COVID-19 is here and the government is telling you to stay home. For some of you, it sounds like a jail cell, trapped in the four walls of your suddenly shrinking house. Imagining this is I am Legend and opening your front door will only show you an empty and desolate post-apocalyptic world. For others, such as myself, staying at home is what I do best. And sure, I can easily spend an entire month playing video games by myself at home, but I’ve got some other things you can do to keep yourself entertained. And they aren’t all video games.
Duel 7 Wonders – Board Game – $25 – 30 minutes playtime, high replay-ability
My go to 1-on-1 board game. Easy to learn, difficult to master are my favorite types of games. I want to start playing fast (instead of reading the manual) and I want to feel I got better after each game. Manage your resources, and race to victory. You can win through a number of different strategies, but keep in mind what your opponent is doing at all times in an effort to hinder theirs. Hannah destroys me at this game, and I keep signing back up to get punished again.The Mausoleum is the best wonder and if you don’t go for it you are a weak minded individual. Want to up the ante? Keep all your score sheets so you can hold it over your partner for eternity… not that I would do that.
Clean Your Bathroom – Activity – 0$ – 30$ – 1 to 2 Hours
I’d argue that cleaning your bathroom has one of the highest yield of feeling good about what you have done– versus time put into it. The whiteness of the porcelain and the hair free drain will make you feel like you just did a remodel. Washing your hands in the sink will again feel like you actually are ending up with less germs then when you started, and your guests will be struck with how clean of a family you are (just don’t let them look in the master bedroom). I’ve got a plan of attack on cleaning bathrooms you might like. Start by taking a shower, turn the music way up (I go with pop here), and clean your way to the door. Clean your self, then your shower, the floor, toilet, sink, mirror, as you come to it. Leave the hot water running for a bit and create a warm, “sauna-like” atmosphere to clean in. Everything gets nice and moist for easy cleaning, and when you are done, you will have one tiny section of cleanliness in your house you can look at and admire after you leave your disgusting kitchen.
Do a Youtube Deepdive – Viewing – 0$ – 1 to ∞
Remember that time you were watching a seemingly innocuous YouTube video and your recommendations sent you down a dark rabbit hole of videos and suddenly it was 3 A.M. and you find yourself enraptured in a video about the vending machine industry? We are shooting for that same type of energy, but this time, on purpose. I won’t recommend a subject myself, these things tends to happen organically, but just go on that wonderful site and just see where the breeze takes you. My recent deepdives: Beat Saber Play-thrus, David Dobrik Vlogs, and Is Jared Kushner the Anti-Christ? And of course, if push comes to shove, Vine Compilations.
Play Undertale – Videogame – $15 – 4 to 20 hours
It is basically my dream that one day someone walks up to me and says, “Hey I played Undertale after you recommended it on your blog, loved it”. And then we laugh about the lesser dog and talk about our game theories and what kind of ending we got. Think of Undertale as less of a video game and more as interactive book. With some incredible story telling, some mind bending moments, and some heart breaking twists. It is one of the few games I feel supremely confident recommending to anyone. Gamer, non-gamer, ex-gamer, picky guy, whoever, it doesn’t matter. Treat it like a book and beat it in just a few sit-downs and I really think Undertale will speak to you as a form of art.
Read The Black Prism – Book – $6.99 – 10 to 15 hours?
My favorite book series of my young life so far. The Lightbringer series is what made me realize I love reading books. Take a Science Fiction novel, make it slightly more adult that Harry Potter (only slightly though), add an AWESOME magic system, and keep the series at reasonable length. Perfect. I want to sell this book to you, how do I do it? The magic is really cool: You have the ability to create magic of different colors. Each color has a different property (blue: sharp – red: flammable – green: bouncy – orange : slick – etc.) but using magic also has an affect on your personality (blue: organization – red: anger – green: wild – orange: deceptive – etc.) magic and personality become linked in a very cool way. Shaping this world with people with all sorts of talents and unique personality traits. The over-confident boy who can use all the colors but is a jerk, the girl who in the underdog and perfects using her one color, the commander who is a master of blue, but enjoys the virtues of colors instead. And of course, it’s a 4 book series, so if things get real bad you’ve got a lot of content here for quarantine staycation.
Bust Out the Classics – Video Games – Pricing may Vary – 40 Hours
Nothing will help you forget the stress of today than playing games that bring you back to the carefree times of yesteryear. The Nintendo Switch can enable this though it’s Nintendo Online feature, and you can be playing the greatest game of all time, Super Mario World, in just a few minutes. Instead of having to bust out the SNES your mom almost sold in that garage sale, blow out dust mites definitely more lethal than any viral strain, and then pray to the Japanese Tech lords that somehow you have a TV with the right connection ports., you can just play on your switch. But Super Mario Kart, Super Monkey Ball, Mario Party 4, NBA Street Homecourt, and Halo 1, all get my vote for very re-playable classics you can sink a lot of hours into TONIGHT.
Take Up Knitting – 1000 Hours + Potentially
Watch the Mandalorian – TV – One Disney Plus Subscription – 320 Minutes
I am not a Star Wars nerd, I have seen the movies like twice. I enjoy them, but I don’t need to consume every bit of Star Wars lore to be happy. But my viewing of Mandalorian was a treat. Without really understanding much about when in History this is taking place, I was still able to enjoy a ton of subtle references and inside Star Wars jokes all throughout it. (Including the hilarious Storm Trooper part so oddly inserted into the finale.) But the episodes are short, the world is inviting, and the character is hard to peel your eyes away from. It’s not the best TV series to watch right now but it easily one of the most accessible and consumable. If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s probably because you turn away from all things Star Wars…. I’d give this one a chance.
Most Importantly, Stay Calm – Free of Charge – Until Jesus Comes Back
Gamenotes 