I purchased a new video game for the first time in a while. I got it from an (the only?) independent store in my area. It's the NBA 2k game. I got it so I can socialize with friends around the country and so I can use it's terrible "pay to not grind" mechanics to my advantage. I play it on the elliptical machine for like an hour or when I want to catch up to some podcasts (just have to turn the game volume all the way down).

I could stress over the fact that 2k and take 2 is awful. There's a lot of gambling mechanics baked into the multiplayer. There's also a casino/slots aesthetic that permeates the whole thing (this is ostensibly a game for kids). There's been the union busting thing as well which is despicable. I try to remind myself that I've been avoiding contributing to the most profitable and cruel of the existing big gaming conglomerates for a good amount of time. It can be very discouraging what exists in the big budget pop gaming sphere. Ugh.

But there's good things about it too. The gameplay, the physics, the AI and controls are probably some of the best I've experienced in terms of dynamic sports games. My only alternative experience has been the EA NHL games so it's not that I've had the bar set very high. There is also a story mode with a story that is somewhat compelling! Not as good as NBA 2k16s Spike Lee story (yes that's real), but still it offers some good narrative motivation, decent challenges, and new ways to control the game (NHL could never).

The socializing has been good too! I used to play the Call of Dutys with my friends but those were not sitting well with me and my friends and we haven't gotten the latest ones. So I get to be back on an old habit of weekday evenings playing games with the homies!

I just see them anywhere 😭

Cute lil kitty! Mine is off sleeping somewhere.

I just got an used motherboard for my PC project, saved like 70€ because I was able to get it used and didn't get scammed. Got very lucky, even the screw holes in the case aligned perfectly. Feels good, and it feels like rest of the project will "align" as well as those screws. Now just the CPU, and the coolings, and the PSU.. and this and that, but it's going forward!

Otherwise we have been playing NFS Rivals on PS3 with my husband, it has been very fun. We play for hours after hours, taking turns, trying to get it to close to 100%. Luckily there is two of us so we have some motivation for snack and toilet breaks lol. Very nice, it's probably been years since I have had such fun with games.