Two-Year Anniversary!

As of September 1st, I've been writing and having my work published for two years!

It's a pretty small milestone, but I figured I'd take the time now to reflect on the handful of things that have gone on during that time and take it all in.

For the past few months, I've had a handful of different ideas on what to do with this blog, as well as the types of writing I want to put out for different channels. My work on SUPERJUMP has me play with more positive ideas and focus on appreciating the standout aspects of whatever game I'm writing about. Stop Caring makes me think about the personal connections that I develop with the games I play and really look at them like art. Lawrence and Goliath has been a sort of neutral zone for it all, not as intimate but focused on the fun factor, occasionally dipping into the more traditional aspects of games journalism. I've had a few fun moments like recaps and the "Tackling the Backlog" series, but I feel like I haven't truly found my voice with what I wanted this site to be when I set out to make it. On the other hand, I enjoy the writing that I do here because it's different than the other spaces I write in. It's more casual.

I'll also be transparent and say that probably 90% of my writing for a long time now has been about games; anything outside of that has been short stories for college workshops, professional documents and proposals, research papers; I haven't taken enough time to explore other creative avenues of writing, and I haven't done the other things necessary to be a good writer. I haven't exposed myself enough to other forms of art, and the last thing I want to do is pigeonhole myself into only appreciating one medium, no matter how much that medium means to me.

I've had plenty of ideas that have been collecting dust for months now. Video essay scripts, essays talking about my favorite paintings, interviews with other people in the gaming industry finding a niche for themselves. I haven't acted on them out of what I can only prescribe as sloth (and a bit of anxiety around starting something new), so I think it's time that I take a small break from games and games writing. Nothing insane, about a month or so.

I most likely won't be publishing another piece on this site until mid-October/November. Before I completely break away from the internet, I have a handful of SUPERJUMP articles that should go up before my return, as well as my most recent publication on Stop Caring where I talk about Lies of P and God. Those are my last commitments until Lawrence and Goliath will get its fresh coat of paint.

But before I go...

I went to PAX West this year! This was my first PAX ever, and I'm starting to enjoy these annual trips to the PNW.

I currently work with Junkfood Custom Arcades, a small company in Georgia that was showing off their new controller, the Sworl. I imagine it's impossible for me to talk about without any potential bias since, well, I work there, but I will say it's a really unique piece of indie hardware that's worth taking a look at if you've ever had hand pains from playing games for too long or just enjoy new peripherals. Even before I got the job, I had an interest in getting one at some point.

PAX West was quite possibly the biggest convention that I've ever been to. Spanning across multiple buildings on one street, each with multiple floors of games, panels, freeplay areas, and merchandise, I left the convention with plenty of unexplored areas. What took up most of my free time away from the booth was helping run one of the Beyblade tournaments happening that weekend. A friend of mine and I are both fans of the current generation and have been going to tournaments for a little over a year, and the people up in Seattle were a blast to meet and play with. I even won the raffle for a custom painted Beyblade!

The expo halls themselves were massive. Nintendo showed off the new Kirby Air Riders and Pokémon Legends Z-A, Arc System Works highlighted a few different games, there was a Capcom booth for Pragmata (I still don't really get what's going on with that game if I'm being honest), and there was a large section dedicated to indie developers. I'd heard of Indiepocalypse in passing before, but the table that was set up was full of some of the most unique art I've ever seen. Indie games put onto USB drives, placed in cassette tape holders, with cover art designed by artists who have nothing to do with gaming. I loved the creativity and passion behind it. It made me miss PRGE.

Now as I'm back on the east coast, it's time to readjust and take a short break. Until then, I'm keeping a document of any and all suggestions for games I should play upon my return, or anything I get the urge to play. A sort of reset on my backlog. If anything comes to your mind, please reach out to me on Bluesky, comment here, etc. etc.