I started a new run and all I’m doing is chopping down trees.

It's addicting. I can't explain it. I have hundreds of hours in this game but my favorite thing is tree chopping.

I've been stressed lately and I find it oddly therapeutic to just whack some trees and gather up lumber.

I like seeing the forest thin out. I don't fully clear cut it, I keep some trees around and just go for the densest parts. Plus I like getting 2-3 trees/stumps/saplings in one swing. Feels so efficient. I don't know if it is more efficient numbers-wise but it FEELS efficient. And I can't just leave the ugly stumps/logs laying around so I'll roll the logs to another spot where I can hit multiple things at once again. I like to imagine I'm clearing up the forest a bit to make hunting easier, or take care of the ecosystem like I'm doing a controlled burn.

Some of the wood I use on building, but honestly I'm not trying for any big project in particular. I'll fix up some ruined houses here and there, but otherwise I'm just dropping off big piles of wood and sometimes building a lumber-shed around it just to keep it looking neat and organized but still organic, like a village storing up firewood for winter.

Some folks get into MMOs and whatnot and just grind to watch "number go up" for their dopamine hits. I get on Valheim and watch tree fall down.