2023 was the year small things kept me happy. Sometimes these small things helped me hold onto my sanity. These are the good, small things I enjoyed in 2023.
Gacha games
One of the surefire soothing agents for anxiety in my experience is keeping a routine. Gacha games have been key to me establishing and maintaining a daily routine. I wake up and I clear my dailies in Goddess of Victory: Nikke. In the afternoon, I log into Honkai Star Rail (HSR) to collect my stellar jades and as many resources as my Trailblaze Power affords.
I’m no stranger to gacha games, but I’d previously found them unrewarding. At their best, it’s like winning exactly seventy-two dollars on the pokies. At their worst, it’s the inverse of that: small stakes gambles with flashing lights and no real pay-off. My 2 favoured titles buck this trend in different ways. Nikke gifts players all kinds of valuable resources on an almost daily basis, and gives you ample opportunity to earn what is not outright given to you. HSR is far stingier, but the production values are akin to what you’d find in AAA role playing games (ie. games with huge budgets).
I’m not proud of playing Nikke. It’s, if I’m being charitable (and slightly disingenuous), too horny. It is salacious. Problematic. Disgusting. It’s also the best 3rd person cover shooter I’ve played since Gears of War. It has asynchronous multiplayer which causes me to think about team compositions far more than I should. It has an oddly compelling and occasionally well-written campaign, which is updated every few months. The premise of Nikke’s narrative is ‘what if Ghost in the Shell was more horny?’ and I’m surprised it works as well as it does. Nikke also has various modes to test your skill and understanding of its systems, which are surprisingly deep. Nikke is the first gacha game I’ve played where I can see how people play it without spending money: players are regularly given free opportunities to recruit and upgrade units. It’s also a game played by many a whale (ie. someone who invests unbelievably-high amounts of money on in-game currency and resources).
HSR, on the other hand, does not elicit shame. Its regularly-updated campaign doesn’t feature the raw magnetism and generosity apparent in Nikke, but it does feature beautiful visuals and fantastic voice acting. With each update that drops every 60 to 90 days, HSR also tries its hand at mechanics outside of the traditional turn-based RPG. Aethereum Wars presented me with a somewhat shallow impersonation of Pokémon. There’s ghost hunting, furniture delivery, creature breeding?! What drew me in most with HSR though is the Simulated Universe, an interesting twist on the traditional RPG dungeon. You select a path for each run and boons after each room in the dungeon as you take on increasingly-difficult encounters. Variants like Swarm Encounter and Gold and Gears introduce additional paths, more types of enemies and encounters, and some additional, at times obtuse, mechanics to master.
Both games also feature vastly different and memorable soundtracks. Nikke’s fusion of industrial, metal, house, muzak and ballad contains many ear worms. HSR’s sweeping orchestral soundtrack is beautiful, and doesn’t tire over months of repetition.
Play more free, horny games. They’re good!
Birkenstocks
Since age 18, I’ve been an adherent of slides. Not thongs. Not sandals. Slides. Adidas and Nike both make comfortable products, and I probably spent 99 percent of my free time wearing slides produced by either brand. That is, of course, until the Year of Our Lord, 2023.
A friend was wearing a pair of ugly, disgusting sandals they lovingly referred to as their ‘Birkies’. There were also a disciple of the slide in their youth. He promised me I would never go back to slides once I got my own pair.
They were right. The slide is dead. Long live the slide.
Lexapro and a good doctor
Please note: I am not a doctor. Please talk to a medical professional about the treatment most suitable for you.
Last year I wrote about my troubles using Agomelatine, an anti-anxiety medication. Agomelatine did a decent job managing my anxiety, but the resulting exhaustion that came from prolonged use led to frustration, feelings of isolation and, eventually, depression.
While I did try to live and work without anti-anxiety medication, it wasn’t long before I decided I needed regular treatment. I may have had the energy to do more, but I felt trapped by familiar feelings of inadequacy and anxiety.
After discussing my feelings and symptoms with my doctor, I agreed to trial Lexapro. It comes with a different set of side effects to Agomelatine, but for me they’ve been much less severe and manageable. Since I started this treatment, the devil on my shoulder now has to contend with an angel. This angel is so patient. It talks the devil down from the ledge without my heart and mind racing. I like myself again, and I’m more patient with myself.
All of this would not have been possible without the ear and advice from a good doctor. I’ve been so blessed to have a regular doctor for the first time since I lived at home with my parents. May we all be so lucky to have a considerate general practitioner in 2024, available as often as we need them, at a minimum of cost.
Blowback
Blowback is a well-researched podcast series that examines the ‘blowback’ from various American foreign policy regimes. Each season focuses on a particular conflict, with Season 4 looking at the American presence in Afghanistan in the lead up to and aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks.
In addition to presenting revelation after revelation, Blowback features a fantastic soundtrack composed by Brendan James, one of the show’s co-hosts. Brendan also exhibits a seemingly-burning desire to sound like a character from Metal Gear Solid (a desire I understand at a primal level).
