get some fresh air, so you should think about beginning a new outdoor exercise routine if you can. Esports athletes incorporate exercise into their regular routines because being physically fit helps with co-ordination and reflexes. There really is no drawback to taking physical exercise; do whatever is within your power and you’ll thank your body later.
- Take up meditation
Maybe you haven’t thought seriously about taking up meditation before. You should, and here’s why. Meditation is extremely good for your health and has been shown to lower stress and blood pressure. Gaming – whether it’s video gaming or board gaming – can be quite a stressful hobby, and one of the best ways to unwind after a particularly difficult session is to get in some meditation. You don’t have to subscribe to an entire yoga philosophy in order to meditate. There are plenty of services out there offering beginner meditation courses and classes, many of them for free.