My 2020 Birthday Wish List

How am I almost 26 years old already? It doesn't feel like 2 minutes ago that I turned 25, this year has just flown by. Every year family asks me what I want when it comes to my birthday and every year it is the same answer... I don't know, I will admit that some years I have asked for things just for the sake of them stopping asking. But I don't want to do that anymore, I now want to ask for things that are genuinely going to benefit me or that I have been after for a while but haven't got around to picking up yet. I have to say, it was actually quite fun putting this little list together as I can really see me enjoying and benefiting from each of these items, plus there are a lot of things on here that I have been wanting to pick up for a while but haven't gotten around to doing so. Here is this years birthday wish list.

Avengers game

This game comes out just before my birthday and I am really looking forward to playing it. I love the Avengers and from the trailers I have seen it looks like a game I am really going to enjoy. I can get around my clearing the backlog before getting a new game rule if it is a gift too surely.

Tech Organiser

I have been after one of these for the longest time but just keep putting off buying one for some strange reason. However, I have plans for taking my content across all 3 blogs to another level which will mean taking my tech gear on the go with me so I can work wherever I am. Plus when I do eventually get my Macbook I can  have any accessory I need for using that with me at any time. I am hoping that having something like this will help me staying as productive as I have been recently.

SpongeBob Squarepants Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated

I have loved SpongeBob for so long but haven't picked up this game yet due to my rule of completing 3 games before moving on to the next one. But as I say surely this rule doesn't count when an item is gifted for a birthday. I am really looking forward to getting the chance to sit down and play this, I think I would rather getting it for the Switch rather than the PS4 or Xbox One.

Headphones

Again I have been after a good pair of headphones for a long time now but I just haven't picked any up yet as I can't settle on the perfect pair. When I get my Macbook I want to make use of the spare room a bit more and work in there so a pair of headphones would be fantastic for this as I can work away whilst just listening to a podcast or playlist.

Headset

My Turtle Beaches just aren't cutting it anymore so I think it is about time I got an upgrade, like I have been talking about for a while now. I don't know why but I keep putting off getting a new headset so why not add it to my birthday wish list, I might even buy myself one for my birthday as  I still have my eyes on the Steelseries Arctis 7's.

Wireless Charging Station

I now have the Apple Watch and iPhone 11 so to make things easier I would love to pick up a wireless charging station to have at the side of my bed or desk, just one place to charge everything in one go. Plus I have been really considering picking some AirPods up so if  I do I can charge them on the charging station too.

PlayStation Light

I have been looking at the PlayStation lights for so long and have had them on my wish list on Amazon for what seems like forever.  These are so cheap for how good they look and I think it would look fantastic on our TV unit so we can see it whilst playing on our consoles.

Headphone Stand

To go along with me wanting some headphones & a headset I would love a stand to put them on. You can get some great reasonably priced ones on Amazon and I have a space ready and waiting for them in the games room and spare room so my headphones & headset will always have a home.

So there you have it those are the items on this years birthday wish list and you know what? I might actually treat myself to some of these items as a birthday treat would any of these items make your wish list or would you pick something totally different?

July 2020 New In

In terms of buying anything gaming / tech wise I have done pretty well in July and I have only actually spent money on one game which wasn't even for me. That being said though I have actually picked up four games this month, three of which have come from the PlayStation free monthly games. So here are the gaming pick ups from July...

NBA 2K20

I had been saying for a while how much I would love to pick up a new NBA game as I haven't had one for so long so as soon as I saw that this was one of the free games on the PS store for July I knew I was going to pick it up. I can't wait to get playing this as I am really starting to love basketball and as I say I have just missed playing NBA games.

Erica

Also from the free games I picked up Erica. Now I hadn't even heard of Erica until I saw this on the free game section but after a quick look and seeing that it is apparently a quick play through I thought I might as well pick it up and see how it plays. Keep an eye on here or on my Instagram and I will let you know how I get on with it.

Rise  of the Tomb Raider : 20 Year Celebration

Then we have the final game that was free in July... Rise of the Tomb Raider : 20 year celebration. I used to love playing Tomb Raider growing up but haven't played a Tomb Raider game in so long so whilst it is free I thought I might as well pick it up and I will get around to playing it at some point.

