the absolute worst is when I open a new game and it forces me to complete the tutorial before I can get into the settings and stop it from punching me in the ears

I hate that the default volume for everything is 100%, because

let’s say I’ve configured every piece of software on my computer to use the exact right volume. and then I open a new app that’s too quiet, even at the default volume of 100%

I can’t turn the 100% volume up higher than 100%, so now I have to raise my main volume in order to hear this one app, which means that all of my other apps are now too loud

so if I have one very very quiet app on my computer, because of that one app I have to set every other app to 40% volume or lower. and if for any reason those volume settings get reset, (like a game gets updated or I lose my config file) I’m going to get my ears blasted out

and also any time I open a new app that’s not too quiet by default, I’m going to get my ears blasted out too until I can get into the settings and turn the volume down

I would genuinely prefer that 0% volume be the default over 100%, but I think somewhere between 25% and 50% is probably ideal. either that or let me turn the volume up to 200%+ (which is the same thing but expressed differently)

also TNG is easier for me to watch than DS9 because TNG is very episodic, which makes the intent of the writers clearer (I don’t need to wait a long time to learn what the payoff of something is going to be) and also means that they can’t drag out something unpleasant/upsetting - I know that I’ll always get closure at the end of the episode

I’ve been thinking about why I’m able to watch old Star Trek shows despite my whole Thing with storytelling

and I think it’s because it’s so theatrical that it doesn’t feel as real to me. the acting tends to be big and dramatic and feel sort of fake because of that, and the costuming and set design can feel that way too, and that helps me detach from what’s happening more and enjoy it as a story instead of experience it as a reality that I’m living through alongside the characters

@fargate oohh I do love (some) Bethesda games, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. sounds like a series that I could enjoy from a distance, though I bounced off of it

@StryderNotavi thanks for understanding! and also thanks for mentioning the podcast as well

@StryderNotavi I definitely had YouTube series in mind when I wrote that but to be honest I feel like I haven’t seen much episodic content at all lately that isn’t a TV show or something, so I feel like a TTRPG podcast does count! especially for a lesser-known setting like Numenera (I hadn’t even heard of this setting before)

unfortunately I can’t watch it because storytelling but I hope that someone else sees your post and is interested enough to check it out

Things I wasnt prepared to learn but should probably have known already: Who Let the Dogs Out by The Baha Men is a cover of an earlier song called Doggie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O27fagObxaM

Minecraft videos have changed

this is an interesting video about how YouTube’s algorithm no longer rewards episodic content like Let’s Plays, and how Let’s Plays are a bit of a dying art now and have to be found through word of mouth

so with that in mind, have y’all watched any Let’s Plays that you liked and want to recommend? or maybe some other lesser-known episodic video series

I’ve installed so many 80+ GB games just to play them for like 30 minutes and uninstall them again

you know what I’ll never uninstall? Simon Tatham’s Portable Puzzle Collection (7 MB)

a game’s filesize is inversely proportional to how fun it probably is

I’m pretty sure that the existence of a time limit in a game gives me the same amount of anxiety no matter how generous that time limit is

it could be a 9 minute time limit for a 10 minute task or a 3 hour time limit for a 10 minute task. it doesn’t matter - I’ll be equally stressed either way