Homecoming

Ever have that moment where you open your eyes one day only to realize seven years have passed you by?

Not pictured: The epic amount of jetlag Link and I are sharing in right about now.

Feels a bit strange to be back in the saddle again, truth be told, but all of us must start on our road of rediscovery somewhere.

In my head, I had written an introductory paragraph an untold number of times before this very moment, each one better than the last. Until this very draft of course, where writers block swiftly booted me straight in my ass to kickstart our friendly rivalry of discourse once more.


Ah yes, my greatest foe The Nothing returns to exact revenge.

This beginning bit is sure to be rather rough, resurections and regenerations generally are just ever so slightly fucked in that regard, but the moment has come to shake the cobwebs off, work out the kinks, and peel away the layers of rust as I get back into the groove of writing about video games once more, celebrating video games in whatever form they may take.


Not that one

Now in the past, the overwhelming majority of the time, I would focus on the games first and foremost, when I was working as both a freelance writer and an editor, and that much will be true once again. I take this moment now to kind of live in the moment of where I have been, and how I wish to continue.


Not giving a buck about finance

I think part of what excites me about my endeavors to return to the intellectual space between the worlds of video games, represents the complete opposite reason I initially got into wanting to do this in the first place (see the green above.) Not so much that I wanted money persay, or was even foolish enough to believe I would make any real sum of dosh by writing about video games, but it was kind of a litmus test in my mind.

To wit: an odd job involved in my efforts would lead me to success

To take a page out of the playbook of my Goldeneye days

More than a pet project, really kind of chasing a dream as it were, I wanted to prove my worth as a writer by showcasing my skills with a pen (or keyboard), and make a job out of it essentially.

And I did that..that’s done and dusted. Not only did it take years to accomplish, but the efforts of maintaining that level of success did pay off in dividends. Not just through proving my writing was worth a wage, but through exploring the industry, whether it be getting an early drop on some fresh news, some training writers, interviewing developers, writing reviews, or traveling to cover E3, I had finally reached my gaming nirvana. My…Outer Heaven.

Err, scratch that.Outer Heaven is a bad example (Spoiler: They did bad things there) Let’s go with a much more efffective happy place of success…That’s better. Not just a box.

Now, with the moments of victory years in my rearview mirror, I am so far comfortably removed from the events, this kind of represents a victory lap on my part. With no deadlines to be had, no lust for monetary gain, no struggle to reach a peak of notoriety, and not an urge to vie for fake internet points, I just simply have the urge to enjoy games again, full stop. I never stopped enjoying them on a basic level of engagement mind you. but my desire to record thoughts about them once more has finally returned, and in an online space that is now oversaturated with ads, filled to the brim with annoying influencers, bad thumbnails, terrible product plugs, caving to censorship, a cultivated sense of connsumerism in tow, and an underappreciation for just good old fashion writing content, I finally feel as if I have a worthy place to once again carve out for myself and call home.

Time to get cozy

~Pashford