A gamer's unrequited yearning for a hobby

The train simulator Railworks 2 is often criticised for clogging up the pages of Steam with its many pieces of downloadable content. Those who don't understand add up the cost of all the add ons and complain that it would cost hundreds of Euro to own the full "game". I think I get it though. Rail works is not a game. It is a hobby. Collecting all those engines and rolling stock are part of the richness of that hobby. Don't take my word for it. Just check out fan sites to see how engrossed enthusiasts of this hobby can get.

I watch this with some envy. I would love to immerse myself in such a hobby and spend countless hours in blissful contemplation of boiler pressures and signal configurations.

I suppose you could say that PC gaming is my hobby. I certainly spend a substantial amount of my time playing, reading about and writing about games. Unfortunately gaming is a mad cap, ill defined ever changing pursuit. There is no tranquillity in gaming. I have long since abandoned even trying to keep up with the latest games. These days I merely trawl the bargain pages of on-line game sellers looking for whatever titles are cheap that can provide me with a few more hours of digital entertainment.

Perhaps I could re-invent myself and become a contented train buff. I doubt it though. I know myself and I know that I have a short attention span. A few short sessions with a railway simulator would sate my curiosity and send me back to the bargain pages. Even so, I can't help noticing that Railworks 2 is only €17 on Get Games ....

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