Wrestling with Digital Identities: Moral Storytelling & WWE 2K25

Dr. Gamology and Marcus dive into the psychology of gaming personas, exploring how the characters we play reflect aspects of our true selves. They share excitement about WWE 2K25's new MMO-style island feature and discuss how professional wrestling storytelling mirrors character development in games.

• WWE 2K25's innovative MMO-style island allowing character progression from indie wrestler to superstar
• The psychology behind John Cena's shocking heel turn and what it means for wrestling storytelling
• Creating meaningful gaming personas that reflect real personality traits
• Experiences with Monster Hunter Wilds as a newcomer versus veteran perspectives
• How weapon and playstyle choices in games reveal personal problem-solving preferences
• Gaming achievements across Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Octopath Traveler 2, and Elden Ring
• The appeal of cozy games like Disney Dreamlight Valley as stress-relief
• Connection between streaming personas and wrestling character development

Join us next week as we continue exploring the fascinating intersection of gaming, identity, and personal growth!

Chapters

• 0:42 Intro to Gaming Persona Podcast
• 10:35 0] Exploring Gaming Identities & Personas
• 17:41 7] Monster Hunter Experiences
• 22:31 5] Recent Gaming Adventures
• 24:08 WWE 2K25 Pre-Order Excitement
• 1:25:23 Wrestling Storytelling & Character Turns

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Gaming Persona Podcast. This is the show that explores who we become when we play games, Whether you're saving kingdoms, leading epic raids or just vibing in cozy indie worlds. Join me, Dr Gamology and my good friend Marcus, as we search for all the ways gaming and personal growth collide. Grab your controllers and let's continue the journey Now. Continue the journey now. So, Marcus, I have to go into the PlayStation Store right now and pre-order 2K25, because it comes out in three hours.

Speaker 2: 0:35

Actually, I was actually going to talk to you about that because they're doing something in that game. But before I even mention the game, it comes out tomorrow. I thought it comes out next week.

Speaker 1: 0:43

The pre-order play period starts tomorrow.

Speaker 2: 0:52

WWE2K25 release March 14th.

Speaker 1: 0:56

It says yeah, but the early access for pre-orders is tomorrow.

Speaker 2: 1:01

Oh, because if you get the Deadman or the Bloodline edition, you will get early access starting on March 7th. Yes, the Dead man or the Bloodline edition, you will get early access starting on March 7th.

Speaker 1: 1:07

Yes, I just bought the Bloodline edition Live on the show. Wow.

Speaker 2: 1:12

Wow, See wow.

Speaker 1: 1:17

Nothing's going to keep me away from my tribal chief, Marcus.

Speaker 2: 1:23

What do you think of the no beard? I think it looks great. I think Marcus, yeah, yeah. What do you think of the?

Speaker 1: 1:25

no beard. I think it looks great. I think I think that it's a cool look for you. Well, it's different, right? Yeah, I've only seen it like maybe four times our entire friendship.

Speaker 2: 1:39

Yeah, want to hear the funny story of it.

Speaker 1: 1:43

Sure yeah, tell us.

Speaker 2: 1:45

So my kids go to private school and it's a Catholic school. And so they came home and it's Easter for Lent, and they're like Daddy, what are you giving up for Lent? And I'm like I eat salad, I eat yogurt, I've given up all the bad stuff. I'm like ooh, what am I going to do? I'm going to give up my beard for 40 days.

Speaker 1: 2:08

Wow, I was thinking. Other alternatives are like backward facing hats. You could give that up for 40 days.

Speaker 2: 2:16

Yeah, but then, yeah, I could do a four. No, I think the beard is go big or go home, dude. They gave up candy, like for me, like for them.

Speaker 1: 2:24

that's like the world ending yeah you should you should never promise things that you're gonna regret that's right, so I'm not gonna regret losing my beard yeah, your face will feel significantly less itchy, much more hygienic. People see your smile and be able to understand your facial expressions. There's all kinds of benefits to this.

Speaker 2: 2:48

Yes, but back to this WWE 2K25 thing. I'm glad you said that, because that means I'm going to get it. Oh, I wonder when you can pre-download it.

Speaker 1: 2:59

Oh, I don't know. I'm going to have to check that out after we're done recording.

