A Gamer’s Guide to Enjoying Winter to the Max
While getting very close to the coldest season and the end of the year, we have decided to bring you the basics of how to enjoy the cold weather of the Winter. Hunker down, grab a blanket and something warm to drink and let’s go on a journey!
First, I’m going to take a quick delve deep into the word’s history. The word “Winter” is in fact an old Germanic word that means “time of water” that refers to the rain and snow. Sounds unpleasant right? These seven steps will guide the frigid gamer to enjoy all that Winter has to offer, to its maximum.
The first step to fully enjoy the Winter, is to have the right tools. And by tools, I don’t mean icebreakers, warm clothes, and etc. By tools, I mean the right music and videogames that amplify the coolness of the season. Music that matches the atmosphere of the Winter, and videogames that match the environment.
Nothing expresses emotions like music. Music can help recreate the cold atmosphere of the outdoors without you beingoutside.
Here, I’m going to list my top ten cold atmosphere tracks. Be warned, most of them are in the Metal genre!
10.Cradle of Filth – Her Ghost in the Fog
The atmosphere of this song and the video is what puts it at tenth place of this list. But it’s a bit heavy for some tastes and may lead to headaches!
9.Summoning – The Rotten Horse on a Deadly Ground
This song is cool for both rainy and cold days. It contains a harsh vocal which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s great if you give it a chance.
8.Solitude Aeturnus – Waiting for the Light
A doom metal band with clean vocals. This song sounds like hopelessness, but it’s awesome.You’ll still be waiting for the light…
7.Eternal Tears of Sorrow – The River Flows Frozen (Acoustic Version)
Trust me, it’s a cool song to listen to in cold winter days.
6.Forest Silence – Philosophy of Winter
I like the atmosphere and the melody of this song. Although it may lead to head aches if you listen to this using earphones and high volume.
5.Florence and the Machine – Spectrum
Finally, a non-metal, non-rock track! This song is awesome…
4.Accept – Shadow Soldiers
It’s so cold and lonely. It seems so long, since someone was here…The lyrics are cool, combined with an awesome melody and vocals.
3.Anathema – Emotional Winter
Ahhh… This song… My theory about the track name, is that it means the emotions are cold and dead. Singer Vincent Cavanaugh has a great voice and this song… Really deserves to be on the podium. Oh, and that sad tone the song starts with… Unforgettable.
2.Wintersun – Land of Snow and Sorrow
This is a song that takes you to the arms of winter. The melody and lyrics combine to make this song number 2 on the list.
1.Forest Stream – Snowfall
This band’s music is inspired from the cold weathers of Russia. The song starts with a sad tone, and ends with a sad tone. The atmosphere is all that matters. You just have to listen to this song and try to remember all of your childhood memories of throwing snowballs at each other.
Everyone may have different tastes in music, so go and explore. You may come up with a better list, please let me know if you do!
To experience the feelings of being outside while being safe and warm inside, I recommend playing these games on this list.
5.Indigo Prophecy: Fahrenheit
One of the early David Cage games. This game takes place in Manhattan, where a man takes the life of another man in the restroom of a restaurant. You play the role of the Murderer and two detectives that work on the case at the same time. Atmosphere is what puts this game on the list. The sad soundtracks and the weather that gets colder will immerse you in the winter vibe.
4.Dead Space 3
The second half of the story takes place on frigid planet called Tau Volantis. The Necromorphs hiding under a cover of snow will give you a good thrill if you’re not too careful. This series is notorious for making players jump out of their seats.
3.Fallout: New Vegas – The Frontier
Actually, Fallout New Vegas happens in the Mojave wastelands, that is nought but a desert. Not a game you want to play on a cold winter day, but the upcoming mod called the Frontier, takes the courier to the icy wastelands of Poland. If the weather is cold, you have to wear warm clothes, otherwise, you’re as cold as dead.
2.Dark Souls II: Crown of the Ivory King
Crown of the Ivory King, takes you to a frigid wasteland, a land called Eleum Loyce. Deserted and cold, this place shows no signs of a living being. Until you get close the entrance of the main City…
1.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Frostfall and Wet and Cold Mods.
This chapter of The Elder Scrolls, takes place in the snow covered lands of Skyrim. The Frostfall and Wet and Cold mods add a nice immersion to this already good game. Frostfall adds another factor you have to take into account when venturing the lands: Body temperature. If your exposure level gets too low, you will due of Hypothermia. So, wear warm clothes and camping supplies when travelling to Windhelm. The mod Wet and Cold adds visual effects like cold breathing, snow covered clothes, and more!
How can you enjoy Winter when you are coughing all day? So, wear warm clothes before going out to avoid catching cold. It ruins the whole season, trust me. The solution is to wear warm clothes and stay dry (It starts to look like a survival game!). Be sure to cover your wrists; the blood vessels transfer heat pretty quick and to all across your body, so if you cover them and keep them warm, your body stays warm for longer periods. You can also cover your neck area by wrapping a scarf around your neck. A wool made cloth works like a charm in death-cold weathers.
If you’re in a region that has cold rainy days and nights, then wear a leather coat/overcoat instead of wool made clothes. Wool is a water sponge and gets wet pretty quick, and wet clothes do the opposite of what they were made to do, and they make your body colder by the minute. If you’re clothes are wet, change them as soon as possible. If you simply must be outside in the cold, create a bonfire to keep yourself warm. What Dark Souls fan wouldn’t love sitting around a nice fire?
