2500 Hours of Civilization
I’m not prone to addiction but a damn computer game got me close. Thanks to Steam, a game platform for PCs, I know I have spent roughly 2,500 hours of my life playing Sid Mier’s Civilization. I don’t mean to present that as some sort of world record. Plenty of people have played for far, far more (perhaps for a living). But no other game I have played comes close to approaching quadruple digits in terms of hours played. Why is that the case for me?
Perhaps the world’s most successful strategy game franchise, Civilization (or “Civ” to those who play) is notorious for its addictive gameplay across all editions. Many players, including this author, have deluded themselves by saying “just one more turn” - it is a turn based game - over and over until they have played far longer than intended. Until past their bedtime. Until the sun comes up. Until the sun goes down. Until you get the point. They just released the 7th entry in the series. I probably won’t buy it. Probably. The premise of the game, first released in 1991, is to “build an empire that will stand the test of time”. You pick an historical civilization like China, Egypt, Rome, etc. and lead them from ancient times through the millennia to the present age and beyond. You explore, settle, make war, build wonders, and drop a few nukes until you satisfy one of the game’s victory conditions - or one of your opponents does first. In my case, the game certainly stood the test of time, even if my empires didn’t.
Between the 5th (2010) and 6th editions (2016) I’ve played almost 2500 hours.
I also played Civ 1, Civ 2, and Civilization: Call to Power, but that when I was a kid and time didn’t mean anything. And Steam wasn’t around to keep track.
Was that time wasted? Let’s go with: it depends on how you look at it. And look at it you can, all neatly quantified next to the game title and the button to launch the game. With this time, I could have learned an instrument or vastly improved my jumpshot. I could have run 625 marathons (at a 9 min/mile pace). I could have spent more time with family and friends. Ouch. On the other hand, that big number could have been spread out across a number of other leisure activities that are equally isolating and don’t serve or improve anything, and I would not have realised that time was spent that way. Thank goodness - I would not like to know how much time I’ve spent scrolling on my phone. But here, with this raw data of time played, is an opportunity to reflect I would not otherwise have. I spent almost 100 days of my life playing Civilization. What did I gain from that experience? What did I learn? Let’s live an examined life for a sec.
There’s a decent amount of real world history built into the game. It would be difficult to play it for as long as I have and not learn a thing or two. Thanks to Civilization, I know that Seondok was Queen of Silla, and her reign led to the unification of the Korean peninsula. Things like this can sometimes help in trivia. Also the nature of the game is strategic. If you’re playing at the highest difficulty (I do, are you impressed? No? Ok) there’s a significant amount of forethought and planning that needs to go into every action in order to maximize efficiency and give yourself the best chance to win. Now, I could go ahead and extrapolate on how that can teach you about management, or B2B marketing, or whatever business speak buzzword is in vogue, but this isn’t a linkedin post, so do that on your own time. I think the most potent lesson I learned from Civilization is this:
Set a timer. Set a timer. SET A TIMER.
Civ sessions can easily get out of hand in terms of length. The game is slow paced. You’re covering thousands of years of made up human history here. Exploring the world, building an empire, establishing governments - this shit takes time. Not as much as in real life, but plenty for an almost omnipotent, immortal ruler of an entire culture of people. There’s a gambling like aspect to it - not in the way the game works, there aren’t any microtransactions and I haven’t spent any money on this game other than the price to buy it - in the sense that it makes you think you’re always on the cusp of getting a reward. Not a big score, but one just big enough that you’re willing to sit through 4 or 5 more turns to get. And once you do get it, there’s a fun little dopamine hit. But what’s this? In a couple more turns I’ll be able to…and then it’s 3am and you have to get up at 7 for work.
The only way to counter this is to set a timer and stick to it. I’ll be honest. It wasn’t that effective at stopping me when the timer went off, but it would wake my brain up and remind me that time is indeed passing. It’s so easy to get sucked in, and that can be a great escape from reality, but such things should be enjoyed in moderation. With the annoying alarm sound comes a tiny dose of shame to offset all the small doses of dopamine I’ve just been taking. And that awareness and shame eventually gets me to wrap up a session sooner rather than later.
