Not much code was written today. Actually, with the exception of this blog and installing a new sublime package for jekyll, absolutely no code was written today. Time flew over the afternoon and before I knew it, it was already 10:30pm. Fortunately, I was able to scratch a lot of things off my to-do list, which is great. It's gonna be a hectic couple of months ahead, so getting some things out of the way now should help tons down the road. More details to come as things unfold :)

The lack of code to show for today actually doesn't bother me too much because I knew that I wanted this next entry to be a bit different than my usual studies update. I want this blog to also include other parts of my life that are important to me, and here I'll be visiting one of those things in particular- video games, as well as how they tie in to today's theme of 'Inspiration.'

Just a warning- there's a strong chance I'm gonna nerd out (hard) in this post. I really do love this stuff, and the following will discuss just a few of the many reasons why.

porter robinson - sad machine

Before really getting into it, thought I'd mention I'm streaming Porter Robinson's MMO/Album stream. I just bought tickets to see him live in SF, and I can't wait! I just started listening to his music, and while reading about the process behind his first album, he mentioned a lot of inspiration coming from anime and video games. I think I know why I'm diggin it so much!

nintendo 64 kid

To say that video games are a big part of my life would be a huge understatement. As a kid, I feel very fortunate and thankful for a lot of the things I had access to. Though our family never had a lot of money, my mom, aunts, and uncle always tried to get me a something nice for a birthday or holiday. They knew me well, so this usually meant a new game. I honestly can't describe the feeling of holding a new game in your hands that you wanted for so long, especially when we were kids and couldn't just buy things whenever we wanted to like we can now.

nes art

I think I originally fell in love with gaming because they provide an entirely new world to immerse yourself in. I believe I got into gaming during its golden age, which was in the late 80's/early 90's. This was the generation of the NES, SNES/Genesis, and PlayStation/N64 to name the big players. Even though the technology by today's standards may seem absolutely terrible to those who didn't grow up with it, those big blocky sprites, 8-bit music tracks, and grimy plastic controllers will always bring me back to a much simpler time in my life- where on Friday nights my mother would take my cousin and I to rent a game from Blockbuster Video, order a pizza, and let us stay up through the night, button mashing our hearts out.

fangamer goldeneye art

Those days were more than 20 years ago, and I still get a huge wave of nostalgia just talking about this stuff. The best part is that I'm not the only person that feels this way. The gaming community has been growing as the years have passed, and it's been a huge staple in the entertainment business for some time now. There are even companies dedicated to allowing gamers to share their experiences LIVE, while they're happening. It may seem like a simple, or even boring, idea to a lot of people. But I imagine the tens of thousands who partake in this experience are like me- they used to go to friends' houses and just sit and play games together for hours. Now, we can share this same feeling again, from anywhere in the world.

twitch ui

The community really does make it a special place, and I saw an article/video on a popular gaming news site about a particular community member that really made me tear up. The headline is "Disabled Gamer Talks About How Twitch Saved His Life". His name is Ken Worrall, and due to an unfortunate work accident 20 years ago, he now has Tetraplegia. I can only imagine what life must be like on a daily basis for Ken, and the kind of obstacles he overcomes just to do simple things that we all take for granted. But the really incredible part, is that rather than feeling bitter and sorry for himself, cursing the world or others around him, his attitude towards life, friends, and his family is truly remarkable. According to Ken, gaming, and the gaming community, played a huge part in that. He talks about how supportive the gaming community has been, and you can tell from others' comments/tweets/blogs that Ken's passion for gaming and living has really touched them. Many have even contributed money to Ken's channel to help send him to Blizzcon, one of the industry's biggest events. I absolutely recommend watching the quick video. It is inspiring and heart-warming, to say the least.

I find that every now and then I need to reflect and put a lot of things into perspective. Stories like Ken's helps me get to where I need to be. Our attitude and perspective on life and all the motions it brings really shapes our reality. The next time I'm feeling sad, depressed, or angry, these are the things I'll be reminding myself. Thank you, Ken. And thank you, gamers.

I do not own any of the art shown on this post.