Escape

The world is a scary place, always has been but lately it feels like they went and turned it up to 11. And here I am writing about games, MMOs. These two things are connected, more than you know. So I am going to dip into some serious stuff for one post, not far but if you are easily bothered and offended? Go read something else.

As you may know I have had Cancer in the past. Beat it. Thing is, winning that sort of battle is seldom a one and done. So it did come back, last year. Got into one of my kidneys. I lost it but hey, I have a spare so no biggy. Then they started to chemo treatments. In the middle of a pandemic I became one of the very immuno-compromised people. That was a bit disconcerting but I made it through. Then my left arm started hurting and they ran a very short test that ended with ‘you sit still there while we make a surgery appt for you this week’ Angiogram and three stents later and I am back on the road. Sometimes I feel like I am an old beater of a car in a Nascar race and the only thing keeping me going is a really good pit crew.

There are a lot of stories connected with all of this that I will not do right now. Hopefully I will get to meet some of you, some day, and we can sit down and I will make you laugh and feel bad about it because you are laughing at all the things that seem to hit me. I am ok with that. And I hope that we get that chance, I really do.

The thing that keeps me going, well a distant second to a very loving wife and kids? Games. The chance to escape, to make my own stories and be the hero. To talk to people almost every day when I am home and quite shut in. To be able to travel if only in my minds eye or on a little screen. Even writing this is an escape valve. I wrote Thank you a long time back but it still applies. I do appreciate the people who make the games, the people I play with and even those of you who put up with my ramblings and stories, year in and year out. You are my Escape.

That is one of the reasons I do not talk about my health that often, really. Because I think that my game stuff might be your escape and I see no reason to drag you down with my load. We all play these long involved games and look at the new generation with their games and shake our heads. Fast, in and out, memed but not immersive. Dead by Daylight is one my eldest loves and I watch a bit but I soon wander off to do my own thing. It is an awesome game, do not get me wrong, but it is not for me, there is no building, not enough progression and choices.

I do not begrudge her what she enjoys and she and the rest of my family return the favour. We play board games together on a regular basis and laugh and enjoy things each in our own way.

I know I said it before but it still holds true. Thank you one and all. Those who make the games, who play them with me, who have followed this odd trip? You are appreciated.

fly it like you won it.

m

oh, ps. One of the fun visits to Iceland? Locked into an Escape Room with another CSM (Cagali Cagali) and two devs of Eve Online. We did make it out and beat the clock.