Lessons from Gaming in 2025
Quiet Mode: Gaming reflections from the pause menu of life
December is a time when we tend to dim our lights a little earlier, which makes it an excellent time to reflect. The year is heavy with memories, missteps, victories, and the quiet knowledge that another chapter is about to close. At this time of year, I like to take a quick pause before I press Start. It is with the familiar weight of the controller in my hands that I choose to reflect on what’s happened this year, rather than rushing towards what’s next.
Sometimes during these moments of pause, I find myself wondering:
What did video games teach me this year?
It turns out they taught me plenty.
Lesson 1: Play With Others, Not Against Them
Somewhere along the way from January 2025 to now, I realized that cooperative gaming has become my preferred language of connection for online gaming. The older I get, the less appetite I have for competitive lobbies full of chest thumping and corner camping. These days, my soul feels more aligned with the vibe of Deep Rock Galactic.
This year, Deep Rock Galactic reminded me:
That diving into mines together feels better than proving I can dive alone.
That laughing over terrible plans is more fun than arguing over perfect ones.
That sometimes the win isn’t the mission. It can also be a shared moment of success with strangers amongst unexpected chaos.
Playing cooperatively online this year taught me that companionship is a renewable resource. And that joy, strangely enough, multiplies when you hand it to someone else, instead of taking trying to take it away.