Fire Emblem Echoes
I’ve owned Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia for 6 years now, and only just decided to play it. Not only is this 3DS game better than the most recent iteration of the franchise that was released in 2023, Fire Emblem Engage; it also genuinely tries to do some new things with regards to mechanics (ie. the systems you interact with in the game). Some of them work, some of them don’t.
Either way, I loved my time with Alm and Celica. Their branching campaigns introduce some truly daunting enemies (good luck if you decide to play this in Classic mode, where dead allies are permanently out of action) and absolutely fiendish maps. Brutally difficult, but great fun.
Hell on Earth
2023 was a big year for me listening to history podcasts, and Hell on Earth was genuinely fascinating to me. A spin-off series by Matt Christman and Chris Wade from Chapo Trap House, Hell on Earth posits that the 30 Years War was the force that gave birth to modern capitalism.
It’s comprehensive and, at times, a little hard to follow (mainly because there’s so many players with similar names!). That being said, I’m still planning to make some time to listen to it from end-to-end all over again.
‘A monk and robot’ books
Becky Chambers' optimistic science fiction books about a tea-serving monk navigating a minor existential crisis with the help of a delightful robot are wonderful medicine to imbibe in the dark present.
I strongly recommend it if you find yourself wondering ‘Why am I here? What am I supposed to do with my time on this planet?’
Classic movies
Have you seen Chinatown? You should watch it. Glengarry Glen Ross is also sick.
Watching Glengarry Glen Ross also helped me appreciate a whole swath of references I did not appreciate were being made in basically every comedy series produced since 1992. Jack Lemon’s performance is funny and memorable. Ed Harris rules.
I need to watch more movies, is what I’m saying.
Blasphemous
On a whim, I downloaded Blasphemous a few weeks ago. I finished it within a week.
For those who don’t know, Blasphemous is a Catholic-themed 2D platformer with very difficult melee combat which was released in 2019. I loved every second of my 2 playthroughs because Blasphemous is the most coherent, well-directed game I’ve played in years. There’s no bloat to this game. Even the secret areas were fun to find and play around in.
Blasphemous also features a brilliant soundtrack. I highly recommend the Nintendo Switch port which I forgot I purchased years ago. There’s no compromises with this version: load times are just as fast and it looks just as good on the portable console.
I did download the sequel as well, but haven’t really enjoyed my time with it. It plays like the creators are trying to stretch the systems from the original game to extend the playtime. I think I’d rather play the original again so I can discover that last 1% of the map.
Watching sports
I spend so much time watching sports. If Carly and I are hosting you, I’ll joke that it’s all because of it being Carly’s sole passion. In truth, sport has been a constant source of joy and intrigue throughout the year.
First, a declaration: e-sports are sports. With that in mind, I’ve watched more sports this year than any year in my life. I’m still very much into the Battle Royale first person shooter, Apex Legends, and I spend more time watching the pros play and practice than I have engaging in any other activity. The Apex Legends scene appears to be declining, with multiple organisations exiting the sport (I still can’t believe Luminosity Gaming dropped the Chivas lads), and many well-performing teams disbanding, reforming, or being dropped by their sponsors altogether. The key reason for this, in my view, is the dominance of team TSM.
TSM have won almost every major competition since the game’s release, and have done so in increasingly spectacular fashion. The Apex Legends Global Series’ final LAN tournament of the year ended with TSM clutching up and scoring 3 straight wins to come back from the bottom of the table. The final match was so good to watch. TSM had no right to survive until the final engagement: they had a team perched directly above them, they had no cover, and still they won! I loved every minute of it.
I’ve also spent some time watching the burgeoning womens scene, also following the TSM women's team. Janey and Sabz are as mechanically competent as any men on the scene, and I hope they continue to enjoy sponsorship and success.
If you are interested in getting into pro Apex Legends, there are 2 streamers you should follow on Twitch. NiceWigg regularly hosts watch parties for pro scrims (ie. practice sessions) as well as minor and major tournaments. HisandHersLive are also worth a follow as they host their own womens tournament series (sponsoured by ALGS pro, Jacob ‘HisWattson’ McMillin and the aforementioned NiceWigg), as well as shoutcasting (ie. commentating) for some minor tournaments. As for players to watch, you can’t go past TSM’s Imperial Hal (he can be too intense, so maybe try his teammates Reps and Verhulst). I would also recommend following variety streamer, aceu who regularly dominates casual Apex Legends on his own.
I also enjoyed sports that aren’t played with a keyboard and mouse. The Brisbane Broncos run to the NRL grand final was truly a joy to watch, even when they fell at the final hurdle. The Moto GP has also been compulsory viewing, with Jorge Martín almost denying Francesco Bagnaia of a second consecutive championship. I even attended my first race this year! Phillip Island on race weekend has such a calm, welcoming vibe, even when it’s raining sideways on race day.
Finally, I started watching Formula 1 this year. The races themselves are boring compared to their motorcycle counterparts, but I love hearing the fancy lads over the radio. Always funny stuff.
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