an open-universe game.

if you know, you know.

it all seems, in one way or another, to flow back to this simple truth - at least for me.

for as long as i can remember, i've thought of life as journey. i imagined a sort of winding trail with a defined beginning (birth) and definite end - hidden from us, right until it's not (death). my purpose was to traverse the path, staying "on-track", marching towards an honorable finish, or at least an honorable mention. that all rings hollow to me today somehow. feels a bit 2-D, you know?

i'm questioning whether the rare gems of life might actually grow somewhere off the proverbial path.

i've always had a love affair with open-universe video games. they give me a potent hit of artificial freedom at times when i've felt boxed in in my real life. there's something about just being able to go anywhere you damn please, anytime you like - just because. unlike the popular sports video games that trap you in there pre-defined and rigid rules, painted polygons and timing conventions, open-universe video games allow you to be the architect of your own path in a way.

the juice for me is in just enjoying the created universe. exploring it, testing the limits, meeting its inhabitants, experiencing its time horizons and learning how to navigate the menu of things that come your character's way. i've had entire afternoons melt away like this in my younger days.

my favorite games aren't path-based journeys, they don't have rules, and most importantly make me lose myself in the created universe.

term of the day: greenlight by Matthew McConaughey. i'm reading this book now, and i'm riveted. how thoughtful and resonant.

song of the day: Nobody by Nas (ft. Ms. Lauryn Hill). speaks for itself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=234OiGtOvII