The Prologue
As this is my first ever blog post I think it's important to explain a little bit about me and why I've decided to create a space to air my experiences and observations about gaming and everything connected to it. Attempts to articulate my thoughts and views verbally tend to melt into a baffling cavalcade of verbal vomit and stuttering. So I figured, why not try writing them down? At least in a blog some of you dear readers can avoid that particular discomfort and potentially enjoy hearing my views and observations.
My gaming journey started in Christmas 96' when, totally by surprise, I received my first console. I spent the best part of those holidays on my original PlayStation, completing and perfecting the timeless classic, Crash Bandicoot. I developed such acute muscle memory that I can still do it blindfolded to this day, probably. From that point on I tried whatever I could get my hands on. Racing games quickly followed as I am a devout Formula One fan, I still play the annual F1 games (Currently developed by Codemasters). My debut first-person shooter experience came in the form of Goldeneye 64, getting wiped out by my friends in the 4-player gauntlets we used to run. As much as I loved fantasy adventure games like Zelda my true awakening came with Final Fantasy IX, it showed me the story-telling potential of games as it was the first game where I absolutely immersed myself into the world of Gaia. Its rich narrative, charming characters and unique world captured little me's imagination. I loved VII and VIII but IX's effortless charm stole me immediately.
I feel very fortunate to have grown up during that era of video games because of the sheer simplicity and freedom. Games were whole experiences and not chopped up into piecemeal battle passes, subscriptions, 'Ultimate Editions', live service content, DLC's and every other nefarious excuses companies make to justify their bosses bonuses. You got the game, you completed it and you shared it with your friends. Good times.
28 years later and the love affair with gaming never truly ended, to this day my absolute favourite thing to is wait until the family are snoozing and unwind by booting up any game old or new. Hell, one of the reasons I decided to write a blog in the first place was because I came home one evening after an exhausting day and decided that the best thing to do was to replay the Mass Effect trilogy; which I have played to death multiple times. It made me think about how my brain is hardwired and to consider what I am gaining from this repetitive behaviour? It gives me a profound sense of comfort and relief to retread old games, as you would a fond memory or when you listen to the same song continuously on repeat. The effect is especially powerful when that game has amazing characters, an incredible soundtrack or is deeply immersive. As a result repeat playthroughs of Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Skyrim are often my go to when times are tough. Any game where I can transport myself into the shoes of my chosen protagonist and explore a rich, populated and engrossing sci-fi or fantasy world is right up my street.
Games are also such a rich topic of discussion. Like movies and books a great game will allow you to really delve into characterisation, themes, dialogue, atmosphere and tone. There's also the technical elements like level design, gameplay, performance and progression that adds another layer to the discussion. Sometimes a game can have a great universe but have some awful gameplay flaws but on the flip side of that coin some games have the opposite issue, nothing is ever straightforward in the world of games and it can often be deeply subjective. That's why it's one of my favourite things to talk about.
Thus I have created my handbook to impart my thoughts about the games I play, news, upcoming releases as well as some more detailed analysis and observations. I hope that what I share will be interesting to you and can generate discussion whether you agree with me or not. I welcome you to share this journey with me and thank you kindly for giving my humble blog a few moments of your time.
Dave
