Grumpy Dad Game Review – Stray

I wasn’t sure about writing a Grumpy Dad Game Review for Stray. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because it’s not exactly lacking in coverage. Hype always makes me a little uncomfortable, like that acquaintance who’s always a little too bubbly in public. What’s more, my friend’s excellent review for Twinfinite is far superior to anything I can cobble together on a whim, and Anthony de Fault has written a very insightful article about the game’s avatar for Wireframe Magazine. But then I thought, “Screw it. There’s only one person doing Grumpy Dad Game Reviews (to my knowledge). Let’s do it.”

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Is Seeking Balance Futile?

On a recent trip out, I was watching my daughter tackle a balance beam in a playground. With grim determination, she swayed and wobbled her way along, constantly shifting her bodyweight to avoid unceremoniously plummeting to the ground. I waited, entranced, for the inevitable. But she made it to the end and beamed at the well-deserved applause.

As I watched her battling to keep her balance, I began to daydream. I confess that it’s something I’m prone to do when I’m “keeping an eye on” the children but they’re in no immediate, life-threatening danger. I marvelled at how kids garner such enjoyment from trying to maintain physical balance but, as an adult, seeking a balanced life is an endless source of torment. Usually in relation to achieving a healthy work-life balance, we moan and struggle and moan some more. Sometimes, we even do something about it! Hooray! But wait… new problems always arise.

If I were being provocative, I might suggest that achieving a balanced life is impossible. But is trying to find it futile?

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Fear of FOMO

Most people in the Western World will have heard of the phenomenon known as the Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO for short. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed I couldn’t go a few days without coming across an article analysing it, or a meme blasély throwing the term around. Lockdown changed the discourse somewhat, but with everyone online, the fear of missing out was as pronounced as ever.

As we move through 2022, with the world on the brink of environmental catastrophe, the appalling war between Ukraine and a megalomaniac’s delusions, and COVID-19 still merrily circulating, FOMO has evolved. Like the virus that nearly crippled the world, it feels like FOMO continues to mutate. And that frightens me. I have a fear of FOMO.

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Grumpy Dad Game Review – Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

I’m sure I’m not the only video game-playing parent who considers the latest “AAA” game with a mixture of wonder and dread. These titles are created by dozens, if not hundreds of people. They often take a few years to develop and market and frequently boast budgets in the tens of millions. In short, they’re colossal.

But all too often, these big-budget juggernauts lack creativity and innovation.

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Weaknesses are More Interesting Than Strengths

In his marvellous book On Writing, Stephen King says, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” Well, as of the start of 2022, I can confidently say I’m managing one of those requirements. The other… well, that’s one of my many weaknesses.

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