Don’t Even Think About It, Kanye……

Right away, I’d like to thank Anidaan over at The Moral of the Story both for the nomination, and for the exceptionally kind words that came with it. If you haven’t already, you should totes check the place out, because it’s quite impressive. As somebody who constantly analyses and dissects narratives anyway, I was immediately taken with Anidaan’s ability to do it with Video Games (and other stuff too), and it’s always interesting reading what he took from a particular experience. Sometimes it’ll be something that I missed entirely and his insights, and his skill in delivering them, are always rewarding to read.

What is this Blogger Recognition Award of which you speak?

Well, basically it’s a way of giving some love to any bloggers you particularly like and/or feel deserve some recognition. Let’s face it, we all crave a little bit of validation from time to time, and we all know that blogging can sometimes be a lot of work too, so what better way to reward those who have provided you with some free entertainment and content over the last few weeks, months or years!? The rules are simple, and are as follows:

  • Thank the blogger that nominated you.
  • Attach the award to the post.
  • Give a brief story of how your blog started.
  • Give a piece of advice or two to new bloggers.
  • Select 5 other bloggers you want to give the award to
In a Galaxy Far, Far Away…..

Once upon a time, I moved to Brazil because, like, Life. Given that I was six thousand miles away from family and friends back home, and given that I didn’t have a ton of friends here (and for “didn’t have a ton”, read none) I suddenly found myself spending a lot of time with video games (so, you know, every cloud….). A couple of years ago, Rich Keech (schoolfriend and sometime contributor to QTX) was writing for another gaming blog and shared their request for writers…. so I signed up. I really enjoyed it, and it was a great experience – and it also gave a sense of purpose and direction to what was, essentially, me being sat on my arse playing Video Games a lot. Anyways, as people became really busy with jobs and life and whatnot, that place kind of stopped so, looking to keep my new-found sense of legitimacy, I decided to continue with the whole ‘writing about games’ thing. Thus QTX was born….

Ladies and Gentlemen, Wear Sunscreen…..

Whilst most bloggers would be lying if they said they didn’t want hundreds of regular page hits, I think it’s important to set that notion aside – at least initially. It can be hugely frustrating and disheartening spending hours, days (weeks even) writing a piece only for a handful of people to read it, and it’s easy to get into a funk because of that. Instead though, try to enjoy the process of writing itself, and focus on other things, rather than page hits, or shares or whatever. I’ve found that the interactions with other bloggers, for example, are hugely rewarding, and if you’ve written something that elicits a response from somebody else, that’s something to cherish (providing said response isn’t along the lines of “go fuck yourself”, obviously). In a way, I think it’s what makes blogging – as opposed to Gaming journalism – unique, in that it’s an ongoing conversation, and there’s a great sense of community brought about by a shared love of a medium we all understand and care about. Sure, I’d still love a bajillion people to read my clumsily stabbed out proto-thoughts and whatnot, but I’m also loving being a part of a small community that engages with, inspires, and supports each other. If that seems overly trite, consider this exhibit A because this nomination, and Anidaan’s take on this place really, really meant a lot, and they came at a time when I needed a motivational kick up the arse.

Nominations….

Having said all of that, there’s no escaping the fact that I do only have a handful of readers, so that – plus the fact some of my would-be nominees have already been nominated – makes my own nominations a bit of a challenge. Given my recent Liebster nominations too, it’s inevitable there’ll be some repetition. Still, them’s the breaks, so without further ado, my nominations are…..

1) Particlebit. I always enjoy reading Particlebit’s pieces, and moreover, the dude knows his onions, which makes them enlightening as well as entertaining. Beyond that, I’ve also enjoyed and appreciated Particlebit’s involvement here, and his comments on my own pieces have been hugely welcome and interesting. Also, he nominated me for my Liebster Award and that – if I’m being honest – was a real high point for me.

2) Pine717 over at The Maximum Utmost. Pine717’s take on a wide variety of gaming topics are always worth a read, and they’re intelligent, thoughtful and interesting. What’s more, each post is underpinned by a clear understanding of, and love for, the medium – and I’m frequently impressed by his ability to make me more knowledgeable about stuff, despite my own innate resistance to, like, learning and suchlike.

3) Hundstrasse. I also nominated Hundstrasse for a Liebster (sorry, dude – more work….) but, even if I did have millions of readers, the place would still be worthy of double awardage. Written with style, wit and a firm grasp of the subject matter, I’m a big fan of Hundstrasse’s posts and always look forward to new ones arriving in my WP Reader.

4) Astro Adam at Video Games Nebula. It’s not easy to describe VGN – and thanks, in large part, to how unique it is. See, Astro Adam creates stories, vignettes and scenarios that are inspired by aspects of Games and Gaming, and in doing so, highlights particular elements in an original, outside-the-box kind of way. Sometimes satirical, sometimes profound, often whimsical and always entertaining, it’s definitely worth a look!

5) Timlah at Geek Out South-West. GOSW isn’t just a Gaming place, but rather a veritable smorgasbord of all things Geek, and as a result, it’s a thriving community – even outside of the confines of the t’internet. Anything that’s built from a shared love of something and that also manages to bring people together is well-worth a shout-out in my book, particularly because it requires an absolute shedload of work and commitment to achieve.

 

And that’s it. Huge thanks once again to Anidaan, and thanks for reading.