Speaker 2: 3:02

Sure, the thing I wanted to actually talk, talk to you about and you brought it up and it's like magic is happening that it comes out tomorrow is they're doing something new. Did you see that they're doing this like mmo style island the island, yeah, where there's going to be quests, and I'm like what kind of quests? And I want to know if is it going to be like mortal combat quests, where you're going to walk up to Jey Uso and be like, hey, man, I got beef, let's wrestle and then you do a match, or is it going to be like, hey, you got to go to the gym and go clean the gym towels because you lost a bet? You know what I mean?

Speaker 1: 3:38

I think it'll have all of that. Actually it's. It feels very similar to me as what the NBA 2K games try to do with their neighborhood. Or you have street games, you have in the gym games, you have workouts and drills and you increase your stat points by doing different things. That's what I imagine it's going to be.

Speaker 2: 3:59

Yeah, I'm intrigued by that, because so many times I just don't feel like doing just a match and I think for me as a casual MMO player, like that might get me to hook myself in. Oh, I can sign in for 20 minutes and go do a quest, or is it that you're like a rookie and you're building yourself up on this island trying to get noticed? You know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 4:29

There's a giant statue slash building that is shaped like Roman Reigns. So I think the goal of being recognized or being acknowledged on the island is the main crux of the story. If I had to guess, yeah, I'm eager to see.

Speaker 2: 4:45

I always am excited for my first match, because when Ryan and I play, he's always Cody Rhodes, like right away, first character, boom. And my first character is Kevin Owens. And he says to me tonight, he's daddy, when 2K25 comes out, who are you going to be? You can't be Kevin Owens. And he says to me tonight he's daddy, when two K 25 comes out, who are you going to be? You can't be Kevin Owens. I said Seth fricking Rollins, pal, he goes, oh that's a good one.

Speaker 1: 5:18

I saw a really interesting thing on social media that I didn't have time to process, but my head is spinning Sure on social media. That I didn't have time to process, but my head is spinning Sure. And Cody Rhodes had that two month feud with Kevin Owens to close out 2024. And now he's facing off with John Cena, who just turned heel for the first time in his 23 year career. 's the bad guy he joined the rock. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain. Right wait, can we?

Speaker 2: 5:53

back up if we're gonna do, if we're doing wrestling, talk, can we like? Can john? Can you explain john cena to the people who aren't wrestling people? That's why it's so big that he turned bad.

Speaker 1: 6:07

I will, but. I want to finish the Cody Rhodes point first. Oh shit, here we go, the picture of him being hoisted up on the shoulders of Sami Zayn and Jey Uso from Wrestlemania, from WrestleMania, from right to left. Okay to left, like reading manga Japanese. Right to left. The order is Kevin Owens, john Cena, sami Zayn, jey Uso, randy Orton. What if everyone turns on Cody Rhodes this year? And that's the order that he feuds with them?

Speaker 2: 6:54

interesting like.

Speaker 1: 6:55

That's the classic picture. Cody Rhodes dethroned Romanigns. Wwe is holding him up. He's their champion. We're triumphant. The good guys won at WrestleMania 40. But two of those celebrators have already turned on Cody Rhodes in the order that they're standing in in the picture, and I just feel like WWE sees that as a storytelling opportunity that's really interesting, man that is.

Speaker 2: 7:30

I'm looking at the picture right now so that, yeah, I that's interesting. I mean they say paul Triple H, everything is connected and of course pictures and like conspiracy theories and all this stuff, but it feels almost like he's known all along how far it's going to go.

Speaker 1: 7:56

It does feel like that, and that's one of the cool things about telling your story week by week, getting to see what the reactions are and reflect, and then you write your next story, right.

Speaker 1: 8:09

But also you have to have a mindset that we're not just throwing random stuff in here because we might be able to use this later. And I just want to say Triple H is doing things on a worldwide level that I cannot fathom. But there were times when I was writing my book where there was a little bit of that, where I would deliberately foreshadow something only but not fully explain it, with the idea that I'm going to come back in about 10 chapters and fully explain that. So if I'm having that mindset with what I do for the length of time I've been doing it, and then you think Paul Levesque is a lifelong student of the game of professional wrestling. He clearly loves this stuff and studies it, and now he's the lead creator of it. I think that's very likely that we don't even understand the amount of things that go over our head that also are connected and we just missed it.

