Well, it’s been about three years since I’ve posted anything. Any regular readers may have been wondering, where have I been, and what have I been up to? Will I ever return? While my last article mentioned why I had to quit, I will recap for those who may have missed it.
I had been getting light sensitive migraines around the time I took a break from blogging. There were also some personal problems at home that I am not comfortable disclosing. Additionally, I had started writing a book, and since the migraines were bad enough at the time, I prioritized what screentime I could manage to work on that short novel. Now that I’m likely to return to blogging, I think I’ll update my readers on how much of these issues have changed.
First off, there’s certainly some good news! The migraines are mostly under control. This is a massive relief, I can handle a lot more screentime, and as a result, I can dedicate more time to gaming, watching shows, writing my book, and yes, blogging. I’d also like to thank those who have been reading since I took a break from blogging, as the last two years have the highest view count in the site’s history to date.
My book is also coming along fairly nicely. I’m up to the 6th incomplete draft. Most of what’s missing are finer details, including gaps in the scenes that I didn’t figure out yet, as well as some of the extra flavor needed to flesh out my work. I also feel the characters need some refinement on their personalities. Incidentally, the entire plot is written, it’s just a matter of adding flavor to the book. That being said, I’ve encountered major writer’s block. With any luck, my return to blogging may help me break writer’s block. If nothing else, I’ll stay sharp and continue to hone my writing skills as I work through my writer’s block on that project.
Also of note, I recently got a Switch 2. While I have few Switch 2 games (or Switch 2 versions of Switch games), I did transfer my Switch library to my Switch 2, and have much more space in the new system’s memory for new games. I may cover my thoughts on the new system and the games I’m playing as I start up my blog again.
So you might be wondering, what’s next for That’s All Games? For the sake of full disclosure, I will not be posting on a regular schedule like I used to. Instead, I will post new articles more or less when they are ready and if I feel like it. In order to prepare you for what may be coming, here are some of the types of articles you might see:
- Gaming journals: Periodic accounts of what games I’ve been playing. This might be a weekly thing, but more than likely it will be no less than once a month. I may give impressions on what I think of the games I’m playing.
- Book updates: I might give brief updates on my book. Since these could be short posts, it might be combined into another article. These will show up when progress is made.
- Writing prompts: These will be relatively short samples of my writing based on a writing prompt I manage to find or create. Perhaps these will show up when I have nothing else to write.
- Journals: Miscellaneous updates about games, shows, movies, books, or other entertainment that I might’ve played or enjoyed recently. I might do this in place of game journals.
What probably isn’t returning:
- Full game reviews: Since I don’t get review copies of new games, it could be very difficult to cover a game in full in a timely manner. Instead, I’ll give my impressions of a game as I journal it. I may merely list pro’s and con’s as I detail my experiences with the game. If I have enough detail, I may give it a score and why I rate it the way I did.
- Videos: While videos may be a fun way to connect with others, they take way more time to make than articles do. Additionally, I’m not sure if my equipment is up to date for that purpose. Updating my equipment could be expensive and technical, so you won’t see any YouTube videos or Twitch streams, at least not in the near future.
- Game Story Case Studies: This was a neat project that I started on my blog, and something I want to revisit in a new form. I believe that this would be better suited as a form of educational material, perhaps as a series of textbooks for new writers, game writers, game designers, or other novices entering the entertainment field. If the process of turning this into books starts to occur, I will include progress updates in book update articles.
Now for a sample of what a journal update may look like:
Lately, I’ve been playing several games: They include Pokémon TCG pocket, Fire Emblem Heroes, (both on my smartphone) Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, Golden Sun: The Lost Age (both through Nintendo Switch online), Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and Deltarune chapter 4. Here’s what I’ve been doing in each of these:
In Pokémon TCG Pocket, I’ve been mostly collecting the diamond rarity cards for each set. I have all of the cards in this rarity from the oldest sets up to shining revelry complete. Currently, I am working on the set celestial guardians, with 16 cards missing in that set. I am also pulling cards from the most recent pack, Deluxe Pack EX, which is a limited time set that periodically returns in the future, supposedly. I have 120/353 diamond rarity cards in that set as of this writing.
In Fire Emblem Heroes, I am slowly working on taking a break from this game. It feels like it demands too much time to keep up with it, so once I gather at least 160 orbs, I will bulk summon heroes for a free 5 star rarity character, then take a break. I only do daily login bonuses and any free summons about to expire until then, with the exception of some training tower battles to get a free orb on the weekends.
In Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, I am getting every character to level 20. After that is complete, I’ll fill out their support conversations, then I’ll try to obtain enough money to reach maximum stats for all characters. This is something I was trying to do on my original copy on the Game Boy Advance, but I decided to replay this game on Nintendo Switch Online. Luckily, I got the silver card in this recent save file, which halves the cost of all items in any of the game’s shops, so it shouldn’t take as long to do. Incidentally, I plan on doing this in two more save files, so I can try each character in different classes, and to fill out more support conversations. I also want to tinker around in the multiplayer area against computer opponents.
In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, I have obtained the best equipment, and I’m leveling up the characters to max level. I think the highest level character is around level 72 currently. I am doing this so I can challenge the monster arena for a high score. I may post images of these high scores, (as well as the number of times I fight the game’s toughest boss in the arena) as I play through this. I may also post high scores in the first game as well (although not at max level).
I recently obtained Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The game seems to take a while to stop giving you tutorials, but thankfully they slowly give you more freedom as this occurs. I’m finding the game’s new combat system takes some getting used to. I’ve yet to figure out how to dodge moves mid battle, for example, so I suspect the game will get harder as I progress through it.
I’ve also recently started playing Deltarune. I’ve completed chapter 3, and am partway through chapter 4. I’m really enjoying the game’s story and characters. I wonder where they are going with all this, but it is rare that I laugh this hard at a game’s writing. The developers of this game are very talented, and if they keep this up, they have a bright future in game development.
And that’s all I have for today. I hope to continue to blog as a form of journaling, and hope to keep this up in the near future.
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