Generating Ideas By Playing Games – The Climb #606

Tuesday 20^th October 2020

There’s a little side effect from me playing so much Warcraft. It’s called Fill the Mana Bar.

I find disappearing to Azeroth for a few hours each day, a bit of a meditative state. I get so involved in the game that I forget about my own worries for a few hours.

I’ve heard stories about people who’ve got addicted to Warcraft and can well believe them. But I’ve also heard stories about those with traumas who’ve used the game to heal. The ability to turn off real life can be both a blessing and a curse.

For me, I get bored too easily to get addicted, but I can put in long gaming sessions if I have the time. But I get an unusual side effect. The turning off my brain for a few hours, really aids my creativity.

I’ve been playing loads since Prepatch and this is not entirely unplanned. Because after a few days of heavy play, I find myself coming up with loads of new ideas. In the last four days, I’ve had ideas for two new novels – new worlds, new characters, totally new ideas.

I’ve even gone so far as to discuss one of them with my agent as a future project.

My plan is to drop my Warcraft hours next week. I’m actively trying to burn myself out a little with all the character leveling. In reality what that looks like is me with a bunch of new novel ideas that I want to write. That time I gain by playing a little less will be given to writing. I’ve got loads I want to write over the next few months, and this “prep” work getting my creativity maxed is good prep.

It feels like ages since I worked on a project but after illness in September and various things meaning I was unsure of what I should be working on (I’m still not sure), my slate is now clean to do a bit of writing for the last part of the year.

I’m slowly getting myself organised for it, but for now the priority is leveling those alts and letting those ideas continue to flow.