I found that this method can be applied to other activities with maybe even more effectiveness. Timers work to make sure you don’t spend too much time playing and being unproductive (god forbid! In our capitalist society?). This method also works the other way in the sense that it helps you make sure you devote adequate time toward chores, projects, exercise, or anything else you might put off in favor of relaxation. Need to do some cleaning but feel daunted by the amount? Just set a five minute timer and promise yourself you’ll do at least that much. Five minutes is manageable. Once you get going and shortly keep that promise, you have the option to surpass it and overdeliver, or you can call it a day without any guilt and little bit of cleaning done.
I use timers in both ways now. I try to not go overboard though. It’s nice to help keep myself honest, but it’s not about policing my behavior at all times. Think of it as just living intentionally. Not a bad lesson to learn after spending hour after hour bombarding my enemies with Hwachas.
In Praise of Physical Media
One year ago I moved to a place within walking distance of a video store. I have watched 87 movies since then. To put that cultural consumption into perspective, the year before - when I was nowhere near a video store but still had access to three separate streaming services - I watched 57. More isn’t always better, but in this case it is. Not only did I watch more movies, but I watched movies I probably wouldn’t have considered otherwise, several of which are now among my all time favorites. Somehow, by choosing a less convenient way to watch movies, I ended up watching more (and better ones) in the past year than probably any previous year of my life. And I have a one year old child that keeps me fairly busy! As a professional who works for one of the biggest streamers in the world, this realization was pretty eye opening. There is something to the experience of putting on shoes and a coat to select a movie, as opposed to scrolling a menu from the couch. The former requires more time and effort, and slightly higher stakes (late fees, ice, an outfit choice). The latter; a thoroughly researched monthly fee designed to be quickly forgotten. But even with all the streaming options at my disposal, I made far less time for enjoying them than I have with the video store. Because, as I have found, if something is always available at your fingertips, then you don’t feel the need to make time for it.
Best Video in Hamden, CT has been around for a while. Founded in 1985, it used to be an independent chain of stores during the glory days of in person video rental. It was sold in 2015 to a non-profit created for the purpose of keeping it alive, and they consolidated the entire physical media library of over 30,000 titles into one location. And they also made that location into a coffee shop and lounge. And the coffee is good. Is that a confounding factor in my recent uptick of movie consumption? It is, and nostalgia is certainly a factor as well, but the point remains. Over the past year I watched plenty of DVDs and Blu-Rays of movies I could have just streamed with a few clicks of a button. Could have, as in I have the technology, but I wouldn’t have, because it would not have occurred to me that I wanted to watch those movies by looking at a major streamer’s interface.
The issue is that scrolling through the seemingly endless lists of movies that you can find on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, etc. is just not exciting. There is no thrill of discovery. Most of the user interfaces at major streamers are a mess. And it doesn’t help that almost every one of them tries to be the one-stop-shop app aggregator where all the streamers are in one place. That sounds nice on paper but in execution it’s gobbledygook. Even my Samsung TV starts with an app aggregator from which I can select my preferred app aggregator. These companies are building what they think is a straight path in isolation but when taken all together it is actually a maze. The only exception is Netflix, which also happens to be the top streamer. And when you finally get to the menu, they try to funnel you to the content they want you to watch - usually something new - and you think maybe you’ll watch it, but then you keep scrolling because you think you’ll find something better. You try to remember what it was you went there for before they tried to steer you toward their own agenda. Then you realize you spent too much time scrolling and it’s too late to start a movie. You give up and shake your old man fist at the sky.
