I would absolutely choose this mode without any shame. I already spend plenty of time in “Story Mode” difficulty; I don’t care to spend hours of frustration trying to hit just the right dodge pattern for a boss because I no longer have the finger dexterity that I did when I was 20.

Supergiant has always been great at music and soundtracks. I especially enjoyed the Bastion soundtrack.

“Mallyhacked” - meaning something that is broken or destroyed. I heard this phrase a lot from older folks during my childhood, but never by anyone who wasn’t from my area. My SO didn’t believe it was a real word so I did some digging and I think that it is likely a very regionally accented version of “malahack”.

Urban Dictionary says that malahack comes from the Lumbee-English slang of southern North Carolina. I don’t think that’s quite accurate because I’m not from anywhere close to North Carolina. My preferred reference is from The Vocabulary of East-Anglia: An Attempt to Record the Vulgar Tongue of the Twin Sister Counties Norfolk and Suffolk, as it Existed in the Last Twenty Years of the Eighteenth Century, and Still Exists: with Proof of Its Antiquity from Etymology and Authority; in Two Volumes · Volume 2 by Robert Forby, 1830:

Malahack, v. A word ludicrously fabricated, which means to cut or carve in an awkward and slovenly manner.

Several things are regularly in my “ponder and wonder” list, the most recent being:

• Chaos theory
• Higher dimensions (>4)
• The actual scale of space versus our normal human scale
• The idea of social/societal evolution (how can we be better together as a species)

I can get lost for a while in any of these topics.

I beat my head against Hollow Knight when it was released and set it aside after a while. I recently went back and somehow was able to get through it (I’m convinced they made it easier vs me getting better).

Make sure to explore and find all the story and world building tidbits. It’s definitely worth digging into, and I love some of the little side stories and character interactions as you go deeper into Hollownest.

I finished a playthrough of the legendary edition of the trilogy earlier this year. Still great and after all the time that’s passed since the original ME3 release I can almost accept the ending(s).

Grinding through nightmare dungeons in Diablo 4, and because I fell down a YouTube tutorial hole I’m retrying Frostpunk. Hopefully I can stave off the guilt from slapping makeshift prosthetics on orphans long enough to finish it this time.

I’m really excited for the first season, especially that they’ll start us with the altars and map cleared. That’s always annoying to do on a new playthrough. Now I just need to get my current character to tier 3 and finish hunting down the rest of the altars.

Modal or bamboo underwear - soft, stretchy, silky, the solution to everything I hated about cotton underwear. They are usually more expensive than Walmart (or other box store) brands and take more care when washing, but to me are definitely worth it. You can find them for fairly good prices on Amazon if you don’t want to splurge on name brands, but you have to do the research and check the reviews. You can get them in boxers, briefs, and thongs for men and even more styles for women.

I’m in my 40s and have been a gamer since the original Nintendo and Oregon Trail days. I really enjoy being able to talk about games with the younger members of my family. I even keep old games and consoles around so that I can introduce new generations to some of classic games (classic as in great, not “old”). Some of the greatest stories that I’ve ever experienced have come from games.

There has definitely been a shift in culture around video games, but they’re so new - relative to other “entertainment” activities - that I think it will take a generation or two before it goes fully from “something for the kids” to “just another thing adults do for fun”. When I’m old enough that my arthritic fingers can no longer move a controller there better be a brain-scanning headset that lets me play Diablo IX with my mind or I’m gonna be pissed.

As to dating / relationships, my only advice is to find someone who respects your hobbies as part of who you are, even if it’s something that they aren’t interested in.

I love Frostpunk but it’s one game that I have to play in bursts because it makes me completely depressed after a while. Definitely excited for the sequel but I’m going to have to psych myself up to actually play it. :)

Yeah the cult-management is way easier than I expected. I also recently went back to try Hollow Knight again, which makes CotL combat feel relatively relaxing.

Control is one of my favorite games for atmosphere. Plus I feel more superpowered than most super hero games once I’m far enough along in the story. The vibe will keep you going long after you’ve gotten used to the combat.

• Diablo 4 until I finish the campaign
• Coffeetalk 2 when I’m too tired to concentrate on fighting.

Currently have Cult of the Lamb on hold, and I also need to get back into No Man’s Sky and check out the new content.

Also salivating over Starfield videos 😁

I gave it up after a couple of weeks. I could see it being kind of fun in a group but none of my friends were playing it.