If we stop long enough to create a quiet emotional clearing, the truth of our lives will invariably catch up with us. We convince ourselves that if we stay busy enough and keep moving, reality won’t be able to keep up.

Brent Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

I stopped playing Genshin Impact last month because I felt I had wasted too much time (and money) on it.

Playing Genshin certainly had its purpose:

• it was a quick way to get out of boredom
• I could get a sense of competency from solving puzzles, clearing quests – something that is otherwise quite hard-earned in real life sometimes
• it gave me conversation topics that I could then use when engaging with friends and acquaintances

But these reasons couldn’t stand up to much scrutiny:

• boredom has its purpose – it is in my boredom that I reflect and think about life and feel engaged
• the competency I gain in games is but a paltry substitute to real life achievements and experiences – these aren’t easily gained but that’s what makes them more valuable
• those conversation topics didn’t speak of the real me – and I prefer making genuine conversation and connections

So I guess.. it’s goodbye to Genshin Impact.