One of the things I love about being a gamer is how many facets of my life have been inspired by my hobby. In addition to the act of gaming itself, most areas of my life also deal with gaming, either directly or indirectly. Hobbies sprang from gaming or positively impacted my gaming.
I thought I'd give you a few ideas as to how you can bring more creativity into your gaming or more nerditry into your life. Here are a few hobbies that can go hand-in-hand with your gaming.
Painting- This is one of the big ones that people associate with gaming. Nothing says "this is my character" more than a painted miniature on the table. This is also great for hanging out with your friends outside of actually gaming and just talking.
Terrain building- Similar to painting, taking the time to make some terrain to put on the table helps with the immersion process of gaming. Most of the time, a drawing on the mat will do, but sometimes actually having a corridor physically represented on the table is the thing to bring the game to a new level.
Cosplay- This one is a big one. Most costumes take years to build out to the way you want it. And there are a lot of skills most people don't think about involved in making a character's costume. How are you making the metal pieces? Real metal or plastic or foam? Are you going to invest the time or money into real leather pieces? This is a hobby and world unto itself.
Sewing- I know what you're thinking. "Didn't she just talk about sewing in the last hobby?" Yes and no. Sewing doesn't always mean costumes. Dice bags, book bags, and the like are a great way to show off your personality and bring a bit of yourself to the table.
Jewelry making- Bring a little bling to your next game session. Or stealthily bring your gaming with you to the real world with a pair of earrings based on your character or game of choice.
Drawing- Character portraits. A favorite scene from the previous week's game. Fan art of a video game character you love.
Personalized character sheets- Most of the time I just download the basic character sheet, but lately I've been seeing people do some amazing looking sheets. My husband likes to put his character drawings onto his character sheets so everyone knows at a glance they are his.
Writing- This is one that's been on my mind lately. Character backstory is a great way to flesh out your character and give your GM something to play with. Sometimes I take it one step further and write it up as a character journal. And if I'm feeling extra, continue that journal throughout the campaign and show the events through the eyes of my character. Fan fiction, while it gets a bad rap, is another great outlet for expression.
Music- I'm a sucker for a good gaming soundtrack. Or background noise. There are a lot of places to draw inspiration or make an ambient mixer for the next game night. How cool would it be to enter a tavern only to have the background noise come on that sounds like a tavern? Fight scenes have more zing when there is some heart pounding music.
I'm sure I'm missing some hobbies. There are so many ways to bring life to your game or game to your life. Let me know if I missed one you do!
Comments