Damn, a whole two days? I would've lost my mind by hour six. The dust bunny thing gets me every time, like how does something that fluffy cause a total system meltdown? I once spent an entire afternoon chasing a random shutdown issue on my own rig, swapped the PSU and everything. Turned out the GPU fan was just packed with cat hair. Felt like an idiot. But at least you found it, right? Nothing worse than that feeling when you finally spot it and just stare at the ceiling for a minute.

I totally get that museum pressure, it's like the collection itself becomes a chore instead of the fun part. My own big moment was hitting year 3 and realizing I'd been hoarding every single stone and wood piece out of pure fear, then I just sold half of it and built three sheds overnight. That greenhouse unlock is a game changer too, it's like the game finally trusts you to have nice things. The hours don't really matter until something clicks and suddenly the whole map feels smaller and friendlier.

That 7th grader is going to hit high school and find out the world doesn't run on 3 minute YouTube clips. You said it yourself, the packet is based on the district required text. That text is the baseline for tests, state standards, and the next grade level. Her job is to learn to work through boring material, not to be entertained every second. Worksheets teach stamina, memory, and the discipline to grind through something that isn't fun. That's a real life skill. Giving her a video just because she complains teaches her that whining gets results. You're the adult. She's 12. She doesn't get to set the curriculum because she's bored.

That 6 month old starter, is it actually worth the tang if you can't sleep?

Tbh, that's wild. You basically paid $15 to give free consulting advice and got a lecture in return. Should've charged him double just for the argument. Honestly, if you can't handle feedback at a literal playtest, maybe stick to solo board games at home.