I have been meaning to write this for a while now. The reason it's taken so long will be explained below.
For those on the forums who don't know me, I am was a frequent member of the forums and site. I still visit for the news and features. But my lifestyle changed back in the fall of 2010. I had graduated from college and in September got a job in the northern Virginia area outside of DC (USA's capital, for your information). No longer was I going to work a part-time in customer service, but 40 hours a week programming in Java.
Of course, the best news was the money was going to be enough to live on my own. At least, I thought it was good news until I gradually realized that between work, taking care of my dog, cleaning, cooking, and such I would have less time to play games. With a much more hectic schedule I could no longer count on myself to be online during my previous gaming routine.
My weekdays are full of work, cooking and my dog. The weekends are my time to go out and have fun. That leaves me with 3-6 days a month to do stuff. This is a drastic change from my time in college.
Now when I play it is mostly pure single-player games from the Mass Effect series, Grand Theft Auto IV, BioShock 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Halo: Reach (to beat on solo Legendary), and Batman: Arkham Asylum (to reminisce). The only games that have my attention now are only single-player games Batman: Arkham City, Deus Ex: Revolution, From Dust, X-Men: Destiny, and Saint’s Row: The Third. I haven’t bought any new games since Halo: Reach (the same week I got the job offer).
I’ve tried trying to plan a gaming session, but most often I get tired or just forget. It is no longer a part of my routine. Just something I think about as if it were something rare to experience.
Gaming has been a part of my life for a long time and yet I prefer to go out and meet people. I’ve been to concerts, bars, bowling, etc. Gaming is not going to allow me to make friends with the people who live in my area. And yet, it feels like I am turning my back on it.
I know this is a time in my life where I need to get out and enjoy doing stuff before the opportunities pass by. I’ve made a lot of friends here and have had a lot of great experiences. I can’t even recall my last co-op session.
This is not about crying about this change in my life, but about a “see you later”. I hope I can put the time to play co-op again with some folks, but I don’t know when that time will be. I am grateful for Nick and the rest for the staff for all they do. And I promise, I’ll get back to listening to the podcast soon.