Speaker 2: 9:19

Yeah, yeah, I think the storytelling in the last two years has been incredible. If you're looking at it year over year, where, if you look at one month snippets, it's like the stock market. The stock market goes up and down, but over. If you look at it over the year, it like stays, it balances itself out over, and maybe it's not every day but over time right. But when you look at it month to month, you could be like, oh, this month's story hasn't been great, but triple h over the course of the last couple years has blown it out of the water with the story.

Speaker 1: 10:00

So back to the conversation about who some of these people are. John cena has been the face of wwe since, probably going back to the. I think. He debuted his first world championship in 05 or 06 and then he was the hero role which they call baby face. In wrestling has done the most make-a-wish meetings of anyone on the planet, right? So he's not just a good guy in the ring, he's the goodest guy on the planet, right. So he's not just a good guy in the ring, he's the goodest guy on the planet, right, arguably, if you follow him on twitter, which he follows me on twitter, which is one of my biggest claims to fame, really but actually I remember, I actually I remember when that happened.

Speaker 1: 11:02

Yeah, and even with his turning bad in the WWE story, his posts are still inspirational kinds of posts every day, like about believing in yourself, tuning out the negativity, being able to go after your goals, being willing to sacrifice, being willing to just have self-belief to do anything. Those are the things that John Cena talks about. I even have an inspirational devotional book by John Cena in my office somewhere.

Speaker 2: 11:40

Never give up is his slogan.

Speaker 1: 11:43

But's the thing. I don't think joining the rock is a sign of giving up. In fact, I think it's smart because and we've talked about this so many times, marcus, I don't remember if it made it into any episodes, but let's talk some Elden Ring really quick, here we go.

Speaker 1: 12:06

All right, I have made this metaphorical bridge happen so many times. You already know where I'm going. If your goal is to defeat a boss and there is something you can do to make yourself more likely to win, there are some Elden Ring players that say, yeah, but you won in a cheap way, so you're not really very good at the game. But my approach is it does not matter in professional wrestling if your buddy hits the guy in the head with a chair and then you pin them and you take their title, or if you hit them with your finisher and you take their title, because both of those stories end with and new WWE champion.

Speaker 2: 12:55

Yes, the other side too is of with John Cena, and your metaphor Is that it's so hard for people to fathom what has happened. He has the most make-a-wish granted. He is granted more make-a-wish than any other person ever. This man is loved generationally Men, women, children, grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunts Like this guy is loved, and what he did on at Elimination Chamber no-transcript also WWE is so smart, so slick about that moment.

Speaker 1: 14:01

Because who else was in the ring for that moment? Marcus the Rock? No, who else was in the ring? Travis Scott, travis Scott I don't know who that is, but apparently millions of people do and that's a big deal and that's going to get eyes on that moment in a way that just WWE fans wouldn't hit.

Speaker 1: 14:25

But it reminds me of the 90s, when the New World Order had Dennis Rodman showing up, where you just get these people in the ring.

Speaker 1: 14:33

Or Mike Tyson showing up on WWE in the mid 90s during his boxing suspension. You get these people in the ring that amplify the audience and then you get moments that can be timeless. And so Cody Rhodes and John Cena are the same character at two different points in the timeline, are the same character at two different points in the timeline. They're just both super good dudes that belong in the running to be the world champion, and they were set up after John Cena's win at Elimination Chamber to face each other for the title at this year's WrestleMania. But the thing about wrestling is it's much more compelling when you have a good guy and a bad guy, and so one of them, by this logic needs to be the bad guy, and Cody Rhodes has been the bad guy before not in his current run in WWE, but before he has. So you would think maybe it's him and they were teasing that. Maybe it's him, with the rock wanting his soul, trying to channel shang tsung for mortal combat, their final boss of mortal combat.

Speaker 2: 15:46

One I did not. Okay, on every bingo card I had, I never thought they would pull the trigger on john cena turning bad guy. I thought CM Punk was going to win and or John Cena was just going to win and some other fuckery was going to happen. But the magic of it all was Seth Rollins screwed over CM Punk, john Cena capitalized and then John Cena turned bad. The picture of John Cena looking at the rock when he's about to annihilate Cody Rhodes is a face I'll never forget.