Red Dead Redemption 2

My final pick up for the month was actually a belated birthday present for Liam. I finally picked him a copy of Red Dead Redemption 2 up, we had both been looking at it or a while and when I found it on offer at Smyths Toy's I thought I might as well pick it up for a little treat for him. Fingers crossed he enjoys it and who knows I might end up giving it a go at some point too.

So there you have it, as I say I haven't picked up too many games as I am still working through my backlog but check back again next month to see if I pick any new games or gaming / tech related items in August.

What's On My iPhone 11

I have had my iPhone 11 pro for a few months now and have finally settled with which apps I have on it and where to place them due to how often I use them etc. My iPhone 8 used to be an absolute mess with apps all over the place so it was my aim to make my new phone as easy to navigate as possible so I could always be productive and know where everything is. So here is what I currently have on my phone, just ignore the amount of notifications on some apps, I don't check some often enough or just check them at certain parts of the day. 

So on the bottom bar of the phone I have the phone, safari and message apps which I use daily so this is just the best space for them. I also have the music app on here but honestly I don't know why as I don't use this anymore.

On my first page I have all my most used apps aka my social media, PayPal and Spotify. These are the apps I use most so I may as well have these right at the front of my phone for quick access. My go to apps on this page are definitely Spotify, Instagram & Twitter as these are the apps I open daily without fail. Spotify is mainly for listening to any music I fancy or podcasts and Twitter & Insta are used for chatting to friends and sharing blog bits.

The second page is a bit of a mess but it is slightly organised by me putting things into folders of similar things, this just helps me remember where specific things are. I have my 'other' folder which has things like Goodreads, Disney & Footlocker apps in there. Then we have my 'gaming' folder where I have the PlayStation, Xbox and Steam apps along with the FUT app. Then we have my 'blog' app where I have Analytics, Sheets, LinkedIn & Lightroom. I also have a 'home' folder that is just for controlling our lights when I am out and about. The rest of the apps are really just random ones, I have plenty of different sports apps so I can place bets, keep up on news & get updated scores, then I have my health apps just so I can track my watch activity data, my personal trainers app for keeping track of workout plans & the Pure Gym app so I can see how busy the gym is before I go.

So there you have it that is a quick look into what is on my phone, what are your favourite apps on your phone?

July 2020 Favourites

Another month is over and done with just like that. We seem to be approaching Christmas very quickly and I feel like I have barely done anything this year thanks to the lockdown.  July has been a month of spending time with my family and just generally enjoying myself, it has been nice not just being sat at my PC 24/7 and getting out in the fresh air for a change. Although I have been going out I have also managed to discover plenty of new favourites in the time I have spent at home and these favourites have been...

Film & TV

Frozen 2

Since Frozen 2 has been added to the Disney + app I have watched it quite a few times. I have to say I do think that this one might actually be better than the first and I enjoy the songs in it a lot more. I am glad they have added it to the streaming service nice and early as I missed out on seeing this in the Cinema but knew it would be a film for me. 

Suite Life of Zack and Cody

Another favourite that comes from Disney + is a childhood favourite. Throughout July I have spent a lot of time watching the Suite Life of Zack & Cody, this is a show I watched daily growing up so to have every series ready to watch anytime I want is fantastic. It is funny how so far I have remembered every episode I have watched. I think I am going to work my way through this show & the Suite Life On Deck with the films thrown into the mix. 

Music

Twenty One Pilots

Throughout July I have been trying to mix up what I listen to instead of listening to the same artists on repeat. By mixing up what I listened to I ended up falling back in love with an old favourite band of mine which is Twenty One Pilots. I used to get absolutely hooked on their music but due to sticking to just one artist for weeks at a time I kind of drifted away from them however, after going back and listening again I am hooked and will be adding them to any future playlists I make. 

Tech

My Phone  - iPhone 11 Pro

My phone seems to be an item I am never off at the moment and I love it. The battery life is fantastic, the camera is even better and the bigger screen makes creating content, scrolling through social media and replying to emails is fantastic now. I have been on a few pretty long car journeys and just having the phone with the decent battery life has been great as I can listen to music or podcasts and scroll through social media without having to worry about my phone dying before I get home. 

