Accomplishments

My previous posts have been a lot about frustrations, so this one will center on the positives. Why we raid, why we play challenging video games, why we have babies.

In the autumn of last year I bought the re-release of Baldurs Gate. Since then I have spent many hours reloading save games to do the same  fight over and over again. Why? Because BG is really, really hard. It is one of those unforgiving oldschool games from before the instant gratification generation of gamers. You know, one of those games where you actually feel like you accomplished something when you completed it. Where you celebrated winning the game and bragged to your fellow gamer friends about it, because it was an accomplishment and not a given that you got to the end of the game.

In short, we play these games because when we beat them, it feels amazing!

And it is all about the reverse of instant gratification with babies as well. You spend weeks, sometimes months changing them, soothing them, blabbering at them, cooing at them, smiling at them and get NOTHING in return. But you don't give up, you "reload" every morning and start over. Adjusting your tactics based on the previous experience and you try again. And then suddenly, after an uncountable amount of tries and "wipes" you get that flashing toothless smile one morning while changing your baby.

And that... that is why you have babies.