Speaker 1: 16:29

They're both legitimately actors now. They pulled off that moment really well the verbal part, the nonverbal part. Really well the verbal part, the nonverbal part. When I was talking with my son the afternoon before that event, he floated out the idea that could happen. I told him the same thing. I told you I thought Seth Rollins was going to win. I was not correct, but my son's idea is roughly what happened and that is mind-blowing to me that he called it because there's no reason to believe that would actually happen that John Cena would turn and become the villain for this final year of his career. But it's super fun and since we are a video game podcast, it started out with the pre-order for 2K25. I've been thinking a lot about what I am professionally and what I do as a streamer and how those things are more convergent now than they used to be.

Speaker 1: 17:35

So I think, despite not liking one of these modes in 2k, I think I'm gonna have to stream some 2k 25.

Speaker 2: 17:46

I I was actually just gonna say that what I think you do is I think you should create a make a character like sign in, make a character like a fresh, like gamology. Or you can make make a Marcus character and make the story and build that character and play it on stream, maybe one day a week, and play that character through the story mode and build them up the ranks or the character through your streams and your persona of that character and what the gimmick you play in the game will be the gimmick you can play when you're playing that character you know, I was editing the footage from the twitch stream where I did my lecture and it's just me talking and I can read the chat.

Speaker 1: 18:45

But it's me, my powerpoint and the chat and there were moments where I was on such a roll and you could tell everything I was saying. I completely believed on a cm Punk believing what he's saying kind of level and I just thought to myself, oh my gosh. There are moments not every time, but there are moments when I'm talking about video games and mental health, modern mythology, where I really am doing my best to get that same feeling that professional wrestlers get when they're cutting a promo. I I wonder all the time what it would be like to be a professional wrestler.

Speaker 1: 19:29

Honestly, I know painful yeah, I've had some injuries that make that unlikely in a very poor life choice for me, but I still think about it all the time. It just seems like such a fun profession to get to bring to life every day.

Speaker 2: 19:47

Yeah, sure.

Speaker 2: 19:48

I see that and I'm going to talk about 2K is I've never in the 2K games. I've never actually played any of the modes, except straight up. I'm gonna call it free play of wrestling, where I play it with my son and we're just two wrestlers and most of the time he'll pick my character and he'll be cody rhodes and he does the whole entrance thing, whoa, in like real life and it's pretty rad. So this time I'm eager to get it because I want to play the other modes. But I want to see do they have it? They have it on steam. Is it available on steam?

Speaker 1: 20:33

that's a 2k25 right there I think the ps5 version has the island. I don't think the steam version does.

Speaker 2: 20:44

Be careful the other thing that they're doing this year in that game is intergender wrestling. So I'm going to be able to be dominic mysterio or rhea ripley and beat the crap out of dirty dom that's pretty cool or be elizabeth and have her beat up. Macho man Randy Savage from back in the day.

Speaker 1: 21:01

That's funny.

Speaker 2: 21:02

You know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 21:02

Yeah, they always had these weird rules where they'd automatically walk away from each other and you couldn't interact, so I'm glad they changed that. Valuable as a resource for people is. A lot of my professional work actually is involved in helping people who gamble, and one of the things that has been on the rise for at least a decade strong are these different kinds of microtransactions in video games that use the same psychology as gambling games do and cause people to spend excessive amounts of money, and 2K for WWE actually has this mode it's called my Faction where you open up digital packs of cards. Those cards have wrestlers with a rating on them and you want to get the highest level of jewel right, so there's galaxy opal, pink diamond, sapphire, amethyst, and the better type of gem is the strength of your wrestler and also the number, so a number between 1 and 99 and you want the rare cards in your deck so that you can use them, because whatever wrestlers you draw, you get to use in your matches.

Speaker 1: 22:25

The problem is, new packs come out every week and I felt some year or I have felt in some years that the costs of a new pack were reasonable, but with 2K24, I felt like the prices were gouged, that they were just double or triple what they should have been. But as the former Gambling Counselor Certification Board president, it could be compelling for me to create videos where I say I'm going to buy one pack, we're going to open it and in real time. I'm going to buy one pack, we're going to open it and in real time I'm going to break down and analyze what a lot of people would be feeling from this pack and talk about why it's important not to chase, why it's important to be reasonable and stick to your budget. Just little resources like that could help people to see that there's responsible ways to do this in video games and that there's responsible ways to do this in video games, and then there's unhealthy ways to do it too for sure, and you are correct.

