Certain video games are like junk-food.

This old opinion of mine was something I was reminded of when picking up The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) again last month. As explained in my post about my recent experience with Sea of Thieves, I was bitten by the bug again in July and have been hanging out with a new wood elf character lately.

I started playing ESO in December 2015 after gifting a PlayStation 4 to my husband and stepson for Christmas. Friend-of-the-blog Phil kindly lent us his disk and we were looking forward to giving it a try once Ethan returned to his other home. It didn’t go according to plan though when Pete came down with the flu and ended up sleeping through the first part of our week off work.

I was left to entertain myself in between tucking him under the duvet, fetching paracetamol and making more cups of tea than I could count. I therefore decided to check out ESO on my own and from that moment on I was hooked: ten hours disappeared into it on the first day, along with a similar amount on the second and third. Once Pete had recovered, he played alongside me with a takeaway on the sofa for New Year’s Eve.

A big reason for my addiction to this MMORPG is exploration. As I wrote previously, it’s one of my favourite things about video games as I love the feeling of being transported to somewhere unfamiliar and given a new world to discover. Although most of the quests are pretty standard and involve either killing or collecting something for a non-player character (NPC), you never know what you’re going to come across or who you’re going to meet on the way to your next objective.

The Elder Scrolls Online, video game, screenshot, sea, ghost ship

Several random encounters have kept me entertained during my current journey across High Isle recently. I met Jolie Virane in a field, whose determination to ride a fiery Vulk’esh monster she’d sweetly named Rocky led to an extremely painful demise. Then there’s Begs-In-Wilds, who seems to pop up by the roadside occasionally to ask for more gold. And I’ve been ambushed by a ghost ship twice now while out by the coast, having to fight my way through undead enemies summoned by its captain.

ESO is junk-food in gaming form for me. It’s so easy to consume, just like opening a packet of biscuits and not noticing how many you’ve scoffed until it’s empty. This game always welcomes me with open arms and it’s like I’ve never been away whenever I log in. Familiar mechanics and straightforward gameplay mean there’s no learning curve when returning from a hiatus of several months, so I can simply play and not have to worry about which buttons I need to press on the controller.

The analogy doesn’t end there. The same as ice-cream has the ability to bring comfort on those days where I’ve had to deal with high stress levels and an increasing workload, ESO does it without calories. It’s become an online refuge over the years and I’ve noticed my returns often coincide with periods when there’s a lot going on at work. It’s a place where I can forget about deadlines, meetings and to-do lists for a while, and concentrate only on completing the current quest.

It’s more than the gameplay though; it’s about the community too. Just like sharing a slice of chocolate cake with friends, joining forces with them in ESO encourages a sense of camaraderie. Phil, Ellen from Strength in Sarcasm, Pete and I used to play together weekly and I’ll sure we’ll be back once we’re done with Sea of Thieves. Other players in the text chat add to the entertainment with their banter, such as the time a comment led to an impromptu group rendition of a 90s dance track.

You know when a new flavour of your favourite crisp is announced, and it’s like trying something new but familiar at the same time? I’m drawing a parallel here to ESO’s expansions and regular in-game events. Unknown NPCs and situations will be encountered during these but there’s always something reassuringly recognisable about the whole thing. At the time of writing, I’m participating in the Zeal of Zenithar to try and gain enough tickets to be able to purchase a new mount for my collection.

The Elder Scrolls Online, ESO, video game, Phil, Pete, Ellen, Kim

Sadly, there’s a downside to every indulgence. Just like eating too much junk-food can leave you feeling sluggish and guilty about your lifestyle, playing too much ESO can make me feel bad about my gaming choices. I know it’s time to put down the controller and step away for a while whenever I reach a state where there’s remorse about ignoring the other titles in my Steam library. Since first picking up the game almost eight years ago, I’ve been in a cycle where I’ll binge for several weeks and then disappear for a few months.

I’m trying to adopt healthier gaming habits now though and learn from past experiences. It’s all about a balanced diet. Alongside the MMORPG, I’m also progressing through two adventures which are proving to be really enjoyable. The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales by DO MY BEST is an intriguing story about a writer with the ability to dive into books, while Voodoo Detective by Short Sleeve Studio is a more traditional point-and-click with humour reminiscent of the classics.

There you have it: the reasons why ESO is my personal junk-food equivalent of video games. We all deserve to indulge a little every once in a while, and it’s probably better for me than all the treats I’ve mentioned above. It has become one of my main virtual escapes over the years because it’s able to offer both solace and adventure in equal measure – and the best bit is that I don’t have to get on the treadmill to run off the calories afterwards.

Now over to you: what’s your junk-food game? Is there a title you find yourself continuously returning to, and why?