Refining My Hobbies Makes Me Happy

Time is precious. And time is wasted when you are doing something you don’t enjoy. What better way to spend time with something that gives you a little cheer and excitement? My two main hobbies are books and video games, but sometimes I feel like I’m overgeneralizing these two interests. There is a specific genre of book I like to read, and a specific videogame genre I like to play — one that is perfectly catered towards my personality. I feel like I have found a good balance.

With that being said, I am very happy with the books I am currently reading, and I am so excited to add more to the list! Meanwhile, I have also made a list of video games that I am interested in playing! At first, I started playing Demon’s Souls (Ps3), but I realized I couldn’t capture pictures because I didn’t have a capture card. So I put the game aside for now. While playing Demon’s Souls, I recalled reading an interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki, who said Demon’s Souls was inspired by Shadow of the Colossus, which prompted me to wonder what has genDESIGN been up to? Lo and behold!

GenDesign’s Untitled game

Being a fan of Shadow Colossus, ICO, and The Last Guardian, I know I am going to play a good game. The trailer looks amazing!

Another game that I am interested in is Duskbloods, which happens to be an exclusive Switch 2 game. Now, I get the feeling I will be getting myself a Switch 2. I don’t know, though. Over the years, I had grown somewhat tired of FromSoftware games and its vocal fan base. Playing challenging games for the sake of challenge is not my cup of tea. Hopefully, FromSoftware doesn’t forget players like me who play for the environment. If I do become a Switch 2 owner, that would give me an excuse to play Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and 3, as well as other awesome titles.

There are plenty of other games I find interesting, but I highly doubt I will get to play them. For example, I am interested in adding PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse.

I played the first installment and appreciate the overall game’s craftsmanship. The art is pretty. The story is also interestingly funny even though it’s a horror visual novel. You could read my honest review here, if you haven’t already: PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo Review–I Found A Good Soap. I was laughing the entire time when I was writing the review. I wonder if readers can tell?

Another game I am interested in adding to my collection is Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. There’s a demo for Kunitsu-Gami, if you are curious. It’s a beautiful and strategic game. I don’t think there is a physical copy, but if you are interested in playing something new by Capcom, it’s worth checking out. I probably will get my copy on PSN because it’s still on sale until March 12, 2026. Although I am sure the Steam version will go on sale again eventually.

Help carve a path for the Goddess (screenshot from the demo on Steam)

I suppose I should have titled this blog post Games I Want to Play in 2026 because I already made one for books for this year. However, the entire point was that I found a way to refine my hobbies. Am I going to force myself to complete games and books as if I am on a tight deadline? No. I do what I can without pressure; become more selective of how I spend my time; and play a game based on my mood. This approach makes me happier. As the saying goes, “The tree that bends doesn’t break.”

Now I go to go deal with the Tyrant in Resident Evil Remasted 0…He looks like he spends way too much time in the sewer. Whew, he stinks! Someone could use a good soap.

Rebecca facing the Tyrant

On Introspective & Media Representation

“What you enjoy is a reflection of you.” I agree with this statement to some extent. While I identify myself as a Fromsoftware fan, I have never been the machoistic, bully type found on Twitter (now rebranded as X), telling people to git gud if they suck at video games nor was I the vocal type that attracted a big crowd of gamers to come together and created a positive gaming community. The latter sounds nice. I admire those who can interact and lead an online community, but that is beside the point I am about to make: When a friend of mine learned that I am a fan of the Soul’s games she immediately asked me why there was a Satan in the front cover of Dark Souls III, and why do I play a satanic game? You can find the long answer here in this blog post I’ve written a while ago: Dark Souls: What the Bonfire Says about Humanity. The short simple answer is I like to play a good game. Elden Ring has everything I want: good story, adventure, exploration, puzzles, character-building and dolling up in different types of armor! Well, I can deal without the massive open world, but I am not complaining so much about it anymore because I am having a good time with the game. So, if that above statement is true about what you like is a reflection of you then anyone who likes this game is pretty epic. I can take the compliment. 🙂

Currently, I use my Instagram account as a billboard to showcase video games pictures I have taken so far in Elden Ring. Like most folks, I do enjoy taking screenshots. Initially, I wanted to share it here, but there’s not a lot of media storage under the personal WordPress plan, so I stop storing pictures in the media library. Feel free to check out my Instagram account. I may also use it as a place to announce blog updates. Not sure though if I will stick with it, but let’s give it a whirl. I hope I can represent the medium in a fairer light and also personalized my blog a bit. You know…give it some personality.

Coming Up~More Elden Ring content

Resting at Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy Site Grace
Resting after defeating an optional boss fight: Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy. Had to take on Lady Tanith’s questline in order to unlock Rya’s questline.

So far, I have completed Rya’s, Sellen’s the Graven Witch, and Sorcerer Thop’s questlines. All of their dialogues add to the richness of the story. So, I am glad took on the quests despite having to invade other worlds, which ironically, despite playing all of Soul’s games I have never invaded someone’s world before until now. And oh boy I do feel bad even though it’s the NPC’s world and it’s part of the game! Look out for more blog posts from Elden Ring as I have some insightful thoughts to share!