Speaker 2: 23:25

The island is only available for new gen wwe 2k25 on ps5 and xbox series x there we go.

Speaker 2: 23:34

So note to self everybody, do not buy WWE 2K25 on the computer unless you don't have an Xbox and or I'm excited for it, Like I played a lot of 2K24 when it first came out, but I think this time I'm going to play it in a different way so that I can enjoy the modes. I wasn't really into my faction and I never built. I really want to build a character up, make a character and like they start in the indies and go. I think that sounds really intriguing and fun.

Speaker 1: 24:11

I do too. I remember some of my favorite things on the N64. As a kid would be playing the story modes with my created character.

Speaker 2: 24:23

Yeah, what's a good wrestling name you would pick for yourself?

Speaker 1: 24:30

My character when I was a teenager was like what if Kane was in D-Generation X? Like what if Kane was in D-Generation X, but his color was blue and that was my character and I named him Da Bomb. I don't think I would do that character now because I'm wiser and realize how terrible that sounds, but back when I was in middle school that was the best choice available.

Speaker 2: 24:59

Do you remember the game? It was like a snowboarding game and there was one of the characters that had a big no, it was a fighting game and he had a big afro.

Speaker 1: 25:11

You might need to get more specific, Marcus. I'm not sure.

Speaker 2: 25:14

I'll have to think of the name of the game, but anyway, my character back in the day was Afro Thunder. Wow, the memory box is just opening up right now.

Speaker 1: 25:26

That screams TV title division to me.

Speaker 2: 25:31

Oh yeah, for sure, yeah, like opening the show.

Speaker 1: 25:36

Yeah, you could do that the show.

Speaker 2: 25:44

Yeah, you could do that I so I'm gonna challenge myself with this game is to play a mode and create a character. Even if I lose, it's okay. Just learn how to play the game and go through the ranks and see where it goes. You know what I mean. Should actually build the ranks of it yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 25:58

So there's my rise. That's the story mode. There's GM. That's a pretty cool mode too, because you have to draft your show and then program the show and see how your viewers and your revenue goes up and down.

Speaker 2: 26:12

See, that'd be interesting. I played a game like that once. It was called football manager. It's a soccer game essentially, yeah, and you manage a football club, soccer club if you're not if you're in america, and it was pretty fun. I found out that I'm a terrible manager and I got fired because the club didn't win it happens yeah, I don't think I could be Nick Aldis.

Speaker 1: 26:39

Yeah, also, dez, and I have a joke for Adam Pearce, since he's always breaking up fights that his name is Adam Peace.

Speaker 2: 26:48

I think that we should do a video on us playing WWE together, for sure.

Speaker 1: 26:56

I have actually a different thing and we can cut this out of the episode don't cut anything anymore.

Speaker 2: 27:03

This is this. Is it call me?

Speaker 1: 27:05

I think so I haven't been putting the video version on patreon recently because I haven't been getting it done early enough in the week and then I forget, and then I'm a day behind and then the episode's already out in audio. All kinds of excuses but, I think that one thing we could do for patreon is do 10 to 20 minute gameplay. That's like not even necessarily connected to the episode, but just record us doing that and the banter and the conversation and then just give it to them.

Speaker 2: 27:42

Or even us hanging out. And you do, I do 20 minutes of Elden Ring and you're just making fun of me the whole time, because I can't roll, hey, marcus.

Speaker 1: 27:53

Yeah, doc, I can't roll right either. Why would I make fun of you for that? I play a wizard so that I don't have to roll.

Speaker 2: 28:00

Yeah, I can't even imagine that, especially in the beginning of the game, when you don't have you just gotta be afraid, Marcus.

Speaker 1: 28:07

You gotta let your fear win.

Speaker 2: 28:10

Oh, I let my fear win and I get my butt whooped every time. I'm excited to go into that tunnel. Speaking of the tunnel, Doc, what games have you played this week?

Speaker 1: 28:24

Oh, that's a great question. So today on stream I played Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. We got through so many boss fights in Chapter 13. We're now at the part where every character has to face their inner darkest fears. It's like a temple sequence where you switch to each character, one at a time, and they have to face themselves. So we're getting into the end game like Sephiroth is down the hallway. It's just a question of how many doors in that hallway are going to open up on the side and throw stuff at me. But it's so good.

