Once upon a time, I think I was a pretty damn good Gunbound player.

I’m not sure that’s something that should make me proud, but sometimes we need small victories in life. So work with me here.

Gunbound is a free-to-play online game that strongly resembles the Worms series. You roll around on stages with characters in cute little tanks, only instead of making friends and commenting on how sparkly everyone is, you spend your time blowing each other to pieces. The objective is simple: either do enough damage to destroy your opponents’ vehicles, or dig through the stage enough that they fall down into the abyss. It’s a strange dichotomy, really.

Something about Gunbound always brings me back. Various roommates and other friends of the show have played it at some point or another. It seems like one of our favorite pastimes at an old apartment a few years ago was diving back into Gunbound and teaming up to annihilate other denizens of the internet. Has it been six or nine or 12 or 24 months since we played Gunbound last? Well, install that sucker and fire it up!

Gunbound has the advantage of being free, so I’ve certainly gotten my money’s worth. (League of Legends, which I play on occasion, has the same thing going for it — except unlike Gunbound, LoL doesn’t let you buy your way to the top with real money.) Gunbound isn’t the deepest game, nor does it have the best graphics. But there’s something simple about it that I’ve always liked.

A few weeks ago, I got the game again for the first time in two or three years. Nobody else was joining me on this voyage; it was a solo trip this time. I made what might be my 10th account, rushed through training mode, and started my assault on those adorable vehicles. Most of the time, I play the J.Frog, which spits out little green death blobs that roll across the stage toward opponents. It’s a little bit weird to play compared to most of the other tanks — they usually require you to shoot at someone directly. No matter, though: I was killing fools again in no time. Even if the game wasn’t quite as fun without roommates to share in the experience (you know how I like co-op), it was still amusing for a while.

Why is all this important? Because it leaves behind a simple message: Enjoy the simple things in life. For me, spending a day off on a trip down memory lane was a good way to unwind after a rough week. Maybe it’s an old book you used to like or a favorite movie, or a spot in the park where you used to sit and look up at the stars. Whatever it is, don’t dismiss it just because you haven’t done it in a while. You might be surprised how much you get out of it.