It's been a year since I've taken to blogging about video games, and I must say it's been one of the best decisions I've made in my life.
I've been gaming since I was five years old, since the year 1991. My first video game ever was Super Mario World for the SNES. Man, I played that game every weekend, as mom would not allow me to play on the weekdays, otherwise my grades would suffer. Anyway, I beat the game with not too much trouble, but I'd often lay it on the side to play games my parents would rent for me from Blockbuster. Back then, you could rent a game for like 2 dollars for one weekend, and it was awesome.
Anyway, I think I want to talk about why this blog is important to me. Truth is, this blog isn't giving me any money. It's not from lack of trying, because I tried to monetize this blog when I first started, see if I could get a little coin in my pocket. But as time went on, and Google made it clear that AdSense was a no go for me, I started thinking about WHY I started this blog. And the truth is, writing gives me purpose. I've been unemployed a good while now, since I graduated college in 2008. I've been looking for work, and no one would hire me. I'd go to interviews but I'd be turned down for whatever reason, like my shoes. I went back in college to finish some classes I needed for my teaching license, but now I have to wait for the Department of Education (which has a well earned repute for being incompetent) to give me my license. For a long time, I felt like I had no purpose, you know?
I started writing this blog because a friend of mine told me to. She gave me the idea that I should do my own blog, that I could do a little writing to distract myself. So, I said to myself "why not?". I went to Blogger, started a new blog, and wrote my first ever entry, which I titled Pokemon: A Coming of Age Story. It was an idea that I had been thinking about for a while, and had nowhere to put it into words. But now that I have a blog, I do!
I love writing on this blog, because not only does it make me feel like I have a purpose, it makes me feel alive, like I'm doing SOMETHING with myself. I love writing this blog, even if hardly anyone reads it, even if I'm not a good blogger at all, because when I write on it I feel like I'm someone worthwhile. I feel happy doing this, and I hope to continue doing this for a good, long while.
Well, how about something worth reading, eh? I'd like to make a list of the five blog entries that I am proudest of! Here they are:
Number 5: The Crooked Man: On failed dreams, depression, and hope. I really think this is the blog entry that showed me just what I really wanted to do with my blog: discuss gaming's artistic side, and how a simple game can have such an impact on people. This entry is also very personal for me, because I really felt like David Hoover for a long time, and I identified with him so much, even if my life was a cakewalk compared to his. I love The Crooked Man, and I love the way this blog entry came out.
Number 4: Waifus: on the soul crushing loneliness we sometimes feel, and how some of us cope with it. That might be my longest title yet? I love how this blog entry came out, because I feel like not only was I respectful, but I was emotionally honest as well. I intended the blog to be a quick description of waifus and why they are bad, and I personally think my objective was accomplished.
Number 3: The Friendzone and Katawa Shoujo. If I have one regret, it's that I haven't done more blogs focusing on Katawa Shoujo and the lessons this game has to teach us. But I really, really feel like this particular blog entry summed up just what Katawa Shoujo is: a game that has a lot to say about love. I am proud of the fact that I mixed in just the right amount of humor in what is otherwise a rather serious discussion about love, friendship, and the Friendzone.
Number 2: Final Fantasy 7: A Company's Magnum Opus. When I did my Month of Final Fantasy, this was the ONE entry I was looking forward to making. I had been planning it for a while by then, and when it came time to put pen to paper, I was giving it my 110%. The end result? Exactly what I wanted it to be.
Number 1: Tom Clancy's Bonestorm: A Rebuttal. This blog entry was made on a bit of a whim. I was angry at Samantha Allen's treatment, but I was angrier still at what she had written in regards to video game titles, because I could just FEEL the smugness ooze out of every word she had written! I knew I needed to counter her arguments, and honestly, I feel like I did a good job doing so. This was me at my most intellectual (so far).
I'd like to thank you, the readers, for sticking with me for a whole year. I'm hoping for a few years more!
I've been gaming since I was five years old, since the year 1991. My first video game ever was Super Mario World for the SNES. Man, I played that game every weekend, as mom would not allow me to play on the weekdays, otherwise my grades would suffer. Anyway, I beat the game with not too much trouble, but I'd often lay it on the side to play games my parents would rent for me from Blockbuster. Back then, you could rent a game for like 2 dollars for one weekend, and it was awesome.
Anyway, I think I want to talk about why this blog is important to me. Truth is, this blog isn't giving me any money. It's not from lack of trying, because I tried to monetize this blog when I first started, see if I could get a little coin in my pocket. But as time went on, and Google made it clear that AdSense was a no go for me, I started thinking about WHY I started this blog. And the truth is, writing gives me purpose. I've been unemployed a good while now, since I graduated college in 2008. I've been looking for work, and no one would hire me. I'd go to interviews but I'd be turned down for whatever reason, like my shoes. I went back in college to finish some classes I needed for my teaching license, but now I have to wait for the Department of Education (which has a well earned repute for being incompetent) to give me my license. For a long time, I felt like I had no purpose, you know?
I started writing this blog because a friend of mine told me to. She gave me the idea that I should do my own blog, that I could do a little writing to distract myself. So, I said to myself "why not?". I went to Blogger, started a new blog, and wrote my first ever entry, which I titled Pokemon: A Coming of Age Story. It was an idea that I had been thinking about for a while, and had nowhere to put it into words. But now that I have a blog, I do!
I love writing on this blog, because not only does it make me feel like I have a purpose, it makes me feel alive, like I'm doing SOMETHING with myself. I love writing this blog, even if hardly anyone reads it, even if I'm not a good blogger at all, because when I write on it I feel like I'm someone worthwhile. I feel happy doing this, and I hope to continue doing this for a good, long while.
Well, how about something worth reading, eh? I'd like to make a list of the five blog entries that I am proudest of! Here they are:
Number 5: The Crooked Man: On failed dreams, depression, and hope. I really think this is the blog entry that showed me just what I really wanted to do with my blog: discuss gaming's artistic side, and how a simple game can have such an impact on people. This entry is also very personal for me, because I really felt like David Hoover for a long time, and I identified with him so much, even if my life was a cakewalk compared to his. I love The Crooked Man, and I love the way this blog entry came out.
Number 4: Waifus: on the soul crushing loneliness we sometimes feel, and how some of us cope with it. That might be my longest title yet? I love how this blog entry came out, because I feel like not only was I respectful, but I was emotionally honest as well. I intended the blog to be a quick description of waifus and why they are bad, and I personally think my objective was accomplished.
Number 3: The Friendzone and Katawa Shoujo. If I have one regret, it's that I haven't done more blogs focusing on Katawa Shoujo and the lessons this game has to teach us. But I really, really feel like this particular blog entry summed up just what Katawa Shoujo is: a game that has a lot to say about love. I am proud of the fact that I mixed in just the right amount of humor in what is otherwise a rather serious discussion about love, friendship, and the Friendzone.
Number 2: Final Fantasy 7: A Company's Magnum Opus. When I did my Month of Final Fantasy, this was the ONE entry I was looking forward to making. I had been planning it for a while by then, and when it came time to put pen to paper, I was giving it my 110%. The end result? Exactly what I wanted it to be.
Number 1: Tom Clancy's Bonestorm: A Rebuttal. This blog entry was made on a bit of a whim. I was angry at Samantha Allen's treatment, but I was angrier still at what she had written in regards to video game titles, because I could just FEEL the smugness ooze out of every word she had written! I knew I needed to counter her arguments, and honestly, I feel like I did a good job doing so. This was me at my most intellectual (so far).
I'd like to thank you, the readers, for sticking with me for a whole year. I'm hoping for a few years more!
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