The Freelance Gamer

You remember when you were a kid, and you got your first game? Remember the magic and the wonderment as you played it for the first time? Remember deciding that you liked gaming? I do. Remember when you worked your ass of for your allowance and saved up for that new game with the awesome cover art, just because it looked cool? I remember that, too. Remember how you put it in your system to play it for the first time, only to realize it sucked? Well, I remember it.

I was pretty good about spending my money wisely, or rather, I was lucky that my tastes were rather discriminating. My first real video game (that edutainment stuff my parents gave me doesn't count) was the original Command & Conquer for the PC, back in 1995. I was 7 years old, and my parents had a shit-fit when they saw the blood and heard the dying screams of the little pixelated guys. My stint as a gamer almost ended there, but damn, it was worth it.

Eventually, my parents accepted my choice in games and eased off a bit. I expanded my scope a little. My good luck kept up for a while. But, it was inevitable that I'd run into a bad game eventually.

1998 was a banner year for gaming. A proverbial golden age for electronic entertainment. Starcraft, Metal Gear Solid, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and the game that would eventually become my favorite of all-time, Half-Life. But, with all the excellent titles that year produced, there was bound to be at least one awful one. And I ended up buying it because of a damn trailer. Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 robbed me of fifty of my hard earned dollars, and at the time, I was too damn stupid to realize it. Kids are stupid.

So, by this point, you may be asking why I'm writing all this. It's actually pretty simple. I've had a long stint as a gamer, by now. 15 years. Sure, there've been people gaming longer than me, but if gaming were a job, I'd be able to retire in five years. I'm getting off topic, though. The reason I started this blog was to go back and take a look at some of the games of the past and rip them a new asshole. I'll also be giving my honest opinions on recently released titles, and modern gaming as a whole. So, please join me, I promise it'll be an interesting ride.

I'm the Freelance Gamer, welcome to my world.