Speaker 1: 29:01

And Monster Hunter Wilds I have played five hours now of my first ever Monster Hunter game. What do you think? Actually, I had a threads post that blew up this week Almost 700,000 impressions, impressions, over a thousand likes and people criticizing me for my opinion. I basically said I've played monster hunter wilds for three hours. It's my first one ever played. Here are my thoughts. And number one was character creation was awesome. Number two was I got to create my fur friend in my game because I made my cat, venti my feline companion. The third one is I don't think this is the best monster hunter to play if it's your first one. And then number four was Same as number three, because I am so lost. And then four was something about the inventory popping open during all my fights. Why is it that button? And then the sixth one is I'm having a lot of fun and I really want to get better at the game, but people don't read the comments under the main post. Nope, no. Read the comments under the main post Nope, no. So there are so many people on the planet that needed to tell me that they've played every Monster Hunter since the beginning, and me saying this is not a good one to play as your first one is a ridiculous point of view. But I'm sitting there with them saying they played all of them and this is the easiest one. It's the easiest one because you have played all of them. You massive tools.

Speaker 1: 30:57

Anyway, I picked the wrong weapon for me for my first three hours. For my second stream, there were people who were great supportive Monster Hunter people that are excited when a new person joins their favorite game, and they said, hey, you should try different weapons. I really like this one, and then I really like this one. So I tried one of those other ones. I tried the dual blades for my second stream, which was my fourth and fifth hour of playing the game and I loved it. I can roll fast, I can attack fast, I'm nimble and I can dodge.

Speaker 1: 31:36

My first stream I was doing like the monster hunter giant sword thing Like when you think monster hunter it's the sword with the serrated teeth on the side and I was moving so slow that every monster was just hitting me in the face with their tail. Not my play style. It would be like me playing a giant sword in Elden Ring with no magic. It wouldn't work. It's not my style. It's not how my brain thinks when I'm having to manage a fight in real time. So they gave me advice, I took it, I fixed it and I went on to that post and said thanks, everyone who gave me some good ideas. My second stream was much more successful and I really love the game, but I still continue to get pounded by those OGs who just need to remind me of how stupid I am. So thank you. Internet Mazel tov.

Speaker 2: 32:26

You're not stupid. It doesn't matter what you say on the Internet. Somebody's always going to be butthurt and is always going to say something stupid. You just, yeah, I just can't.

Speaker 1: 32:39

I've already solved the problem. So, even though I'm getting it's, the waves and waves of messages are over. But the second day of those messages they were criticizing a person who didn't even exist anymore because I already was enjoying the game and fixed my problems. It really was just. I'm excited that I'm new to the franchise. I've been wanting to join the franchise for a long time, but it just never happened. And here's what I think about it. People are just so gatekeepy.

Speaker 2: 33:09

Yeah, okay, so Monster Hunter Wilds Final Fantasy.

Speaker 1: 33:14

VII Rebirth Since last episode. I do not think so. Oh, all right what?

Speaker 2: 33:21

about you. So I have been playing some elden ring. I found a new tunnel in caled. It's a catacomb, it's hidden. You had to like I had, I was just exploring and then I stumbled on a tree and I walked across this tree and I found this catacomb and I entered it and I died. No, and it was fun to die, but I ended up beating it and it wasn't that hard. I just am rusty.

Speaker 2: 33:55

The other thing I have been playing is I've been back on Switch playing Octopath Traveler 2. I think I have gotten almost all the characters now. I think I have two left the dancer and, I don't know, the astrologer. Maybe I have them left to get. I've forgotten how JRPGs work and I actually had to restart one of my characters because I didn't like do multiple save files, like at different time stamps, because I got to a point and I missed a bunch of stuff and when I went to fight the boss I didn't have any stuff to fight the boss and that was the save, the save point. So I couldn't really go backwards and so I I restarted that character story and did it again and it worked out.

Speaker 2: 35:03

It is really hard yeah, it really is I'm not good at it at all, but it's a different game and I'm really enjoying it. That the calmness of it yeah, yeah, I really do.

