A few days ago I beat my 141st game. It is also my 100th game since in 1999 I began marking down the year when each game was beaten. Now the year 2009 is almost over.
What a long, strange trip it's been...
A lot has happened in these years. Highs and lows, relationships and breakups, books and movies, jobs and travels, houses and cars, colleges and military service... They all are important because they are what makes up my life and who I am, but I'm also glad my gaming hobby has been with me right alongside these life events.
Some say it is a waste of time and that I may have missed out on some things while playing. I suppose I could have had a slightly bigger house if I spent my time working instead. Perhaps I could have seen a few more foreign countries if I focused on traveling. Still this can be said for any pastime be it lifting weights, praying in church, or collecting stamps.
I'm not sure if have lost anything, but there were definitely a lot of things I gained. Games made me learn about computers and gave me a career. Through games I've met and made friends with some interesting people, whom otherwise I would've never come across. Often I succeeded in my endeavors because of skills and knowledge I acquired while playing.
Considerably more important is the fact that I've drawn a lot of insight and inspiration from games. Always more than mere entertainment, they've given me a means to escape when I needed to, and the strength to face many of life's challenges upon my return.
Although my life has been saturated far above average with interesting, exciting, and unusual events in an of itself, bringing games into the equation has made it twice as fascinating. I can't wait to see what happens next, and I am sure as hell looking forward to playing for years to come.
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