Microsoft Excel - I tried a lot of the FOSS office suites but I always come back mainly due to familiarity but also compatibility (which I know is not much of an issue lately).
Google Photos - I have Immich setup and use it but my wife and people around me use Photos and so I have to conform.
“Pixel OS” - I can’t move to Graphene or similar due to banking apps.
Skype - Like Photos, due to relatives
You should give it another go now then. Gaming on Linux is very good nowadays with many games supporting the OS directly (even more now thanks to SteamDeck) and there are many ways to run even games that don’t. Also, there is a lot of Linux distributions that are extremely easy to setup and maintain.
Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I’m not a huge fan of the recent trend of guns and firing in mainstream video games. Besides the janky awkwardness of polygons, there’s something off-putting to me about my character engaging in deadly combat. Am I supposed to be pretending that it’s me as I watch the action happening? When I play a game (esp. an RPG) I can get really immersed in the experience and feel like the mouse/controller is an extension of my hand, shooting fireballs and whatnot. So is it also supposed to be an extension of my weapon when my character starts killing? Am I supposed to be fully engaged for maximum immersion?
In movies, it’s different because when a character in a movie engages in deadly combat, the audience understands that they’re watching someone else do it. I’ve never seen a movie where I’m supposed to pretend like I’m the main character and I’m the one doing the killing. (Hardcore Henry notwithstanding)
I have nothing against action-packed games or games with mature content as their own thing, but encountering it in a regular game always throws me out of the immersion. Coming from a mainstream studio, it also just feels like a desperate attempt to appeal to a certain audience more than anything else, even if it’s nothing more than a short murder.