I discovered a new gaming blog I’m reading titled The Dragon’s Tea Party which combines gaming and drinking tea. There was one post I read titled Adulting and Gaming My Struggle to Do Both. This post just stuck with me because this describes my life at this exact moment. This post details their struggle with getting in the time to game when their time is taken up by exercise, cooking dinner, driving home from work, and fitting in eight hours of sleep. In the back of my mind, I thought about how rewarding it would be to finally get past this part in the Last of Us I’m stuck on. I look at my PS4 on the shelf and feel so guilty for not playing it more often.

Another part about playing video games is I feel guilty for spending the time to play video games. I could have been doing laundry or meal prepping for the week instead I chose to play a virtual game. However, every time I sit down and play a level in Lego Marvel Superheroes, I feel less anxious overall. Nothing is better than beating up supervillains with a Lego Hulk am I right?

Luckily, I have been able to play more video games recently. I just carve out the time to do so. During the week, I often limit my time to play video games to an hour. If I have too much screen time before going to bed, I won’t be able to sleep. One hour is the perfect amount of time to get past a level or at least earn an achievement or two. On the weekends I’m less strict because I have more time, still I will set a timer that goes off every two hours.

I need to stop feeling guilty about not being able to game one day. I also don’t want to be hard on myself by saying “Why am I gaming when I could be doing other things”. Gaming is like any other hobby and I don’t get why there’s this stigma about gaming and being lazy. The Last of Us will be completed eventually along with the Uncharted trilogy. Since I just got a PS4, let me know of other video game recommendations in the comments. Also, check out The Dragon’s Tea Party, it’s my new favorite gaming blog.

This idea popped into my head after I realized I had been using a walk-through while playing Sexy Brutale on my PS4. I had been trying really hard not to use a walk-through because this is a puzzle game it’s meant to challenge me. I eventually couldn’t figure out where I was stuck which lead me to pull up a video on Youtube to get me through this part of the game. It got me thinking, is this considered cheating? Can I actually take credit for finishing the game myself? I did use the controller to play through the part myself, but I didn’t actually figure everything out on my own. I’m curious to know what people think about this topic.

Usually, I will use a walk-through video or article for multiple reasons:

#1. I hate the game, the walk-through gets me through it.

If I genuinely dislike a game, I can’t leave it unfinished. It bothers me to such an extreme that I can’t play any other game unless I finish the game. I use a walk-through because I don’t want to get stuck, I just want to play through it and finish the game as quickly as possible.

#2 Collectibles

I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to look for every single collectible in a game. I use a walk-through to find all the collectibles and unlock the trophy or achievement I have been looking for.

#3 I’m stuck.

The third and final reason I use game walk-throughs is if I’m stuck. Sexy Brutale is a game I’m enjoying, but on one level I was walking around aimlessly trying to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing. After watching a video of where to go, I was able to move on to the next level.

Anyway, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on whether a walk-through is considered cheating, or if you use walk-throughs all the time and it’s no big deal.

I’m devoting much of my gaming to my PS4 at the moment, but every once in a while, the boyfriend recommends a coop game he thinks we should play. I wish there were more split-screen coop games for me and the boyfriend to enjoy, but they are rather limited. He suggested playing Octodad, a game all about being an octopus and managing typical father duties like grocery shopping and taking the kids to the aquarium. Overall, I found this game enjoyable, but I did have a couple issues with the game itself.

When mentioning Octodad, I find it’s important to bring up the origin story behind creating a game with an Octopus as a dad. Young Horses Inc was a company founded by university students attending college in Chicago. They created their original game in 2011 and it was a huge success. Young Horses Inc. launched a Kickstarter to create a new Octodad game that was much more polished which is the game I officially played on my Xbox.

Moving around is actually more of a challenge with the game because his limbs are so floppy. Me and the boyfriend took turns being the arms and the legs so now you’re coordinating with someone else on how to move Octodad. Don’t even ask me how we got Octodad up the escalator, it took some time.

The game is pretty short with only a couple levels. You could definitely beat this in one day if you took a couple hours to play through it. One part of the game I actually disliked was the view. While on the aquarium level, I had my limb wrapped around a ladder and I was physically stuck. I couldn’t get Octodad untangled. I wish I could have rotated the view so I could see how his limb was stuck so I could have gotten untangled quicker.

Ultimately, this game is a fun, laid-back game about an Octopus doing dad stuff. The game is out on Steam for PC & Mac, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, iOS, Google Play, and NVIDIA Shield.

If you have been following my gaming section on my blog, I have been writing reviews for Life is Strange: Before the Storm episode #1 and episode #2. This three-part prequel made the third episode available for download in December. Once I finished downloading it, I played the entire episode. Episodes #1 & #2 are rather slow-moving, but Episode #3 is easily the best episode of the series. The final decision you have to make at the end of the game is one of those “Oh no what do I choose” type of choices. This gaming review like all the others is going to be filled with spoilers.

Final Warning *Spoilers Down Below*

Episode #3 begins in Rachel’s house after James Amber (Rachel’s Father) tells her the woman he was kissing is her actual birth mother, Sera. Sera has been battling addiction for many years often putting Rachel in danger. Rachel’s father took Rachel away from Sera and is sending money to Sera every month to keep her away from Arcadia Bay. Rachel is beyond devastated having retreated to her room to be alone.

Chloe after cheering up Rachel devises a plan to use Frank to figure out where Sera is because ultimately, Rachel wants to meet Sera. This meeting goes downhill quickly as Rachel is stabbed in the arm by Damon Merrick a known associate of Frank. Chloe visits Rachel in the hospital and requests she goes into her father’s study and searches for any leads to her mother.

This is where things get interesting. As Chloe is searching for James’s study, she finds a secret phone. This secret phone belongs to Damon Merrick, the guy who stabbed Rachel. Damon has been hired by James Amber to locate Sera and kill her so she won’t interfere with Rachel’s life anymore. What the fuck!? I understand wanting to keep Rachel safe, but James is the district attorney for Arcadia Bay. He can’t just hire people to do his dirty work and not expect to get caught.

Chloe drives to where Damon is holding Sera. A struggle ensues and Chloe wakes up with Sera being freed and smoking a cigarette. Sera attempts to convince Chloe to never tell Rachel about all of this. Sera recognizing James’s threat to stay away, wants Rachel to have a normal life with plenty of opportunities she could never provide for her.

This is the “what do I do” moment. Chloe goes to visit Rachel in the hospital again where Rachel asks if Chloe found anything from her father’s study. You have two options: You can either tell Rachel about how cruel her father is or you can lie and say you found nothing about Sera. I chose the latter option. Obviously James Amber is shady and probably has done other illegal things, but I know that he wanted to protect Rachel. It didn’t make his actions right, but I also wanted to make sure to respect Sera. The other scene that hit me hard was when it shows Rachel’s phone on a table with Chloe calling her and the camera flashes in the background. If you played Life is Strange, you would understand how chilling this scene is.

To wrap up, Episode #3 is my favorite episode. This episode featured decisions that I had to contemplate whereas Episodes #1 & #2 had more fluffy choices which didn’t make all that much difference in the story. Please go play Life is Strange if you haven’t already, it’s my favorite game I played in 2017.