Well, here we are again. It’s been more than two years since I last published anything here, on January 1st, 2021. It was ten days after my dad unexpectedly died of a heart attack, and I went to a place I knew: writing.
It was my intention to do a lot more of it, but grief’s hooks are long and mangled and funny.
When I first started this blog, back in the mean old days of the summer of 2020, it was always more than a pandemic project. It was a way for me to give myself permission to do something I’d asked permission for for years: to write about video games. I’d tried in many ways to do it professionally, both as a narrative designer and as a games journalist, but consistently ran into the brick walls that are hiring managers and experience. It was time, I decided, to give myself permission. The goal back then, as it still is, was to share my love for games with people who also love games.
But then things happened, as they tend to. I always think it’s valuable to honor the past without wallowing in it (see: do as I say, not as I do), and so in that respect, today is about moving forward– forward into restarting, forward into refocusing.
The Blog
So what does that actually mean? Here’s the deal: this blog, from today on, will encompass all of the nerd-type things I’m passionate about. Video games, always, but also cosplay, fandom, writing, creativity, and anything else I think is worth sharing. Some general areas of new content:
- Video games. Gaming remains and I think always will be a huge part of my life, and I like talking about video games. Previews of upcoming content:
- Going back to the Island: Revisiting my ACNH Island After a Year Plus Away
- Fallout 3: A Retrospective on the Game That Made me a Gamer
- The LA Noire Tour of Los Angeles
- Cosplay: Though I don’t talk about it on here, a lot of my free time is spent cosplaying: making cosplay, wearing cosplay, or volunteering in cosplay. It’s a massive part of my life, and I also get to do a lot of very cool things because of it. I plan to talk about it a lot more here.
- A Cosplayer’s Survival Guide to DTLA’s Fashion District
- Build Posts: Works-in-Progress and other things. I post some of this on my instagram, but because of character limits, I’ll be able to do much more in depth pieces here.
- Causeplay: What It Is, and Why It’s Important
- Writing/Creativity/Etc.: Look for short stories and other pieces about the writer’s life. I also some fun surprises in this category, so stay tuned.
- Everything Else: Who knows? But if it falls under writing, gaming, or nerddom, it may show up here.
Twitch And Other Stuff
So, the Twitch stream. One thing I started doing last September (on my birthday!) was streaming on Twitch several days a week. I had a great time, except when I didn’t, and I made Affiliate by the end of the year. The thing that cannot be overstated about Twitch is that it is work. It’s a lot of work. You get out of it what you put into it, and I found at the end of 2022 that I couldn’t put as much into it as I wanted, largely because of the demands of my day job.
Those demands have not lessened, but there’s a balance to everything. So I’m announcing now that I will be returning to streaming 1 (and sometimes 2) days a week. This isn’t 100% final, but I’m thinking Sunday nights from 7-whenever. Sundays are easily the hardest day of the week for me as the existential dread about corporate life settles in, and I know I’m not alone, so let’s hang out together and play games through it.
Games coming up (in no order):
- LA Noire
- Deadly Premonition
- Resident Evil Revelations 2
The plan is also to stick generally with one game until it’s finished. I went back and forth during my first go at Twitch, and it was as confusing for me as it was for you. Come for a game, stay for the whole thing this time.
Related to that, I plan to put my streams on my woefully underserved youtube channel, for those who can’t make the streams or just generally can’t be bothered to deal with Twitch.
The Rest
This is a lot. I’m making a commitment to a lot here. But in doing so, I’m making a commitment to me and my future as a writer and a creator. It’s time to put my money where my mouth is and truly be the writer, gamer, and nerd I tell everyone I am.
Have an amazing day and be good to each other, and I’ll see you around here very soon.
PS, meet Harrison Ford Prefect. He’s the best.
