Fun and its fathers

One of my fondest memories as a kid is me sitting beside my dad, watching him play half-life 2. Back then, the game served as a way for me to bond with dad. It wasn’t until much later, when I was able to play the game for myself, that I realized the variety in what something holds in terms of fun.

For context, when I talk about fun, I don’t mean gaming. Rather, I mean the concept of fun/entertainment itself.

Half-life was exalted by many at the time of its’ release for being innovative and fun. It was praised for mastering the “Run-Think-Shoot-Live” principle. A principle that allowed players to enjoy the game in various ways. There were shooting sections and puzzle sections all incorporated into this seemingly life-like environment. An environment that was affected by your actions.

And that’s just one part of the fun! The game, to me at least, was enjoyed for different elements. Some liked listening to its ambience and music. Others were invested in the very well-written story, if not already interested from the prequel to this game.

Half life is a good example of what fun in different forms is like, but it sure wasn’t the only example. Hollow knight, for example, was a game I enjoyed much earlier than I had played. Before I even got around to playing the game, I had already watched an hour long video going through the story of the game. Which was followed by me listening to the game’s music and investing into its community fanart. It wasn’t until a year later that I actually got to playing the game. And even then, I stuck to playing the game casually and taking the world, meanwhile my brothers had taken it upon themselves to go through the most challenging parts of the game because to them that was more fun. Another example is league of legends, a game I picked up for a few years and a game that I’m still invested in despite no longer playing. Simply because the world of that game is intriguing to me.


This isn’t limited to games either. In fact, it even extends to other forms of media, it just so happens that games are more encompassing of different forms of fun than anything else. Like, recently, I picked up this horror webcomic called “The SchoolBus Graveyard”. At first, I assumed it’s just eye candy with an immediate spook and that’s it. That was the fun that I was seeking. But, it turned out that the webcomic had much more to offer. It had thrill, mystery and a little bit of ambience. It had more to give, and I enjoyed that. Afterwards, I relayed the story to a close acquaintance. I spent about an hour rambling on about it and highly recommended that they read it. Thing is, my friend isn’t a reader. She enjoyed listening to me talk about the story for an hour or so much more than she might’ve done so reading it. And I enjoyed telling the story, so we both won. (That being said I still do wish that you read it.. You know who you are)


Fun takes many forms. We do things for fun, but oftentimes the fun we get out of something isn’t the most obvious form. Much like how I enjoyed Hollow knight for its story waaay before I enjoyed it for the playability aspect of it. Sometimes we play games to live through a story. Other times, we want to take up a challenge or feel a certain rush. Heck! Maybe we take fun in torturing ourselves by playing games like League of Legends! We can also just listen to the game’s music and dive in, forgetting everything for a moment. It really fascinates me how one medium of entertainment has the capacity to hold so much in so many different ways to each person that experiences it.


I’m not entirely sure why I wrote this the way I wrote it, but I feel cozy, warm and fuzzy on the inside having enjoyed games like half-life the way I did. From watching my dad play the game to playing it myself. Going down a road of talking about it with dad and eventually talking about its story with friends. It wasn’t until I babbled for over an hour about the game that it dawned on me how beautiful it is that we enjoy things differently. Even more beautiful is how our appreciation and taste grow with us. Maybe nostalgia serves as a factor that makes this more magical, essentially making everything I say a dreamer’s delusion. But I’m sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that somehow, someway, I’ll find yet another way to enjoy half life :P