When Playing Video Games, Dirty Dishes Are Your Worst Enemy

I don’t know why I’m writing about this, I really don’t. All I know is I have to get this off my chest.

When you’re playing video games, dirty dishes are the worst.

I am so, so tired.

Dirty Dishes pic via Shutterstock

Picture the scene, I believe it’s a very common scene you can relate to. I’m playing The Witness. It’s 9pm.

My wife says, “I’m tired, I’m going to bed.

I say, “okay, I’ll be up in an hour.”

She says, “can you finish off the dishes.”

I say, “sure”.

My wife goes to bed, I continue with my video games.

Two hours pass. I look at the clock. Shit. It’s 11pm. I have to be up in 7 hours.

I still have to do these goddamn dishes.

Dirty Dishes pic via Shutterstock

But the game. The game. I am playing the video game. Argh bugger it. I’ll give it another hour.

The dishes sit. Responsibility sits. The real world sits. The real world requires your attention. You must attend to this task, this real world task.

But… the video game.

Another hour passes. It is now midnight. I have to be awake in six hours. The dishes. They still require my attention.

The dishes are real, but they are also a metaphor. Those dirty dishes: that’s the real world, messing with you. The real world, telling you that shit needs to get done, that what you are currently doing is a bad idea.

The dishes are telling you: it doesn’t matter how long you play this video game, the real world isn’t going anywhere. The longer you play the more difficult the real world task will become. This is escapism but you’ll never truly escape.

1am. I am still playing. The Weetbix encrusted on my toddler’s Spiderman bowl are hardening. I will have to scrub that bowl harder. I will be very tired. I will wish I had done this four hours ago.

Dirty Dishes pic via Shutterstock
I keep playing.

At 1.30am I tap out. My brain is frazzled. I work it out. I have to be awake in four and a half hours.

I still have to do the dishes.

The dishes are still dirty.

I still have to do the dishes.

I did the dishes.

I don’t know why I am writing about this. I am very tired. Please forgive me. I hope you can understand.

I hope we can find some common ground here.

Fuck dirty dishes.


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