Understanding Popular Video Games

Since I was a child, there’s been one thing that’s been absolutely constant in my life: playing Pokemon on handheld Nintendo consoles. And for anyone that doesn’t believe me, I’m always able to conjure up some dusty old game cartridges that are still residing in storage, probably in some cheap moving boxes labeled “Electronics.” When most hear (or read, I suppose) this little tidbit about me, they often think “Isn’t Pokemon a child’s game?”

Having to answer this over and over can become a bit annoying, but there’s no harm in someone being genuinely curious about why I’d still play the games if they were marketed to children. And to be honest, they are marketed to kids. That’s just what sells the most for the franchise, especially because they make most of their money not on the video games but on the merchandise sold in conjunction with the games.

So, the short answer is yes, Pokemon games are meant for kids at the surface level. At least to make the company money, that is.

When you take a closer look at the core series games, however, you see a much different following: that of players between the ages of 25 and 40. What usually draws these fans into purchasing the games and playing is nostalgia more than anything. Since the original games came out over 20 years ago, it’s only natural to have fans between 25 and 40 coming back to play the new games simply because they’ve been along for the ride ever since the series began.

On top of this, there’s a significantly deep competitive aspect that goes on within the games that children would almost never be able to perform well at. I don’t mean this as a slight to any kids out there who do well at the games, but the vast majority of people who win Pokemon tournaments (both sanctioned and unsanctioned) are in the age range I keep mentioning. That’s because A) those players have been around since the beginning and know the majority of characters in the games and B) those players also study the competitive aspect of the games more than you’d realize.

So, as someone who falls into that age range and as someone who has a lot of old Pokemon games stashed away in cheap moving boxes in storage, it’s probably not surprising for you to hear that I’m also someone that plays competitively with friends and others in online communities dedicated to battling it out. At this point, it’s always been a part of my life and will continue to be.

The Versatility of Rubber Bands

Rubber bands can usually be found in a random kitchen door at home. Sometimes, you keep others in a desk in your office. Whatever the case, they’re usually associated with shipping supplies.

But we’ve got a few handy uses for rubber bands that you likely hadn’t thought of. These ideas will have you stocking up on rubber bands and using them at will any chance you get.

Keep chip bags fresh.

For some reason, my friends don’t know about this little secret, and they’re always searching about, trying to find extra chip clips. I grew up rolling the bag down and binding it with a rubber band to keep the chips fresh. It’s so simple, yet a no-brainer.

Wrap your fabric tape measure.

You know, the tape measure that’s foldable and usually bound up nice and small in a drawer somewhere in your house? Fabric tape measures are incredibly useful for taking measurements of your clothing size and measuring round objects. The thing is, they always seem to be loose and tangled in a drawer. Just roll up the tape and bind it in the middle with a rubber band to keep it (and your drawers) organized.

Protect your books.

From time to time, your books may flip open inside your bag, which could potentially damage the pages inside. Try binding your books with rubber bands so that you can make sure they’re safe whenever you’re on the move.

Bind tea bags to your mug.

For the many who steep tea bags in their mugs of hot water at work, this is a genius idea for keeping the tea bag fastened near the side of the mug instead of floating around in the middle. All it takes is wrapping a rubber band around the top of the mug and keeping the string underneath it. From there, it won’t slip.

Fashion a lid gripper.

Lids on pickle jars and other foods can be quite tough to pop off when they’re new. By wrapping a rubber band around the side of the lid, you can make it easier to grip the lid with your hand and twist it right off.

Prevent slippage of cutting board.

This can be scary when it happens, as you can cut yourself or your furniture. Since wooden and plastic cutting boards often come without rubber feet, give them some of their own rubber “feet” by wrapping each end of a slick cutting board with rubber bands. Who knew basic shipping supplies could be so useful?

Resourcefulness with Your Supplies

Over the past week, my fiancee and I attempted to take in a stray cat. We’ve talked about getting a cat for awhile, and our only qualms were wondering how the dog would handle a new animal in the house, especially a species he hasn’t been around much before.

While we gave it an honest shot with a lot of patience and correcting and watchfulness, we ended up realizing that the cat was too feral at times, which affected our own safety and comfort in our own home. Not only that, but the dog was entirely too obsessive over the cat, which affected his own daily schedule, from losing sleep to becoming disinterested in his food and treats. Though my fiancee was quite upset about it, she knew that it was better for all 4 of us to surrender the cat to an animal care facility in town.

I feel like we learned a lot about ourselves and our dog in the process of trying this out. More than anything, we’ve realized that we need to devote more time to our dog, whether that’s for his health or behavior or just happiness all around. I began to understand how much I appreciate his calmness in our home, so it made me want to work at being there for him more often, whether it’s taking him on runs with me, spending 15 minutes a day just talking to him down on his level, or just rewarding him with small treats more often when he displays good behavior.

We also realized how resourceful we could be in a pinch. There were a lot of supplies we didn’t grab for the cat when we first got her, such as a place to sleep or toys to play with. Luckily, we had a bunch of shipping supplies like cardboard boxes and labeling tape laying around, which served to solve these two problems (bedding and toys) extremely well.

For example, we made a small bed for the cat by using the cardboard box and putting a small blanket in it to line the bottom. She slept in this box every night we had her, which made us feel a lot better about her comfort in our home. In addition, we used the labeling tape to play with her at times since she would get a kick out of the tape being on her paws. Who would’ve ever guessed that mere shipping supplies could do so much in keeping a cat entertained and comfortable?