Nows and Forevers

I’ve tried to like chess, I really have. But like just about every other game, I just don’t have it in me.
Intellectually, I do. My father taught me to play chess when I was young, and we played a bit. I played with friends until I was about 12, when I stopped playing altogether. I never picked it up again until one of my daughters decided she wanted to learn to play, and I taught her.
She quickly got bored, so I was off the hook.
I’ve tried to figure out why I don’t like games. I don’t have any on my iPhone or iPad. We have them at home on a shelf, but they haven’t come out since the early days of the pandemic. I don’t remember the last time I played a computer game.
Read somewhere that guys my age love video games, and play them more than watching TV. I also was an early adopter of Dungeons and Dragons, loved playing APBA, Stratomatic and Statis Pro baseball when I was younger. I even played a few leagues. I played a few games in the early ‘90s. Then there was Microsoft Flight Simulator, which I used to enjoy and sunk some money into. One of my flight instructors told me I had been able to transfer the skills behind the screen to the pilot’s seat, so I guess it wasn’t a total waste. But other than that, games haven’t factored into my life.
Reading and writing have been my favored points of relaxation. I even would rather than than most TV or movies.
I thought about this tonight as I sat and watched an impromptu chess tournament. Kids of all ages paired up and played. I was impressed by their concentration, the moves they made on the board, and how they were willing to work together. For all the times kids get yelled at for looking at their smartphones or watch too much TV, it was heartening.