Gaming

Spider-Man PS4

July was the month I finally got around to starting the Spider-Man PS4 game and WOW why did I leave it so long? I aren't too far into the game thanks to me getting busier but from what I have played so far I am loving it. I won't say too much about this as I will be doing a full post about it in the next month or two. 

So there you have it those are my favourite things from the month of July. What have you been loving throughout the month?

How Am I Doing With Getting Through My Backlog In 2020 So Far?

Remember when I did my Games I Want To Beat in 2020 post? Well it featured a grand total of 11 games and to be honest 4 months later I haven't actually made that much progress. During this lockdown I have made a bit of progress however, I wish I had made more. Most days have ended up be
ing filled with writing new content for each of my blogs so often gaming has been neglected but when I have been gaming I haven't really been skipping between games like I used to, I have just been trying to complete campaigns and move games along ready for the release of next gen consoles and just so I can purchase new games thanks to my complete 3 before buying new game. I have been enjoying just sticking to specific games because as I say I have actually managed to complete games but also I haven't been getting controls mixed up as much as I used to meaning playing is much more enjoyable. 

So here are the games I have managed to complete so far since that original post in March. 

PS4 

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 

I have done a review of this game which you can read here. It is the first Call of Duty campaign I have complete after always starting them and giving up. I am so glad that I decided to pick this up as it was such a good game to play through and really grabbed my attention and kept me playing unlike previous ones. It does make me wonder though if I would enjoy the other campaigns if I went back to them now, seen as they are in the backlog I am sure I will get to them at some point. 

Xbox

Yooka-Laylee 

Unfortunately I started this and just had to give up on it. I just couldn't get into the game, I was getting bored far too easily and just didn't find myself wanting to carry on with it. I am gutted about this though as I really wanted to get into this game after being so excited to play it for so long. For now it has gone to the back of the pile but who knows I may end up going back to it when other games have been completed. 

Titanfall 2 

Finally after having Titanfall 2 for so long I completed the campaign, again you can read my review here. I am so glad I gave this a go, it isn't something I would usually play however, I will be trying to find other games similar to it in the future. It was just fun controlling the Titan and learning the wall running, which eventually started to stress me out a little. Can you recommend any other games like this? 

Nintendo Switch

I have seriously neglected the Switch recently however, I am hoping to change that soon as I start to return to work my lunch times will be filled with gaming and I don't know why but I am just starting to gravitate towards the Switch a little more. 

Fingers crossed the next time I write one of these posts (would you prefer one in October or just wait until the end of 2020? ) there will be a lot more games on this list including Switch games, Spider-Man will definitely be completed by then too as I can see that being finished by the end of the month as I am really enjoying playing it and that is the game I am currently playing through. 

If you are trying to tackle your backlog this year how is it going for you? 

Current Favourite Gaming Instagram Accounts

Whilst I have been furloughed I seem to have rediscovered my love for Instagram, now this form of social media is definitely hit or miss for me and I can go for long periods without uploading to then just having loads of ideas and posting all the time. One thing that has really helped me recently is making sure the people I follow appeal to my interests and fit what I enjoy scrolling through. This is why I think I am enjoying my time on the app now, as I can scroll through knowing what I am going to see is going to be something I like. Thanks to this I have managed to rediscover some old favourite accounts as well as discover new ones. I have certainly been enjoying seeing posts from the gaming community as there are certainly some fantastic accounts out there, in fact there are too many to name however, I do have a few where I will watch every story they post and check back to make sure I haven't missed any grid posts from them and those accounts are...

Georgesgamez

George is someone who I have followed for a while however, his profile never seemed to show up in my feed. But now the Insta algorithm seems to have sorted itself out a bit and I can now see all George's posts when scrolling and his stories are always some of the first ones at the top of my page. All his photo's and stories are really great quality and you can tell he really thinks about the images he creates and the feed he curates. You can take a look at George's account for yourself here.

Liessshy

Aliesha's account is somewhat of a recent discovering and I am so glad I came across it as not only have I found a great Insta account to follow but I have also found a great YouTube to subscribe to. I absolutely love Aliesha's account as it covers tech 7 & gaming and each picture is a brilliant quality. From her account I have found other great accounts, products I want to try and games I would love to play. Again you can just see how much effort goes into each image and that is certainly something that keeps me going and making sure I never miss a post or story. You can check out Aleisha's page by clicking here.

