Introduction: The Noob Manifesto
I didn’t choose the noob life, the noob life caught me when I failed out of pro gamer school. When I came up with the idea for this concept over a decade ago, I always envisioned it as a place for people like me to meet and discuss games in a fun way. The idea came at a time and as a result of the push to make competitive gaming and e-sports a thing. I always thought this a ridiculous concept. Those around me agreed. So, Chris and I set out to create that space. Unfortunately, life intervened and the page quickly became a passion project. Fortunately, I live the “Casual 4 Life” motto and kept the passion project going.
Why You Should Embrace the Noob Life
1 – Zero Stress, All Vibes: Without the pressure of needing to be great (or even good) at a game, it frees you to play the way you want to play. This offers you the chance to both explore games at your own pace and learn the mechanics through trial and error. Like I said to my student who invited me to play 40k with them, “Let me make my mistakes and learn from them.”
2 – The Joy of Being Pleasantly Terrible: Sure, I have no idea how to play Terraria, even after 5 times of trying. However, I am capable of doing something new after each playthrough. For example, I recently failed up by building a rudimentary shelter in my latest play of the game. Who knows, maybe next time I can actually build a functional base. Stay tuned to find out.
3 – No meta? No Problem!: Once again, without the stress of having to pay attention to what your opponent might or might not be playing, you have the freedom to do whatever the hell you want. And, every once in a while you accidentally build a meta breaker. Once upon a time, I farmed Hunters in Hearthstone with my priest deck. A few months ago I climbed all the way to Gold in MTGA with a stupid elf deck.
The “Dark Side” of Casual
1 – Wait, how do I do this? *runs to Google*: Whenever I play a game, even one I played for thousands of hours, like Minecraft, I keep my phone next to me so that I can Google how to do something. Slightly frustrated by my continued noobiness in Terraria, I actually looked up a “How to Get Started” guide. It helped…some.
2 – When the tryhards rage at you: My most relatable story about this involves a foray into League of Legends. In 5 games, exactly one teammate worked with me and offered assistance. The rest of them tried some version of “tough love” to outright abuse that simply doesn’t work for me.
How to Casual Like a Pro
Tip 1: Embrace the meme. Just because it’s stupid doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work. As long as you are having fun, that’s all that matters
Tip 2: Curate your tribe. This is what this web page meant to do. While I failed so far to find many other noobs to share my enjoyment of games with, I’m taking another shot at it. This time, I’ve had some success.
Tip 3: Wear “skill issue” as a badge of honor. “Git gud?” Nah, son, that’s not for me. Finish my quests, have some fun, mine all day for diamonds, explore a new game, or watch your kids do any of those.
Outro: Casual 4 Life
I may never grace the leaderboards or celebrate a world first. But, I enjoy games much more than it seems the salty dudes on Twich ever do. I play games that I want to play when I want to play and how I want to play them. My family explores new games together on a regular basis. Fellow noobs, give your “Casual 4 Life” bona fides in the comments.