writing this essay that will probably look more like a self portrait

before a specific period of my life i never had a desire to write my thoughts in public or share them with other people. fortunately after i discovered farcaster and other people were finally able to see my thoughts, i decided to cast more and communicate with people more and this is a cool experience

i started to use to express myself more frequently and i love when people answering me the same -> i feel connected

why im even writing it you might ask? because i feel that there in between of words is hidden the whole purpose of nostalgia

i started playing games pretty early, i didnt have an access to the Internet from the start though. my first online game back then was minecraft.

after i played it solo a bit, i started wandering by some random servers trying to find something interesting. i remember being there lost as a kitten in the jungle because i didnt know what to do there, there were rules, many zones were privatized (you werent able to break blocks or build something in these) until the one moment when one of the strangers started talking to me and then we became friends.

ive spent 1 or 2 years playing minecraft, always exploring new things, pvping with others, dupping items (these were crazy times when we discovered a bug where you was able to duplicate items like diamonds infinite times). before that i was looking on houses made entirely from diamond blocks like what?? how to mine so many diamonds (since everyone already mined all ore near the spawn point). then we also started to build such houses and we were having so much fun especially when there were funny events hosted by admins or times when i was playing alone after my friend left because he went to sleep.

i find minecraft incredibly soothing and i had so much fun there. the entire culture over it, ability to play single player in the open world, connections with people in multiplayer, freedom (!) of doing whatever you want -> things were crazy. i think one of the keys to make some place really chill is the freedom of actions (of course considering moral principles)

i think the reason why so many people find minecraft nostalgic is that this was the escape place, the safe haven and at the same time a crazy place to do crazy things (worthless to mention computer stuff people were doing with redstone and pistons). limitlessness and serenity

samp is also on my top tier list of nostalgia moments. whole gta series is very nostalgic, remind people of childhood too. we tied to memories of the childhood where everything was colorful and aimless (!)

even if the childhood wasnt as bright as it could be, still people were able to escape the reality in games. gta series was the second place where you can do anything limitlessly. go ride a car, beat some dude, kjkszpj to get some guns and you are good. just riding the San Andreas was a complete joy (still a joy). sometimes i had a mood to install mods (!) to enhance the single player experience and the whole gameplay was emerging into something completely new

i quickly discovered that there is a samp multiplayer client where you can play multiplayer gta sa on servers just as like as it was in minecraft. i remember a lot of cool memories from here. the main flow was like: you spawn as a homeless man and you need to get a passport in the local town hall. usually you jus take a bicycle and ride to the town hall, get a passport and then you need to find a job to earn some in-game currency (!). there was a lot of jobs like dig a mine, ride a bus, become a taxi driver etc. and of course there was a progress system based on player levels (more level -> more jobs, more opportunities). i was obsessed with bus driving and i was driving a bus for a few hours straight earning some money to buy a car or to go to casino to gamble it lol. the thing is that i love randomness in games. in four dragons casino there were blackjack, dice & roulette games (usually this list). we were also able to play dice on the street by typing /dice command. there was some text output in chat indicating who won and just counting numbers on your display. people were even building bots to automate these things (to spam commands for fast rolls)

aesthetics of these two games is unmatchable. the game experience is soothing, not irritating. its like the game is always waiting for you. anytime. i remember a lot of times when i was alone on servers in these games -> nevertheless the whole experience was soothing, and sometimes even uncanny. there is something beautiful in the freedom. something beautiful in being lonely for a moment. fishing in the nighttime, staying alone and contemplating about the already past presence of your friends in the game and people in general

i dont even know how much time ive spent playing sims 3 (with all dlcs), typing motherlode instantly when i load buying the luxuriest territory for the family i just created lol. and i was deleting/resetting game characters right before they become old (i was scared of a skeleton in a cloak who was coming for them and the music was making me anxious)

the interface, the aesthetics, interactions between game characters here is out of this world. i really love this game. i really love the personalization (!) potential of sims series. you can set up your home as you wish, decide how your main character will look, how he/she will act etc, relationships system (that was unlocking new interactions). i just have nostalgia about this game because it was my cozy corner too

