Back in September, I realised that I was moving towards winter and there was a likelihood that I would need to hibernate – at least in terms of my hobby. As we enter the first week where temperatures outside have dipped below 5 degrees centigrade and my days have finally become bracketed by darkness and moonlight, it seems my prediction was correct. I have begun to slow and even stop playing.

In recent weeks I’ve taken the decision to park my Mystamyr game and I’ve even shifted away from other games in which I was planning to be a player. The last remaining area of play is the Sunday solo sessions which have themselves been reinvigorated by the fact that this play is entirely for me. No one else is involved and so I’ve been feeling liberated to play whatever I fancied.

But I am also hungry. As the activity of hobby freezes into inaction, I find myself increasingly seeking stronger nourishment. It’s no longer enough to take part in a half-interesting game because I am in need of solid food. In other words, I am feeling more strongly drawn towards those elements of play which engage me: exploration, fantasy, and challenge. I find myself heading towards new Worlds to explore and away from that which is wholly familiar.

All of this is natural and good. It’s also feeling a little odd, but I am adapting. Perhaps a period of relative detachment from social gaming is what I need at this time. Once again, the concept of hibernating seems apt. It doesn’t mean I’m adapting quickly or even feeling good about it… but I can see that it’s happening.

Overall, my hobby is entering a period of winter in the same way that the northern hemisphere experiences a slowing, cooling, and dampening. Even if it does sound cheesy now that Game of Thrones spoiled the phrase, the truth is that winter is coming,

Game on!