What Being a Gamer Means to Me–Vilos, Part I

I have to make a pandemic post, right? I feel like it’s a duty, a rite of passage, the most necessary release of emotions. Yes. This feels right.

I write to you now, as I think about how much I want to be playing Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition instead (only 5 hours in). My life drips into the Aether as being “productive” overrules my passion. Escaping into games.

Perfection

Reflections

This escaping has been my thing for A WHILE. My first video game console was an NES at age 5. The first time I played on a PC, I was 7 (Doom, Commander Keen, later fell in love with Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity and the ubiquitous Chex Quest). The first console I bought with my own money was the Nintendo DS (not counting Game Boy Advance, that was allowance).

My high school days were consumed by the OG Xbox and Nintendo GameCube. My college days saw a changing of the guard from Xbox 360 to PS3 halfway through. Since then, I’ve had an Xbox One, One X (current), a 3DS XL, Wii U, Switch, and 2DS XL.

Obviously, a love of video games exists, but in the past 5 years, I’ve also held two management positions at local escape rooms. I’ve had a lot of fun hyping up groups of people to find clues and solve puzzles. This performance of critical thinking and investigational skills is a tangible grasp on human capability. I think that’s what I strive to see in life. I’m not a ‘glass half-full’ type, but maybe that bit of positivity is what keeps me going.

Final clue for Plague Escape

Get in these feels with me

I’m no longer working for an escape room (not to say I wouldn’t for the right business), but I am taking my passion of gaming further every day. I’ve invested so much into the Switch Eshop and Xbox Game Pass ecosystems, that I currently have access to more games than I can feasibly complete for likely two or three years.

I have a PC ready to fool around and learn Unreal Engine 4 (just in time for the next gen and Unreal 5). I also have invested in supplies to create a box game that I hope to have running as a subscription service in the next few months.

What does this mean? Well. I want to share stories, create game experiences with others to inspire, affect, scare, teach, and develop those positive qualities that I see in gamers doing what they do best.

The pro Smash player shows dedication to memorization of strats, combos, character strengths and weaknesses, exploits, and a purposeful training regimen.

The pro escape room player shows a cunning knowledge of puzzle types, an extreme disregard for the impossible, and a willingness to try new things.

The average gamer shows that when the going gets tough, there’s always a light that can help you find your way. Gaming is that portal.

Some games stick with us forever

As long as we have a waypoint marker to lay on our map, we have a chance to succeed.

This is the first of a series of posts regarding what drives me as a gamer, my background, and my plans to make a difference in the gaming world on my terms. Please follow along with me–and let me know where you’re at in your gaming journey!