I don’t have (or at least don’t make) as much time for video games as I’d like to since starting university. The days where I could sink my teeth into a good RPG for hours a day seem to be behind me, but there’s one game’s play-time counter on Steam that keeps steadily growing. I’m terrible at multitasking, and even worse at not fidgeting, so sometimes I just need something to distract my eyes and hands while listening to a podcast, or watching an hour long lecture for class. And for that, I turn to PopCap’s 2007 pachinko-like hit Peggle (or more often the 2008 sequel, Peggle Nights). I’m not normally into this kind of game, but Peggle just clicks with me. I’ve got some 340 hours logged between the two games. I’ve beaten them both, mastered every challenge, and “aced” every stage. There’s literally no goal the game sets forward that I haven’t done. It’s not skill, either — just persistence. So, I make up my own challenges, like playing through every level in sequence with each of the different characters. Now I’m out of ideas, but I just keep playing. It’s not satisfying anymore. I’m not strategic about it. But, it’s a great distraction for my eyes and fingers while I’m focusing on something else.
Jeff was The Cascade's Editor in Chief for the latter half of 2022, having previously served as Digital Media Manager, Culture & Events Editor, and Opinion Editor. One time he held all three of those positions for a month, and he's not sure how he survived that. He started at The Cascade in 2016.
