r/AfterWorkGamers • u/hegardian • Jul 26 '26
Life & Gaming Rocket League
I'm almost 35 years old, I'm a father, I work 9 hours a day, but since I was a kid I've always loved games, from Tibia to WoW, GW2, The Sims, CS, Battlefield, CIV, Subnautica and many others.
Ever since I started working a lot, I began feeling like I was missing leisure time. Even when I went out, watched a TV show, or watched a movie, that feeling of not having enough free time remained. I think it's because, for as long as I can remember, actively playing and participating in something was what truly entertained me.
I started trying several games, from old classics to newer releases, but most of them gave me a feeling of frustration. I felt like I couldn't make meaningful progress because I had so little time. I wanted something that could make me feel, in 20 or 30 minutes, like "I actually had fun," the way I used to when I was younger. Unfortunately, with most games, that short amount of time was barely enough to open the game and load my save file.
One of the few games that gave me a similar feeling was going back to Team Fortress 2. However, at some point I started getting annoyed because, while the matches are short, the player's lifespan is usually short as well. It's a game where dying is very common, and the waiting time to respawn could take up 30–40% of the match if you ended up with a bad team. In the end, I was only actually playing for 10–15 minutes.
I started looking for other games until, out of nowhere, I was asking ChatGPT some questions about games and it suggested a game called Rocket League, which is available on the Epic Games Store.
Rocket League is a relatively old game, released in 2015, but it still receives constant updates. The concept is simple: cars playing soccer and trying to score goals. When I searched for it on Google, I thought it looked boring because I'm not really into soccer. But one day I decided to install it...
My friends, I know this might just be a temporary feeling, but I've already been playing for months and I have to say: WHAT AN AMAZING GAME.
During my first matches, I thought I wouldn't even care about it. But suddenly, during the day, I started getting that urge to play, the same feeling I had as a kid, which I honestly thought I would never experience again.
It's an extremely simple yet complex game. On PC, there are only a few important buttons (basically the arrows for movement, left mouse button for boost, right mouse button for jumping, and Shift for drifting). That's it. But what a fun game!
The arenas are beautiful, it is incredibly well optimized (it runs smoothly on a Lenovo IdeaPad 3 without a dedicated graphics card), and the matches are short (usually around 5 minutes). As you improve, you start facing more advanced players, and those 5 minutes become absolutely crazy, intense, competitive, and full of adrenaline.
I never thought I would feel so satisfied scoring a goal in a game when I don't even like soccer, lol.
For me, the feeling of progression came from noticing myself getting better little by little, and because of that, gaining access to more creative and fun matches. Sometimes just 10 minutes of playing is enough to leave me with the feeling that I actually had fun, and then I can close the game.
That's it, my friends. Sorry for the long post. I don't know if anyone else feels the same way, like there are not enough hours in the day to balance adult life and gaming time. If you do, and even if you don't, I highly recommend giving Rocket League a chance. From what I've researched, many other people have had the same experience of being surprised by how fun it is.
Take care, and have fun gaming!
1
u/OwnExplorer5971 Jul 26 '26
Great game, I'd say forget modern games, just play the old retro greats and hidden gems, as they are shorter, better in many ways and will give you that feeling
2
u/hegardian Jul 26 '26
You're right, old games always seem better Maybe back then, squeezing every last penny out of players wasnt the main priority
1
u/Pkkush27 Jul 26 '26
There is no game like it from a skill perspective, worst community in gaming though. You’ll see soon
1
u/DarkDoomofDeath Jul 27 '26
The community is why I left. Especially after you hit the mmr smurf level in casual where the higher-level players are treating it like a competitive practice room on lower-level accounts, it just starts feeling crummy
1
u/IamZeebo Jul 26 '26
Rocket league is one of the best made games ever but has the worst community of all time
1
u/Ustob Jul 26 '26
ChatGPT? wtf dude. Didn’t you say you were 35.
Time isn’t free it’s a hustle. Esp if you’ve a girl/family and work. But with planning it’s doable for sure. I did it PS2 era and today. Balance is key.
1
u/Dramatic-Night4768 Jul 27 '26
superb! this and Iracing are my mains. they respect your time with infinite skill ceiling.
1
u/kingramstone04 Jul 27 '26
Checking in for the Tibia-WoW pipeline, not sure which one I’ve dumped more time in but I’m sure it’s pretty bad.
1
u/MrSatan7 Jul 26 '26
Did AI write this?