Speaker 1: 35:22

I think if you line up what kinds of goals work for you, you can play in a pretty low stress way yeah, but when you wipe or die a bunch in a row it gets frustrating yeah, sure, that's, true too you know what I mean, not like elden ring frustrating, because elden rings frustration is.

Speaker 2: 35:42

I call that the unfair frustration because it's so difficult where, like the turn-based combat, if you don't take it seriously it kicks your ass and you're like stop just hitting standard attack. You actually have to read what all the moves do. It's not rolling out of the way. The other crazy thing that I've been playing is real life hockey. I played hockey Sunday night, monday night and Tuesday night. Wow, I had three games in a row. Plus I'm on a huge project at work where Sunday actually I played at 1.30 in the afternoon at Sunday, on Sunday, but then I had to go in at 4 am and I didn't get out of work until 9 pm the next day or later that day.

Speaker 2: 36:35

I went to bed, had to be to work for 4 am and that cycle repeated. So when you texted me yesterday, I was out, cold am and that cycle repeated. So when you texted me yesterday, I was out cold and tomorrow morning I have to be there for 5 am and then the project is done. I'll tell you what, man my body is exhausted. I think I'm at like 80 hours as of today.

Speaker 1: 36:59

That's awful.

Speaker 2: 37:00

It's awful, but you make a shit ton of money on overtime.

Speaker 1: 37:03

Yeah, I don't, but that's nice for you.

Speaker 2: 37:09

Yes, for sure, but anyway. So I've been getting some gaming done. But the other thing I want to say is I've really been taking my time in reading, enjoying reading again, and I'm reading. It's called the Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. It's the first book. It's the first book in the series of Stormlight Archive. It's the first fantasy book I've ever read in my life. Oh, it was recommended to me by a friend because I'm not really like a knight in shining armor, like medieval guy. I'm not really like a knight in shining armor, like medieval guy. I'm not a big fan of Game of Thrones. It's just not my cup of tea. I'm more of a sci-fi like. I'm more of a sci-fi guy like Dune.

Speaker 1: 37:55

You worked through Harry Potter a while ago. Those are fantasy.

Speaker 2: 38:00

Yeah, but that's not.

Speaker 1: 38:01

I guess I'm an adult fantasy.

Speaker 2: 38:06

Yeah, but no, that's it's fantasy, but it's not, I should guess, like an adult fantasy.

Speaker 1: 38:08

Yeah, but no, that's it's fantasy but it's not medieval times, fantasy kind of thing got it like mythological fantasy.

Speaker 2: 38:12

It's I don't know, it's fantasy, but it's also like real, like kid goes to a school. I can understand that there's a wizard school. I can understand that there's bad guys at said wizard school because they want to master the Doc Otts. You know what I mean. I can understand all that, but this book is a thousand pages. It's the biggest. If I finish this book which I will is the biggest book I've ever read. But I got to go get it because it just came. It just got delivered last week and I'm like reading as much as I can to get through so I can read this book. But I want to show it to you while I explain to everybody what it is. Okay, it just came out.

Speaker 2: 39:04

Star Wars, star Wars of the Empire, the Mask of Fear oh, it just came out. It says the Rebellion. The Empire Reigned In order to ensure the security and continuing stability. The Republic will be organized into the first galactic empire for a safe and secure society. With one speech and thunderous applause, chancellor Palpatine brought the era of the Republic crashing down and its place rose the galactic empire.

Speaker 2: 39:37

Across the galaxy, people rejoiced and celebrated the end of the war and the promises of tomorrow, but that tomorrow was a lie. Instead, the galaxy became twisted by the cruelty and fear of the emperor's rule. During that terrifying first year of tyranny, mon Mothma, saul Guerrera and Bail Organa faced the encroaching darkness. One day, the architect, they will be the architects of the rebel alliance, but first each must find purpose and direction in a changing galaxy, while harboring their own secrets, fears and hopes for a future that may never come unless they act. Sounds good, yeah, so I'm reading this book and I pre-ordered this book months ago and I'm. I was. It came out, I think, february 25th, and but I'm in this other book and I want to say I'm like five or 600 pages in, but I just want to be done. I'm enjoying the book but, like this book is calling my name and I don't know if I can, if I stop reading the other book, to start reading this one, I think I will be, I think I won't go back.