How can you resist a cup of hot tea or coffee after getting home from work? Try these in Winter and you’ll realize why this is an important step!
1.Hot Chocolate
To make yourself a cup of Hot Chocolate, you need two things: a cup and Hot Chocolate… just kidding. To make a good Hot Chocolate, you need fresh milk and Dark Chocolate! This is how I do it: Warm the fresh milk till you can see the bubbles, melt some Dark Chocolate (80% pure or higher with high amounts of fat). While the milk is boiling, add the melted chocolate and start shaking the milk with a ladle until it turns brown, you may also add sugar at will. After that, grab a cup and fill it with the liquid of hotness and awesomeness. Drink and escape!
2.Hot Tea
Tea is one quick-to-prepare drink and a favourite of mine. Just let the water boil then drop a teabag in it. It’s a calming experience from start to finish. There are more varieties of tea than can be listed, from green to black to white to red to…ok I’ll stop!
3.Hot Milk
Milk itself is quite awesome when it’s hot. So quickly, get out there and buy some fresh milk and start warming it. It’s awesome, trust me. Optional: add honey! It’d be great!
Need I say more? Okay here we go, when you get home after spending some time in the cold, go straight into the bathroom and take a hot shower or have a nice soak in a hot tub. If you’re fortunate enough to live near a hot spring, then why aren’t you there yet? Your body will thank you, seriously.
Some people find it weird to have ice cream while in the cold, but some find it cool! If you’re the former, all I have to say is:
Try it at least once.
Try taking part in Winter sports, such as snow-boarding, skiing or sledding. They are fun, and a great way to stay warm and get some exercise with friends and family. Give them a shot!
There’s a belief that throwing snowballs and building snowmen are for kids… Well, I believe that’s a load of crap and I encourage everyone to do them! So, catch up with your friends and start building a snowman!
That’s all for my tips on how I manage to survive the sometimes harsh winters. It’s all about focusing on those things you love the most and can only truly experience when the weather outside is at its coldest! I hope these steps enhance your Wintery experience. As we push into the festive season, happy holidays to everyone. Now go make yourself a nice warm cup of something!
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El Cazador
I hope you enjoy reading my articles.
Winter is the season for making a fire and reading a book while taking short breaks (one hour or so) from gaming. Although all year is the time for whiskey, winter is especially good. Yum…whiskey! This makes me sound like an alcoholic; I’m not. Just a whiskey enthusiast.
Winter is the time of the year to hide under my blanket and demand cas serve me hot chocolate while I game. And hotdogs for dinner Ofc!
Some music recommendation, with the new fallout game and winter the masterpiece by Sodom “Nuclear Winter” is a must listen!
Screw the hot weather. I’ll burn when I’m dead, for now, let it snow.
We only dipped close to that once or twice here (about -30 in Celsius) but it stayed cold forever. Our January snow didn’t melt all the way until April.
It did result in a hell of a snow park in our front yard, with two very nice sledding hills and a good sized fort with windows and a snowfa. That’s a sofa made of snow.
We didn’t use the much larger backyard because the snow there was too deep for my daughter to not get stuck.
Yes last year it hurt to breathe. People died from exposure. sigh i need an island. To be inside gaming anyways. But still…if i need to outside
There’s no winter where I live.
Lowest it can get is 70 Fahrenheit.
I kinda wish it would get lower. But it’ll be a very humid winter with lots of rain. Dry winter is the best.
-44°C ?wow…
Being Canadian I have lived through some crazy winters. Gaming is actually my fave past time while getting through the ‘dark cold months’. Last year we dropped down to -44°c. And that’s when I started my ultimate farm of ds2. Dunno yet what I’ll pass time with this year…
You won’t regret it friendI approached Winter with this prospective for almost three yearsAnd I’m still going in that direction
I’m a fan of Winter myself. It’s the only season that makes me going out
Here, the Winter is not as epic as I want it to be, there might be no snow for almost three years! It’s mostly raining and death-cold. I call it a colder version of Autumn
Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience in winesIf I had, I would have gladly share it
Mulled wine is a personal favorite. I make mine with Brandy for an extra kick. It’s up there as one the things I look forward to most in winter. Cooking it up gives me an excuse to stand over the stove get that good heat, getting all the ingredients I need is a fun stroll through market and drinking it is so soothing.
as Long as it is a dry cold and not a wet cold im fine here in Germany…just going on a winter market and trink some mulled wine – everything is finealso ist the season where the most girls want to cuddle xD
Winter is the best. It’s impossible to enjoy anything in 80 degree weather while I’m wishing I was dead. Even if I was cold it’s nothing a blanket or some gortex can’t fix, I can only remove so much clothing to avoid the heat (even if modesty didn’t prevent me running around half naked like other people tend to.)
I’m one of the few that prefer winter to all other seasons. Good advice for those that don’t like it so much however. Well done
This was really endearing. As a person of warm blood, stuck in the northeast states, I appreciate this prompt for a perspective shift. I tend to dread the deep cold, but I’ll be approaching it a bit differently now. Perhaps it’s not that bad after all!