1. freedom

2. aimless

3. modification

4. in-game currency

5. personalization

this is a list of things in games that hook me up, make me come back and play the game

people need to have freedom of choices. im strongly against of all forced decisions. no need to force people to do things. if they want -> they do. if they like this place -> they wont leave. no need to tie anyone to the place. there is no need to add 'tasks' to the game. tasks make people sad if they miss something or just cant do. join whenever you can, whenever you want or dont join if you dont want. thats simple and beautiful. dont limit people in what they can/cannot do. if someone says that your game sucks -> accept it. any emotion is firstly an emotion

i also perceive freedom from the angle that world needs to be open. you can do whatever you want there. no leads, no guides. quests/missions if someone wants. world needs to be broad and fun (at least try to make it fun)

also last but not least, the game should smell like freedom. like a smear of an artist made at a random time when he was drunk. not being afraid of mistakes and accepting them is an art

children are aimless. aimlessness does not mean stupidity or the lack of a purpose. striving to be aimless is an aim too. when the game potential is unlimited and aimless (at least in some aspect) -> there should emerge something cool from the chaos. you just dont load people with your thoughts, they make their own rules eventually

the game should be open to any modifications. if players contribute to the game in any way -> this is a true love. modifications dont mean exactly programming stuff to add something. a person can modify the space with his/her presence. it should alternate the existing experience

not for the grind. but for the fun flex. mini rewards are cool. AND PLEASE DONT MAKE THE GAME PAY2WIN OR I WILL WHOOP YOUR ASS (yes i have ptsd for p2w games)

in-game purchases should support devs and money shouldnt provide any advantage to anyone. cosmetics and fun stuff only. otherwise the game wont feel cozy (not even talking about equality, hello roblox)

i guess people love avatars, moving furniture in their homes, building them like a castle to defend from all the evil outside. no need to say more. i love personalization, styling your virtual character into anything you want. just be there who you want

note: im not a sage who made a thousand games and trying to say what to do and what to not do. just sharing my vision

1. p2w

2. ego (bourgeoisie, in-game elite circle, not taking into account all points of view)

3. chasing high return for low effort

4. showing no respect to people who support you (emphasizing this on OGs) and newcomers

5. lack of the punishing system (this is a must to maintain the community and save the culture in some edgy cases)

6. you dont fall in love with your own game (ultra rip, at least the place wont feel cozy. who will play if dev is not playing his own game?)

7. tasks -> come back for your streak, dont miss todays opportunity to earn 2x, watch (long!) ads you dont like to play the game

8. restricting people from playing your game (creating problems artificially)

9. empty promises and officialdom (buy expensive nft -> get nothing, we will close the project faster than you can blink)

there are a lot more. games these days SUCK. and listen im not here to make hero quotes like ehh in my old days... nope. i also dont have any successful game. but you know, you dont need to be a chef to taste the dish

people are gambling, chasing clout and numbers. why cant we make more places to hang out, just chill and talk... talk about life, gather on irl events, discuss the beauty of life. people get too blind chasing what considered cool in the current world, forgetting the basic morals and principles, forgetting friends and forgetting to live life

i dont know what the endgame will be. but im really focused into whats emerging. everyday im searching 'pet rock life' casts about the game and every person, every villager brings a smile on my face. i want to thank you all who are joining and supporting me. yes, there is nothing to do right now. but still someone find peace in this place. honestly being open, i shed a tear a few days ago when was reading all the warm words. people've been saying that this is an authentic warm and cozy place where they can chill. yes its silly, purposeless. nothing to farm here. but its truly beautiful in its simplicity

some people join and ask what do i do here, how can i earn money here -> no way. my mission for this is that real tokens are connections, real value is people, real lifechange is the childish joy

i just allow the game flow naturally and freestyle things. my purpose is not to bring there millions of people. even 10 loyal villagers is enough to vibe. and as soon as there 10 villagers are present -> this game will live its life. if it will empty with time -> then its time to die has come. just like in real life

i want to make this place in a such way so thats people after some time will remember it with a smile on their faces. like.. do you remember those vivid moments? yeah i do, this was cool. this is a nostalgia

check this out. sad but this is the reality we live in. why should we make this world even worse? if we wont be able to change it, i think the small try, the small push can gather people around. online communities like club penguin, myspaces, tumblr, neocities. i need more of this. more natural, more authentic internet. and it starts with a community. higher