Gaming among the Baobabs: Into the wilderness with a tent and a Playdate

Trivia time. Did you know, there's no precise definition of a tree. All sorts of distantly related plants can be trees if they stump for it. Grasses, ferns, or really anything with a trunk and a dream. Scientists have tried to impose some rules on the chaos. But, basically, if it looks like a tree, and it's big enough and sturdy enough then, sure, let's call it a tree. Baobab trees, I suspect, tow the line. They're strange, squat things -- hollow in the centre with branches all skewiff at the crown and flush with alien-green fruit pods. In Tanzania's northern savannahs, they pepper the landscape; quixotic giants towering above the sea of acacias. In some places, they're also the only trees suitably thick and thornless to act as backrest for a shaded gaming session.

Some context is probably warranted here. I'm an anthropologist -- a researcher who studies us, humans, in all our tremendous diversity. In service of documenting one small part of that diversity, my work takes me deep into the Tanzanian bush, with a tent, a Land Rover, and a crate of tinned food. I am also a capital-G Gamer. Gaming is my refuge. My happy place. My way to unwind after a hard day's work. And though I love my work, sometimes the dust, the heat and the occasional run-ins with elephants do wind one tight.

Unfortunately, gaming and fieldwork don't readily mix. The Tanzanian wilderness, with its stunning scenery, doesn't lack much, but it does lack plug sockets. This is an impediment for gaming in so many ways, not least because there's nowhere to power your RGB light strips. I suppose the easiest solution is to take a break. Crack a book; touch grass; digitally detox. And by all means, that sounds fabulous, but if you're in as deep as I am, there's another option: become your own sort of tree and draw power from the sun.

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