There's absolutely nothing better than taking a respite from the fray, or, in my case, endless projects. While I can take a break anytime, Sundays tend to be my designated fun days, where I take myself less seriously than other days of the week.

Today, on this Sunday, I find myself playing American Truck Simulator, which has surprisingly grown on me since I first started playing it last year. I never imagined that I would find something so simple as just driving from point A to point B to be joyful. In the real world, you have to contend with people who don't necessarily know how to drive but who are on the road anyway. Driving in the real world is a chore, at least for me, and one of those things I don't really care for.

However, it's different in American Truck Simulator; while the rules of the road exist in this format too, it's less about dealing with people and more about getting stuff to where it needs to go. The graphics add to the realism of it all; the fact that the weather changes, the clouds move, and the and the trees sway helps to immerse you in the virtual landscape.

I have always been a huge fan of simulator games, going back to the very first Sims title. My favorite Sims installment is Sims 3, hands down, even with the glitches and OS issues. Now Electronic Arts is all about the money, and the Sims franchise is less personal to me. Tragic.

American Truck Simulator allows you to decide how you want to play; it can be as complicated or simple as you choose. I personally hooked up my Xbox controller to my computer and used that to drive the truck while relying on my keyboard for the in-cab buttons such as auxillary lighting, blinkers, headlights, etc.

I find that as I'm driving, I have a lot of ideas, mostly about projects I'm doing that I've never previously considered or thought about. Playing the game relaxes me to the point where I am able to ponder, reflect, and even fall asleep. The number of times I have fallen asleep while barreling down a highway at 60+ MPH would certainly have killed me or at least severely injured me in real life.

I currently have most of the DLC map expansions except for Kansas. I am looking forward to being able to sim drive states like Arkansas and Florida, but who knows how long it will be before those maps are available? The downside to the game is that each new state map is $10–$20 each, which is fine for Texas because it's really the size of two standard state maps. However, in a state like Oklahoma, for example, there's not much to it, so you feel like you got ripped off. At least I do. Still, it's a good game, and if you find the prospect of spending a few hours driving around virtual maps based on real-world locations, ATS is a keeper!