You don’t have to chase misery for it to count as “real” survival. You can play The Long Dark on Voyageur, use autosaves in Skyrim, or carry extra medkits in Subnautica — and it still matters. Survival isn’t a competition. It’s a story, and everyone’s story looks different.
Over time, though, things evolved. I began adding my own house rules and little chaos clauses to keep every run unpredictable. Permadeath remains the backbone, but not a prison. Sometimes I soften it for creativity (hello, Customloper), and sometimes I twist it into utter madness (IronMario 64 says hi).
Because survival isn’t always about keeping your character alive — sometimes it’s about keeping your sanity intact. There’s a thin line between a challenge and an endurance test, between “thrilling” and “miserable.” I’ve fallen through enough frozen lakes (literally and metaphorically) to know better.
I’m still all for playing on easier difficulties, and I’ll always respect the tension that permadeath brings. But sometimes, you have to bend the rules a little. If you’re not having fun, you’re not really surviving.
Then vs Now
Then: I wanted to prove that dying less didn’t mean caring less.
Now: It’s a growing collection of survival stories, questionable decisions, and occasional victories that somehow formed a philosophy. The chaos wasn’t a side effect — it became the method.
Core Principles of Surviving, Not Suffering
- 🎮 Play your way: Easy mode is valid.
- 💀 Respect the risk: Permadeath gives choices weight.
- 🧠 Protect your sanity: No fun = no survival.
- 🔄 Embrace the chaos: Randomness keeps stories alive.
- 😄 Laugh at failure: If you’re going down, make it memorable.
Philosophy in Practice
- The Long Dark: Voyageur over Interloper — exploring beats suffering.
- Skyrim Survival Mode: drop difficulty when starvation > swordplay.
- Every game: survive with a smile, not a stress headache.
“You don’t have to suffer to prove you survived. Bend a few rules. If all else fails — laugh, reload, and call it ‘research.’”
At the end of the day, Surviving, Not Suffering isn’t about pride or punishment — it’s about finding that balance between chaos and comfort, and remembering it’s okay to laugh at the madness while you patch up the frostbite.
Continue reading:
The Rules of Survival (According to Me) — how I keep the chaos (mostly) under control.
Survivor Incognito 