The first time I kept a specific gaming journal (not to be confused with my previous passion journal, which simply kept track of all my hobbies), was in 2020 when Animal Crossing: New Horizons released. It was the peak of my gaming diary days; I kept both a physical journal and a digital one on Tumblr, and still look back at both fondly. It was fun documenting my play sessions like I would document my real life. The fantasy worlds I escaped to for hours each day, whether I built them myself or explored them like a tourist, were comforting, memorable, and worth recording—in the same way I would record my personal, real-life achievements.
In an effort to reconnect with documenting what is currently my favorite hobby, I quietly began a new physical gaming journal, and thought I’d share it with others who may want to start one, too.
The notebook
To no one’s surprise, I’m using a hardcover Leuchtturm1917 notebook for my gaming journal, particularly in the A6 size.1 I wanted something small that I could carry around easily and also not feel too much pressure to fill an entire page.
I also added a pen loop and a clear pocket at the front, where I can print and swap the cover image whenever I desire. I think it would be cool to update this with whatever game I’m loving the most at the moment. For now, it features Regulus from the iOS/PC game Reverse: 1999, which I have been playing almost daily since it debuted three years ago.
The system and setup
The purpose of my new gaming journal is to 1) track releases, progress, and good gaming sessions in a calendar view2, and 2) daily log my progress, especially in RPGs and cozy sims where I often forget what I was doing last. (I know I’m not the only one!) Writing a couple of lines about my play sessions, as well as reminders I’d like to revisit next time, has been so helpful to me in the past, and also such a pleasure to look back on.
As usual, I drew myself a margin for extra notes. At the start of each day, I draw a line, add the date and the game, then log my notes below it. I use a similar rolling daily format in my seasonal bullet journal, and it works so well, I’m doing it in this notebook, too.
The index
In addition to borrowing the rolling daily log from my seasonal bullet journal for my gaming journal, I’m also borrowing the index. In the back of the notebook, I have a rolling log with the month and the games I played, followed by the page numbers where those entries appear. That way, I’ll be able to see at a glance which games I spent more time playing, and for how many months. The index is one of my favorite things to look back on in my bullet journal, so I’m sure that’ll be the case for my gaming notebook, too.
I’m currently juggling three games, so having a low-maintenance notebook like this really helps me keep my thoughts in order. I’m excited to see how it comes together this month.
Do you keep a gaming or hobby journal? If not, are you thinking of starting one? Let me know below.
- While I’ve used an A6 notebook as an inboxing system before, I was inspired by @bettyydays to use it as a proper journal this time. ↩︎
- While I’ve used calendar spreads before in A5 and B6 notebooks, I haven’t tried it in an A6. This particular spread is inspired by @lindseyscribbles. ↩︎
