Hello friends and gamers,
Video game news has been a wild ride for Fall 2021. In the span of a few weeks: Sora was announced for Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Definitive Edition was announced, along with San Andreas coming to Xbox Game Pass and GTA 3 coming to PS Now. Guardians of the Galaxy is brewing a storm to fight other contenders for game of the year. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak announced for 2022 for both Nintendo Switch AND PC. Everything teased and announced with DC FanDOME. Concerned Ape’s (Stardew Valley developer) new game revealed as Haunted Chocolatier. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! The astounding gaming news was the kind of inspiration I needed to get my butt back in gear to write about video games.
Rise of the Video Game Industry
Video games, and the video game industry as a whole, has grown into one of the largest entertainment sources in the world. So much so, in fact, that there is no way to play every game ever created anymore. When you tack on the addictive nature of multiplayer, online, or loot-grab games, you get a combination of a substantial amount of extra time NOT completing a majority of the top-notch single player story experiences awaiting to be unveiled.
Then what happens when we finally manage to play our gorgeous single player game? Most of the time it will include a vast open-world map the size of Australia that feels like eons to travel across. Not only that, I bet you are still painfully sniffing out all 100 feathers in Assassin’ s Creed II (don’t lie, I know some of you still play the classics). All of that was just to emphasize my next statement. Sadly, many fantastic video games end up collecting virtual dust in our virtual lockers.
Games, Games, and More Games
I think to myself, “Maybe I’ll get around to beating Warriors Orochi 4 today. Oh, never mind. I forgot I had a date with Warzone, Monster Hunter World, Final Fantasy X, or my dear old friend, Stardew Valley.” Or if you are an Achievement Hunter like I am, then maybe today is the day that we finally finish killing 500 elite enemies with Command Skeletons on Diablo III. I mean, come on, it’s only one of the last 2 achievements I need! Yeah, that didn’t happen by the way. We all have a full load of games on backlog, but it’s hard to explain what keeps us from moving on. You want to start a new game and have that intense feeling of the fresh new car smell, right? But we can’t resist being pulled back to our favorites. It’s a tough situation, honestly!
Responsibilities
Video games are a huge passion of mine (no surprises there, this is a gaming blog after all). So I thought about all of the games I’ve played since childhood, scrolled down my achievement list, and read through my blog posts. Surprisingly… I felt sad. For almost a decade, I have been a legal adult paying my own bills. I have responsibilities now that I just didn’t have as a teenager.
One of the most important roles as a husband and father is to support my family. I have a wonderful daughter in which I have the privilege to watch grow into a beautiful flower soon. Thankfully, I have a stable job that helps me do all of these things that I enjoy. In spite of that, the world doesn’t pull punches, and it continues to spin, you know? Alas, with the little time I have to play, the even shorter timeframe I have to write.
A Moment of Retention
If you frequent the blog, you may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything for quite a long time… Literally, it has been MONTHS… Me, my wife, or my daughter were always ending up sick with some type of illness on a constant rotation every week. Unfortunately, a close family member also passed away during this time period. The heart of the cards just were not meant to provide us a victory for the last few months. My passion was drained. The inspirational energy to write about the video games I loved to play drifted even further out of reach—but luckily, only for a little while.
Inspiration to Write About Video Games Again
By writing this post, I hope to shake off my nerves. I should just post my thoughts here and get it out in one go. Since it’s been so long since my Maneater Game Gush in June, I wasn’t sure how to jump back into my blog. A part of who I am is ashamed and disappointed because I stopped sharing my love of gaming experiences. There have been so many video games I have played since June that I could definitely gush about, and I just… haven’t?
Although my blog is not large, it feels like a disservice to any loyal readers as my intention is to engage on a passionate level to encourage other gamers to share their feelings about a game freely. I hope to get back into writing at least one post per week to condition myself and align my blog with a scheduled routine. My ultimate goal is to build a faithful community hell-bent on sharing fantastic moments in their gaming journeys. Strangely, saying those last words out loud inspires me to carry on with doing what I really enjoy — writing about video games again.
