How a marketer and gamer relax: is online gaming the new coffee break?

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I got my first console when I was probably three years old.
It was 1989 and it was a Sega Master System II.

The old-school first love of many: the Sega Master System II


I did not have any siblings back then so for me, living in the center of Milan, the city I was born and raised, the after school times were long.
I used to play a lot with Alex Kidd who was the mascot of Sega before the arrival of the legendary Sonic.

My first video game hero crush: Alex Kidd from Sega.


Then I got my first Nintendo, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) that came out in 1990, and that had among the games, my beloved Mario and Street Fighter II.


I used to play the arcade versions of Super Mario Bros and Street Fighter II in the game room of the town where we used to go on vacation for years.
I remember being so small that to play, I had to stand up on a chair.
I also got the Game Gear, the portable console by Sega but being honest, it was not so much my style, preferring to play on the big screen of my TV.
Among the accessories, I remember the TV tuner for the Game Gear that never worked.
It was just showing grey, confused tv signals and I ended up leaving it in a box.

I am a Yoshi girl.

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Going back to the SNES, thanks to it, I met my soulmate: Yoshi.
I never liked Princess Peach that much.
She was just keeping on getting in trouble and needed to be rescued, while back then, I was a huge Sailor Moon fan and I was already a little fighter in the making.
I also had the SNES version of Sailor Moon and her fellow companions that came out in the mid of the 90s.
By the early months of 1997, I was eleven years old and had been introduced to the wonderful world of the Nintendo N64.
The very first 3D console with that masterpiece called Super Mario 64 and my other favorite, Mario Kart.

Now tell me that you can look at banana peels as anyone else if you are a Mario Kart player.

And I saved money to buy myself also the first Playstation and relative accessories.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Ace Ventura was my first CD-ROM game.


Then I had my first computer, with the first PC games, and my favorite was the point-and-click adventures like Ace Ventura – the CD-ROM game released by 7th Level.
I was very much in love with Jim Carrey back then, so imagine being able to play a video game with his character.
Nowadays my life achievement has been the several likes and pinned comments on top of his Instagram feed that he gave me:


My inner ten years old throws a party each time it happens.
I also had a Nintendo Wii at one point in my life but I am still very old-school on gaming.
I have finished several shooting games at the local game room and today, I am still a huge Mario fan.
My goal post-pandemic is to visit the brand new Super Nintendo World in Japan.


Said so, when I am at the computer, sometimes I need to take a break from my work because yes, being a digital marketer is cool, but there are days that you would rather fight Bowser in his castle with one life left than dealing with certain clients.


So my solution has been adding to my favorites on Chrome, Plays.org.
Play.org is a video game platform where you can play for free with more or less, hundred games.
In a world where you can’t play anymore on your phone without having to deal with an advertisement every ten seconds, it’s a relief to be able to play without interruptions or a continuous proposal of “upgrade your account”.
I have been a member since the very first day.
I am a big fan of games like puzzles, arcades, all the Flap Cat-inspired games, and simulation so Plays.org was a great choice for me.

Just today I discovered my new favorite game: Christmas Furious Game.

Christmas Furious Game on Play.org


As the name suggests, it’s a videogame based on Santa, Christmas, and reaching the Christmas tree without crashing the sled, presents, and the reindeers.
Or Find the Pug, based on the concept of Where is Wally.
You have a timer and you need to find the pug among other doggies like a puzzle.

Open Restaurant and Fight Virus.


Among the simulators, my favorite is the one called Open Restaurant and the one called Fight Virus.

Me trying to save the world from the deadly virus with very miserable but funny results. RIP to all the patients I accidentally killed in the game.

The first one you have to open and run a restaurant.
Sitting the clients, taking the orders, and so on.
It seems easy but I failed. On the first level.
The second one is inspired by the coronavirus and you need to keep the infections low by clicking and destroying the virus.
The more time goes by, the faster the patients come in and it becomes a rushed situation.
At one point I was going back and forth clicking and trying to fight the virus while patients were flooding in from the ambulance and the main entrance.
It was the faster click and scroll I have ever done in a game.
But I must say, these games are my kind of challenge and stress relief, aside from Mario Kart and related games.
It’s hilarious, even more, when you are stuck in a level and you need to let it out somehow.
Also, maybe being a digital marketer requires some kind of psychological training because we’re trying to make it fun for everyone.
So you do not have to be a gamer in order to enjoy Plays.org, but if you are one, this is the place to be!

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