If you go to a physical space and browse the shelves, then there is the joy of the hunt. In this particular video store there are your typical genre based sections and new releases, but there is also a “best of the best” section. There are shelves dedicated to “staff picks”, “oscar winners”, “oscar losers”, as well as almost any director of note. You like 12 Angry Men? Here’s every other movie by that same director (Sydney Lumet). Unlike with streamers, the movie selection at Best Video isn’t subject to the licensing squabbles between corporations of Lovecraftian size. No need to shuffle from one app to the next, or wait for the title to cycle back around to an app you actually have. At the store, if something isn’t checked out already, it will be there, and if it is checked out, it’ll be back in a couple days. If they don’t have the movie you’re looking for, they’ll order it and add it to their library. This happened to me when I was looking for Airborne, an obscure rollerblading movie from my childhood. And speaking of licenses, they hold a lot of rare titles you just can’t find on streaming. When you choose to watch a movie this way - that movie comes home to live with you for a little while. You become its temporary caretaker. And in this way they all become more memorable; they were once your roommate. Also, with all the time and effort invested in procuring it, you’re more likely to watch it to justify the cost. And you're more likely to enjoy, or pay closer attention to, it for the same reason. In fact, the journey to procure the movie, watch it, and return it, is in a way its own three act movie. Streaming may offer instant gratification, but watching that way is like a tree falling in the forest. Did it even happen?
Three taglines.
Three different fonts.
Three different font colors.
Amazing.
Even if you don’t end up selecting a movie to take home, it’s fun to have a coffee and browse. Or just sit and be surrounded by many works of art - entire careers of art. You can hold a movie in your hand, look at the back of it for more info, and feel nostalgia for a time before all content became ethereal 1s and 0s floating through the air, accessible everywhere but existing nowhere. Here movies have weight. They are enjoyed, discussed, and given meaning by a community. I’ll admit that we’re looking through my own narrow lens of the past year with one video store, but anyone who lived in the Blockbuster era can remember these feelings. Or more recently, the Criterion Closet era. If you can’t browse in person, millions have found it fun to do so vicariously through the scores of actors, musicians, and filmmakers invited into the closet (formerly a disused bathroom) in the Criterion office. The mobile version they rolled out last year for their 40th anniversary had people waiting in line for 10 hours to spend just five minutes inside. While we’re at it, how about the Sam Goody era? Borders Books? Best Buy? Not that long ago, all physical media had to be obtained outside the home in chain stores like those, or independent ones you might remember more fondly. Technology’s ever improving ability to store and move larger and larger files is celebrated for how much space it saves but we’re still reckoning with the side effects: the spaces it destroys - all-important “third spaces” - where we could go with a friend to browse and discuss music, books, movies, comics, games, etc. Creating space for physical media gets us out of the house, offline, and into a shared community experience.
Streamers may have the ultimate advantage when it comes to convenience and volume, and a lot of what Best Video does can’t be replicated on a streaming platform. But it would be nice if those platforms - owned by some of the most powerful companies on the planet - could, you know, try harder. I’m not going to ditch my streaming services anytime soon. They’ve essentially become utility bills in my life, but if a particular movie is available at Best Video, I’ll happily make the 15 minute walk there first.
The Caves of Utah
This past September I was fortunate to go to Utah to oversee a promo shoot for our show Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch. I love this show and I have done every promo campaign for its four seasons. The ratings for it have grown each year, and so it has been rewarded with further investment. For season one we executed a clip based concept, but for seasons two and three we did a promo shoot on location, and we were more ambitious with each one. The most recent one is no exception. We went to multiple locations, including within a couple caves, and captured a wealth of great material for on air promo, social, digital, and press.
Our concept was about pushing deeper. In a literal and visual sense. We showed this by having our talent navigate into the depths of a cave. The concept also captures the nature of the show's central plot; a hunt for treasure somewhere underground, and the emotional state of the crew trying to complete the task. They have now become obsessed with their quest and are pushing themselves deeper into something like madness. To express the mental state of the talent visually, we turned to the snorricam, a rig in which the camera is mounted to the subject and pointing back at their face. This makes for a slightly disorienting experience for the viewer, as the subject appears stationary while the space moves around them. Only their reaction can give us a clue as to where they're heading.
We also filmed the environments themselves. We flew a drone into a cave to get an eerie, inhuman motion through that space. We filmed elements in slow motion; dirt falling off of bone, or breath caught in the light of a headlamp. I loved this shoot because we were able to get what we needed for the story of the promo, as well as improvise additional content we thought of in the moment. We did this in coordination with the show's production company and small crew of three people, which made for an efficient use of our budget, and an excellent adventure for me.