Speaker 1: 40:50

Yeah, you got to finish the book that you're on.

Speaker 2: 40:52

Yeah, okay, so you're sending me a thing on discord that says Star Wars musical.

Speaker 1: 41:00

It's the entire conversation between Anakin and Obi-Wan. If it was a musical, it's done by AI. It is so good.

Speaker 2: 41:10

Okay, I'm going to have to listen to that, but either way, that's pretty much my week Work reading, a little bit of gaming. Actually, I actually did play a bunch of that octopath traveler. It's really convenient to have a switch.

Speaker 1: 41:31

yeah, the new switch is coming out I did play another game, marcus the light.

Speaker 2: 41:39

Attention, everybody listening to the podcast. The light bulb just flashed in Doc's house. He has an epiphany, go ahead.

Speaker 1: 41:48

I played Disney Dreamlight Valley on my Steam deck. What is that? It's like Animal Crossing, but you're in Disney. You create your Disney character and you have to just do chores, clean up the evil, thorn vines and plant carrots and feed the bunnies and fish with Goofy and you just. It's a cozy game, there's no combat.

Speaker 2: 42:20

There's no fighting.

Speaker 1: 42:22

You just try to unlock friends and get outfits and build your house in disney. It's fun. I got to become friends with moana and goofy and mickey so far would it?

Speaker 2: 42:41

I'm trying to think of the right way to say this. Is it like? Would a kid be able to play it? Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 42:53

Is it on the Switch? Yeah, I think so. I don't know if they'd understand everything, but they could do some fun things here and there.

Speaker 2: 43:01

Oh really.

Speaker 1: 43:02

Yeah, you have to be able to keep track of inventory. Go find five of this. Go find three of that. Find cooking ingredients for this recipe. But it is a cozy game.

Speaker 2: 43:18

Yeah, cozy edition.

Speaker 1: 43:20

Yep, you just relax and spend time playing it. You can get some psychological flow through repetitive tasks and just de-stress out of get our reality focus on a screen interesting.

Speaker 2: 43:37

That's a cool idea. I don't know, I think it's my wife's favorite game, really. Like current favorite game or favorite game.

Speaker 1: 43:48

Current favorite game.

Speaker 2: 43:50

Okay.

Speaker 1: 43:53

Are you going to get the Switch 2? Eventually, the odds are.

Speaker 2: 44:04

I'm going to have three Switch 2s in my house if we wait long enough. Yeah, I guess that's true. I guess that is true?

Speaker 1: 44:11

huh, yeah, because I have one. Actually, all three of us have one, so we'll probably get one. To start out, it'll be in the living room and in my son's room most of the time, and then we'll get to a point where I want to stream a game that I can only play on it, and then I'll get one for me to hook up to the capture card on my computer. And then, because I want to be fair, at the time where I buy that one, I'll buy another one for my wife and then all of us will have one. But that's gonna take place over a 12 month stretch of time, probably. Yeah, I'm, I'm not gonna go out to the store when they're brand new and buy three sure I can understand that man.

Speaker 2: 44:58

So challenge for next week yeah, I'm listening you get a place of wwe 2k25 on stream oh, that's a really good question.

Speaker 1: 45:13

I'm gonna have to start streaming more or I'm gonna have to just be honest with my community and just tell them some games are not making the cut to make it on stream because it's too much already. I can't fit Monster Hunter because I haven't beaten Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

Speaker 2: 45:32

How far are you from the end of Rebirth? Sorry to interrupt.

Speaker 1: 45:36

Oh no, that was a perfect interruption. There's 14 chapters and I'm on 13.

Speaker 2: 45:42

So my suggestion then would be finish Rebirth. Just be done with it.

Speaker 1: 45:47

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 45:48

Focus on that. So then you can play Monster Hunter and WWE 2K25.

Speaker 1: 45:55

Also, I have Shadow of the Erd Tree. Now too, there's like personal reasons that I have to finish that.

Speaker 2: 46:05

Oh yeah, for sure. You can't keep sucking, you just need to do it.

Speaker 1: 46:09

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 46:10

Suck less, skate better die less yeah. Get good Get. What is it? Get good Get?

Speaker 1: 46:17

good, get it. G-i-t-g-u-d.

Speaker 2: 46:20

Yeah and yeah. Continue the journey.