If you ever meet me, I could happily talk for hours on end about TV, films, and videogames. One thing I love about all those things is how there are basically no whole original new ideas. Everything is a remix, and then, every so often, something comes along so completely unlike everything else before it that it reinvents the genre - or even the medium.
Recently, I’ve experienced a TV show, a book, and a videogame, for the second time. The first time round, each of them didn’t grab me at all, but after giving them another go I’m loving each of them.
Curb your Enthusiasm
I’m a massive Seinfeld fan. When my partner and I started seeing each other, it was the show we put on after coming back from the pub. We ended up watching all of it together - the second time for both of us. I even went on the Seinfeld tour with the real Kenny Kramer. If you’re a Seinfeld fan, you might remember that this was even parodied in an episode.
For all my love of Seinfeld, I hadn’t watched Curb your Enthusiasm until a few years ago. The first few episodes were so cringe inducing that I gave up with it almost immediately.
At the end of last year, I gave it another go. I’m midway through Season 9 now and absolutely loving it. I can’t believe it took me this long to watch it and enjoy it, but I’m glad I did.
Dune
One of the biggest cultural gaps in my life, is being a keen reader. I’ve just never found that much of the time or attention span comes naturally to me. I’m trying to change that, so I’ve finished a few books that have taken me years to read and bought a few that I’ve always wanted to read. I did really enjoy audiobooks, and Dune was one of my favourites, so I’ve picked it up and slowly working my way through it.
As everyone comes back to the indie web and away from social media, an article I read a while ago really stuck with me. The easiest way to avoid doomscrolling is to have a book with you for those moments of boredom. I’m hoping to stick with this idea.
Elden Ring
If you’re not a gamer, you might not know of a company called FromSoftware. They’ve reached a level of success over the last 10-15 years for making brutally hard games - Dark Souls, Demon Souls, Bloodbourne, and most recently, Elden Ring. They’ve been so critically well recieved that they’ve even became their own genre - Soulslike.
I tried Elden Ring when it came out and it didn’t click with me at all. I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t realise it would be cryptically hard. With all of the awards at the end of the year, I gave it another try. I asked some friends for help understanding the gameplay systems systems. After their help and some extra research I’ve ended up loving it. What a fantastic game.
Second time’s the charm
Ever had something not click with you when you thought it should, why not give it another go?
Me, after defeating Margit, The Fell Omen