I can honestly say that I’ve been asked a million times why I play games, and I normally just shrug and say it’s a hobby, but that’s a lie. Because when I game, I’m at home. From the flames of Cataclysm to the icy mountains of Tamriel, anywhere I venture is a place I love and know. My entire life, people preach that I could be anything that I wanted to be, but when I told them that I wanted to be a captain of a ship. A SPACESHIP – THE spaceship that saves humanity – that I wanted to be Commander Shepard, they told them I needed to get a grip on reality. To them, a “grip on reality” means the American Dream: Working 9-5 crammed up in a tiny cubicle, having 2.5 kids, a two-story suburban house, and a white picket fence. I divorce once, and I’d have debt into my early 30’s because I took some bullshit university degree that’s supposed to help me in the end. This isn’t reality, this is just some dull outlook on it. Now, I understand it’s human nature to achieve greatness, but I can do this as Commander Shepard, I don’t need a degree. And if I want to go on an adventure, I don’t ever have to leave the comfort of my own home. People spend an entire salary to travel and I can’t help but laugh. I’ve singlehandedly stopped a reign of ancient wyverns from destroying the nation. To do that I had to learn their language, become a master in swordsmanship, smithing, archery, defense, magic, speech, hunting, and thieving. Not to mention I had to take down an entire fleet of assassins, along with a brigade of smugglers before I could even start my lessons in dragon speak. I’ve always enjoyed an adventure, but I hated pawning my limbs to afford an 18-hour car ride. And aside from being told that I could enjoy a white picket fence at the end of my career, all my years as a student was a balance between fractal formulas and believing I’d never be able to love. Which is literal insanity, I’ve saved Princess Peach. I wanted to become the guy, and I became the guy. I saved Bandage Girl, and I’ve been Link for generations just to save Princess Zelda. But yet, I’m the eternal virgin, I’m the guy that’s never going to love. Sometimes this shit doesn’t make any sense to me, why people assume that I need to be outdoing something and away from home to have fun. When I have my own reality grasped between my hands, I have my own world at their fingertips. If I screw something up I can rewind time, I can’t do that in real life. When I’m in game. I’m free to do what I please, when I please. I’m free to enjoy things the way I want to. I can build my own kingdom and lead my people to freedom because I’m the mind behind the game. I’m the one who enjoys these games. I am a gamer. And I always will be.