Switch To Mac Gaming?

You know, I was thinking more about gaming only on my MacBook and that I’d give the Nintendo Switch a break. It seems to be winding down anyways as the likely debut of Switch 2 approaches.

The end of the Switch life-cycle might be a good time for me to break away from console gaming and just enjoy PC titles — I mean Mac Steam games when I say “PC.”

Giving up Nintendo machines, though, would mean saying goodbye to exclusives like: Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Pokémon, and Xenoblade. Those often boast excellent series titles; abandoning them could be tougher than a final boss battle on the highest difficulty setting. I doubt I could pull it off.

Besides, I recently got a new Switch game and started playing it — Sea of Stars. Ditching my Switch doesn’t seem realistic.

So why even consider enjoying computer games instead of consoles ones? Because I’d like to simplify my gaming pastime and bring a sigh of relief. 

Pressure

I have a self-imposed backlog of lengthy RPGs. I typically consult HowLongToBeat in order to plan what RPG to play and when. And I often track my daily progress in a spreadsheet to keep me going. For a hobby, the overhead is weighing on me. Gameplay is fun, but in some ways it can feel like work — grinding in a JRPG still works for me, but not as well as it used to.

Think of that name: HowLongToBeat. Why is the focus on finishing a game when it should be on simply enjoying it? It’s like the final boss is Time itself. I must play (push, slog, grind, work?) a game for 80 hours in order to win. So if I have fun but only for 79, I still lose. Really?

I’m leaning towards “HowLongToPlay.” An open-ended game like Animal Crossing: New Horizons is about enjoying the game, not beating it.

That said, time is kind of subjective. When you’re having a good time, you don’t want it to end, right? So a 100-hour game shouldn’t be a bother; time will fly by. And when you’re not having a good time, why waste another hour playing? It doesn’t matter if it’s only a 10 hour game when most of those hours are lame.

Besides the time commitment and pressure, adulting never stops. As a full-time employee and a parent of five (yes, 5) sons, my responsibilities are unyielding. As I age, I’m running out of hourglass sand to devote to every other RPG that crosses my path; the hours add up. And while I enjoy the escapism of RPGs, it’s challenging to “pause” adulting and immerse myself into gaming. I find it easier to kick back and watch a movie or show; they’re relatively short and passive. I can finish them in one sitting.

So how would gaming on my MacBook be easier than console gaming?

Relief

First, there are few must-play Steam games available for the Mac. That natural limitation would protect me from an ever-growing backlog and the back-of-the-mind burden that comes with it. Among those few games, fewer still are RPGs to keep up with. Minimizing my games-to-play and games-to-beat reduces my mental overhead. It feels like the time pressure would have a release valve.

Second, there’d be no need to own and manage an extra dedicated console with all of its peripherals. The all-in-one laptop I have can handle all my gaming needs in a single place. And since I use my laptop for both adulting and other entertainment, gaming is a simple add-on, unlike the ownership of a bespoke game console system. The minimalism and accessibility relieves my mind.

Nintendo replacement

But how could I solve the lack of first-party Nintendo games, mainly Zelda and Xenoblade?

I’d have to focus on the great games available on Steam for Mac, ignoring the great games on Switch. In other words, embrace the Mac games I have rather than bemoan the other games I don’t have.

For example, I could relish the fact I can play Baldur’s Gate III on my MacBook rather than Xenoblade 3 on my Switch, or Stardew Valley on my Mac instead of Animal Crossing on the Switch. And instead of being bummed that I’d miss Zelda on Switch, I could be stoked to play No Man’s Sky on my Apple laptop.

There are other great Mac games I can focus on (heck, I could just get back to enjoying Java Minecraft again — I’m still fond of it). But the many Square Enix JRPGs I love on Switch are missing on Mac Steam. While that’s a bummer, instead of putting all my spare hours into playing those, I could (finally) put that time into creating my own fantasy role-play title with a Mac game I already own: RPG Maker MZ. I started to make one and plan to “someday” continue.

Switch to Mac…or iPad

Maybe with the ending of the Switch 1 era, it’s time I begin a new era of Mac-only gaming. I admit this is more idealistic than it is realistic. If I’m being honest, I know it would take only one “system-seller” for me to buy a Switch 2. If the next Switch gets a 4K port of Xenoblade Chronicles X from the Wii U, “TAKE MY MONEY.”

The minimal gaming ideal here is also unrealistic because, besides gaming on my Mac instead of my Switch, I’ve also begun considering gaming on just my iPad. But should I pursue iPad gaming, Mac gaming, or both? What about mobile gaming on iPhone? Well, I’ve made iPad my main computer in the past month, so it makes sense to play games on it alone, yet my copy of Stardew Valley is “stuck” on my Mac. Then again, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent awaits me on iPad.

The fact is, I’ve got great games on all these platforms and I manage to find or make time for each when I can. I’ll likely buy a Switch 2 at some point. But I’ll still dream and push for the ideal, the minimal setup, when feasible. If I learn to be content with just one platform, I’ll consider that a huge win. 

How Long To Beat discontentment? That might be the final boss. And I’m not finished yet.