There's a point when games can't be #1 anymore.

In celebrating 20 years as a gamer, I'm finding that ending the days where gaming is something that I do daily is challenging. I can't even consider that for the first time in my entire life I won't be there when Zelda is released nor will the latest gaming experience be a priority in my world. There's more on the line for me now - and I want to spend the 2nd half of my twenties living with the vitality of a man who is in his twenties. NOT sitting back and gaming while life is passing me by.

I can give credit to games for this - they helped me through hard times as a kid. They offered fun and comfort in a world that felt fundamentally unfair. When you're a kid you can't do much about the world feeling unfair. But as an adult there's more to work with and less need to fall back on sedentary experiences as a substitute for true aliveness, true human to human connection, etc. Games have also offered me outlets, alternate perspectives on life, and a versatality that has helped me make large jumps in the real world and take risks that are frankly, dangerous and unexplored. I think games can offer courage - and with those experiences of braving the depths of danger in games there is more room to try real risks in the real world.

I've been at the grind in making a great life for myself for five years. Its taken me across the country, through crazy experiences, wild adventures, and massive action in new and unexpected ways. People are watching and admiring me, inspired by how I throw myself into action and danger again and again and bring back the gold. The rewards for living so recklessly are immense and I thank the craziness of games for allowing me to live exaggeratedly and unapologetically myself. It has reached the point where every game I play is just a distraction so I don't have to get up and take far larger leaps in real life. Every time I play Ocarina of Time that was a drive to see the world stifled. Every time I played Mario Party it was a real social gathering I missed, every time I played Banjo it was the goofiness and aliveness inherent in the world that I couldn't follow and instead quick fixed with a video game.

This is by no means goodbye. I'll be back and the Wii U's many experiences will be played by me. But for the first time in my life I will not regularly frequent game stores, I will not avidly follow game news, and I will not play games as a replacement for my life. My life is my life, and I may one day find that 3 years have passed and I haven't looked into a game store in YEARS. I'll walk in with $1000.00 in cash, marvel at all the games I never knew existed, and will excitely choose from the options to compliment MY LIFE, and not live for games and let my life be backseat for games. I'm looking forward to walking in after years of REAL ADVENTURES and having that uninterrupted two weeks of non-stop intense gaming. I hope there are like 4 Zelda titles I've never heard of IN THE STORE. Oh how awesome that's be. :)

Until then I'm making the shift into something great and dark. My sections will be less about electronic games and more about the amazing game of life and the real life challenges I'm facing. Always inspired by and influenced by games, AND always living as if life is a giant game. In a world where we are mortal - I think having a childhood filled with games is great practice to treat life as play and hardship as just another level in the real world. It could be that we gamers have the greatest potential to make massive change in this world, if and only if we are able to let go of the electronic hobby and embrace the real world with the attitude that games taught us to have. Have fun with life and never take it too seriously... AND take it deadly seriously because this game ain't over.

Former gamer Stonetowerghost, out.

See you guys soon.