Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a freelance project when you had this deep desire to know more about what was on the page in front of you? Has that desire led you down a path of Internet searches and library research that caused space-time to warp so when you popped back out of this hole of knowledge and trivia you were not sure where the time went?
Some would say these are wasted times down a rabbit trail. Others might say I have headed down the rabbit hole seeking truth.
rabbit trail
veering off subject or off the point of the conversation
(Source: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=rabbit+trails)rabbit hole
Metaphor for the conceptual path which is thought to lead to the true nature of reality. Infinitesimally deep and complex, venturing too far down is probably not that great of an idea. The origin of the term is from the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland which leads into Wonderland.
(Source: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Rabbit+Hole)
Whatever you call them, I find both rabbit trails and rabbit holes quite fascinating and fulfilling. Is it just me, or do the freelance projects we work on offer some amazingly interesting topics and themes? Finishing a final proofread, I just had to go grab my copy of Neuromancer, which led to reading the entire Sprawl Trilogy and a cyberpunk movie marathon. Later, I was confirming a date during World War 2 when I become enamored by forgotten letters and reports of war events I didn’t remember being taught in high school. During a recent project, I had an urge to watch a few anime clips, which turned into hours of 70s and 80s anime episodes and movies. The more I worked on games, the more I wanted to understand them, which led to reading book upon book about game design, game theory, and game history, which eventually led to me teaching Game Studies. My passion for following these rabbit trails down the deep rabbit holes of research spawn the Cyclopaedia articles I am now writing each month.
Don’t get me wrong, these rabbit trails and rabbit holes can be distracting and take way from the project at hand. Like you, I have to pull myself back and focus on my proofreading or editing. But, that rabbit still wants to wander and is just waiting for the project to be completed, then off he runs! My time between projects is often spent wandering the circuitous rabbit trails of trivia seeking the rabbit holes deep information and knowledge.
Does this happen to you, or am I just easily distracted and fascinated by learning new things? Do you desire to learn more about the topics and themes in the games you work on as a freelancer? Do you feel this newly gained trivia and knowledge helps with future projects?
Nothing wrong with a little ADD once in a while.
Some of humanities greatest discoveries were accidental which leads me to believe that there were some awesome rabbit holes people went down.
Good point! My next rabbit trail could lead to an some profound new knowledge. Or, more likely, additional inane trivia for me to share with friends.