Danetmg

One account I have followed for a long time is Dane's and again this has lead me to also watch his YouTube but what I love about Dane's Instagram is that is shows different angles. Sometimes you will have a controller in front of the TV, other times you get a game case or Dane himself. What makes it great though is that it all fits and flows really nicely nothing seems out of place. With different colour schemes every now and again you don't get fed up as it is different, unlike my grid which I am trying to work on. Click here to go check out Dane's page for yourself.

iitzsteven

What I love most about Steven's account is how not only do you see the game he's talking about or playing, but you also get to see his set up which is really making me want to make changes to my own set up's for PC and console. His set up is absolutely brilliant and honestly I am so close to purchasing some more RGB's for the games room thanks to his images. You can tell he prides himself on the quality of his content as you can certainly see that a lot of time and effort has gone into every single image created from the lighting, to what game is on the screen. Now I just want a white desk and more RGB, so thank you Steven. Go take a look at Steven's account for yourself by clicking here.

Walkthroughtime

Ivory is someone who I have followed for a long time now and her content just gets better and better. I love her set ups and how she shoots her images as again they show different angles & different locations, although this is another account that is really making me want to go on Amazon and purchase more and more RGB lighting. It has been fantastic to see Ivory's account grow and develop. Her account has also helped me discover new games that I have gone on to purchase and enjoyed myself. Again Ivory's account is definitely one you should check out for yourself and you can do so by clicking here.

I would definitely recommend checking out these accounts if you are on Instagram as each one provides some great content and who knows you may even end up finding a new game you like by seeing it on their profile as I know that has certainly have done this in the past. Can you recommend anyone else for me to follow let me know in the comments or over on Twitter.

How Has Lockdown Changed My Gaming?

It is funny how I thought when I was furloughed that I was going to spend most of my time gaming as that isn't really how it ended up going at all. In fact for the first few weeks I played a lot of FIFA and was doing really well with Squad Battles as I was just grinding away. I even started a season for Bradford City which I never normally do on the game and I was really enjoying it.

But then I decided to step away from FIFA to try work through some of the games in my backlog which is where the gaming time started to decline. I decided that the first game I was going to try complete was the Call of Duty Modern Warfare campaign and honestly I think more hours were spent installing & updating the game than actually playing it.

This is when I got a lot more into my blogging too. With all the spare time whilst waiting for installation of games and updates I spent a lot of time at my PC blogging away and actually getting ahead of myself for a change. This meant I was coming up with more ideas that I expect and I was wanting to work on them all the time. So my days end up filled with blogging, I would wake up turn on the PC and stay there until I went to bed, which now I know was no good for me as all the days just blurred into one.

I then took a break from the blogging and ended up back on FIFA so not much other gaming got done, especially as Call of Duty then seemed to need more and more updates but eventually I finished it and moved on to Titanfall 2.

Once it came to playing Titanfall 2 though I ended up getting back on the PC and working on more and more content across all 3 of my blogs, I was trying to improve the content on my fashion and fitness blog though so I was working on posts in more depth which took more time than usual which again meant I was waking up heading to my PC then working away until I went to bed so gaming was once again getting neglected.

It has only been in recent weeks that I have actually taken a step back and looked at the way I have been doing things especially with how I have now nearly got all July & most of August's content sorted. So until I go back to work I have decided I will use my days as though I am working full time on my blog, so I will work on content until 5pm and then I will take myself away from my PC for a change and will either catch up on shows I want to watch, watch movies or play some games. Then weekends are reserved for gaming and films and just relaxing which is how it should be. That way the days shouldn't just blend into one as they have being doing lately.

Then when it does come to returning to work I can carry on trying to manage my time better by having specific nights to work on content or maybe one day during the weekend seen as I won't be going to a football match for a while. That way any other nights can just be spent playing games, catching up on TV or watching films I have wanted to watch for a while. Fingers crossed by doing this I will be able to shift through my backlog a bit quicker and also separate the days up a bit so I actually feel like I have some free time for a change.

Has lockdown changed the amount of gaming you have done or have you actually spent less time gaming?