It’s been a hobby ever since the beginning, I think. First games I played were Spyro and Crash Bandicoot on the PS1. Went on to play the sequels, and eventually got into RPGs with Legend of Dragoon and Final Fantasy 9. Hooked ever since.
It was only an 8-part series, but I recently listened to Scamanda and really enjoyed it. Very in-depth look at Amanda Riley and her years-long scam of faking cancer to get hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations.
For an ongoing podcast, Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know. Goes into some weird and wacky news, history, and stories, very enjoyable listen. Also Scamfluencers for… well, stories about celebrity/influencer scammers.
Helps me to remember! When I was in school, even if I didn’t look back at my notes in great detail, something about the act of taking notes while listening to a lecture made the knowledge stick a bit better.
In school I would alternate between typing and writing notes in a notebook. These days I prefer writing them down in a journal or planner, though the notes app on my phone also comes in handy a lot!
You put why Buddhism resonates with me into such good terms.
I think that interpretation (dying and being reborn as a new “you”) in particular resonates with me on both a physical and spirit/soul level. While there are fundamental parts of us that remain for long periods of time, our bodies are constantly breaking down and rebuilding themselves on a cellular level, and on a more personal level, our minds are constantly growing, changing, evolving, and forgetting as we learn and experience new things. I’m still not entirely sure what death as an experience will be like, but looking at it this way (the current or future “me” ending and taking on some new form) makes the most sense right now.
Mental health and personal growth-wise, I also really like the focus it has not on worshipping a certain being or beings, but about learning, understanding, and trying to be a good person. It makes things feel more… reachable, if that makes sense. More down-to-earth.
Non-tech background sort of? Work in games but on the localization end of things.
In no particular order:
Final Fantasy XIV and XVI (Soken is a genius)
Transistor
Nier Automata
Genshin Impact
Destiny 2
The World Ends With You
Persona 5
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1/2
Honestly though the FF series as a whole kinda deserves its own special mention. The games have always had stellar soundtracks.
I feel really bad for the employees. Feels like the execs set them up to fail. Hopefully they land on their feet.
Animal Crossing New Horizons. Extremely chill, no pressure to do anything in particular, just a very “go at your own pace” type of game.
I’d be interested in an outlet that has reviewers actually finish the game before writing their review. I get the perceived need to release a review as early as possible, but personally I’m willing to wait if it means a more accurate, thorough review (I’m more of a “patient gamer” these days anyway).
Inviting guest reviewers could also be a good idea I think. Always good to get different perspectives and voices.
As for mediums, I prefer video for reviews as it allows for demonstrations of different aspects of the game. This is especially helpful when talking about a game’s performance and artistic direction.