Hey! It's almost hockey.


I can honestly say that I've been asked a million times why I play games. Usually, I just shrug and say "It's a hobby."

But that's a lie.

Because when I'm in game, I'm at home. From the flames of Cataclysm, to the icy mountains of Tamriel. Anywhere I venture, is the place I love, and know.

My entire life, people preached that I could be anything that I wanted to be. But when I told them that I wanted to be the captain of a ship. A space ship. The space ship that saves humanity. That I want to be Commander Shepard. They told me that I need to get a grip on reality.

And to them, a grip on reality means the "American Dream."

Working nine to five, crammed up in a tiny cubicle, having 2.5 kids, living in a two story house with a white picket fence. I divorced once, and I have debt into my early 30s because I took some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ university degree that's supposed to help me in the end.

This isn't reality, this is just a dull outlook on it.

Now I understand that it's human nature to achieve greatness, but I can do this as Commander Shepard. I don't need a degree. And if I want to go on an adventure, I don't ever have to leave the comfort of my own home.

Yet people spend an entire salary to travel. And I can't help but laugh. I've single-handidly stopped a reign of ancient wyverns from destroying a nation.

But before I could do that, I needed to learn their language. Become a master in swordsmanship, smithing, archery, defence, magic, speech, hunting and thieving. Not to mention I had to take down an entire fleet of assassins, along with a brigade of smugglers before I could even begin my lessons in dragon speech.

And besides being told I could enjoy a white picket fence at the end of my career, all my years as a student was a balance between fractal formulas and believing that I'd never be able to love.

Which is literal insanity.

I've saved Princess Peach. I wanted to be the guy, and I became the guy. I saved Bandage Girl. And I've been Link for generations, just so I could save Princess Zelda.

But yet I'm the eternal virgin. I'm the guy that's never going to love.

And sometimes this ♥♥♥♥ doesn't make sense to me. Why people assume that I need to be out doing something, and away from home to have fun, when I have my own reality grasped between my hands.

I have my own world at my fingertips. If I screw something up, I can rewind time. I can't do that in real life. But when I'm in game, I'm free to do what I please, when I please. I'm free to enjoy things the way I want to. I can build my own kingdom and lead my people to freedom, because I'm the mind behind the game.

I'm the one who enjoys these games.

I am a gamer, and I always will be.

く__,.ヘヽ.　　　　/　,ー､ 〉
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　　　ｲ 　/ /-‐/　ｉ　L_ ﾊ ヽ!　 i
　　　 ﾚ ﾍ 7ｲ｀ﾄ　 ﾚ'ｧ-ﾄ､!ハ|　 |
　　　　 !,/7 'ゞ'　　 ´i__rﾊiソ| 　 |　　　
　　　　 |.从"　　_　　 ,,,, / |./ 　 |
　　　　 ﾚ'| i＞.､,,__　_,.イ / 　.i 　|
　　　　　 ﾚ'| | / k_７_/ﾚ'ヽ,　ﾊ.　|
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　　　　　　.|/ /　ｉ： 　 ﾍ!　　＼　|
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　　　　　　 !'〈//｀Ｔ´', ＼ ｀'7'ｰr'
　　　　　　 ﾚ'ヽL__|___i,___,ンﾚ|ノ
　　　　　 　　　ﾄ-,/　|___./
　　　　　 　　　'ｰ'　　!_,./

please don't tell my mom about any of this