First Post - My Story

So, having spent way too much of my life playing video games I decided I should really do something with all the experience. Back when I was 16 and finishing off my exams I had dreams of becoming a top flight programmer and making the greatest games ever! Sure enough though, I soon got knocked back down to earth when I started to look into getting into the games industry. Thinking all was lost, I was given a new direction when a friend of mine suggested I start writing about games, let people know my views, and possibly make a little cash along the way.

The idea got my attention and then reality hit again. The truth is my writing skills are really bad, and so I had to work out a way of letting people know what I thought whilst maintaining some sort of content that could actually be understood. Game Phreeks was what came from hours of thought. A community of gamers that were posting for the love of the game, literally! Little did I know though that such a simple small fan site would lead me down the path it did.

I worked with the friend that had set me on the path and together we started posting little articles to a blog, and heading off to events, thinking we were the best thing since sliced bread. It was at one of these events that the games industry knocked on my door. It was Game Stars Live at the excel, and one of the PR contacts I had started getting to know arranged to have a coffee with me, just as a little catch up and see what I was up to. After talking for a little while, he stopped me and made a suggestion (I think people like suggesting things to me) Go and get a degree, something games related, and start making a real go of things. So that was exactly what I did, I got myself into university that very day, and it was then that Game Phreeks began to die.

People ask me now why Game Phreeks actually stopped. It was simple really, I fell out with my friend, university took up most of my time, and I was working towards becoming a games designer, so why keep writing. What I should have done was keep it going though, since I could have made the site viable back then, and used all the resources at my disposal. I left university with lots of nice new skills, I could program, do graphic design, manage projects and write a little better. Problem was, I couldn't get work because I was lacking experience, so again, dreams crushed, I started looking at what options there were.

It's been three years since I left university, and here I am, back with my old blog, but this time I am armed with the skills and knowledge to make a real go of it, and it seems to be paying off! The site is going from strength to strength, and I am learning new things minute by minute.

The moral of this story though is this. The games industry can be harsh, Hopes and Dreams shattered so easily, but remember just this, Gaming is fun, Don't force yourself into something just because, do the things that you enjoy and stick to it! You will be surprised at how far you can go if you just keep at it. The short moral...Don't Give UP!