Ever since birth, It was clear that I was genetically predispositioned to be a gamer. It was my blood, it fueled me; the essence of my being was that of one who plays games. Every strand of my DNA was hardwired to mash buttons and become entombed by fantasy worlds where I would eventually spend hours, even days, striving to become the best. I can date my tale back to when I was only three months old, when my brother(who was also an avid video gamer) first placed the NES controller in my hands. This simple controller was foreign to me, far unlike an ABC block or a bottle of milk, it had enchanting properties, even though I was too young to understand or wield them - I simply chewed on the controller. I wasn't yet vivid enough to properly understand it. But the years went by as sand passed down through the hourglass and, before I could utter a word or stand up to walk, I was learning how to play games. I played as many games as I could possibly get my young hands on - whether I was cast as a hero in an RPG, forced to battle with minions of Hell, or shooting a lightgun at our TV screen to kill ducks which garnerned points - I did those tasks, not with mere content, but with glee; the glee of being a gamer which is unsurpassed by anything else that life has to offer. As a devoted gamer, I was living the dream.
Indeed, games are my lifeblood. They define my existance and add significance to what would otherwise be a meaningless void. But despite how much I hold games dear, I can attest that I derive the most satisfaction from having a hand in their creation. Rome wasn't built in a day, and why would you passively experience the creation from the annals of history when you could regress in time to be among those who toiled for years to create it? As the ancient Romans laid down stones which became vast colliseums and collaborated to create the marvels we know as aqueducts. I, too, work dilligently on my computer to create games that will stand as monuments of indie gamemaking in our own little communities.
But where did it all begin?
As a young man who was coming of age, my passion for creating games was spurred on by my discovery of a curious little program called Game Maker. Upon my discovery, I rummaged through the internet searching out tutorials and resources which I compiled together in hopes to create projects, but the games fizzled out of existance before they could ever come to fruitition. Although I adored Game Maker and the features it offered, I realized that it was my true destiny to create Role Playing Games. The pivotal point in my life came when I clicked the "Download" button for RPG Maker 2000 - every single fabric of my being was forever altered by that single moment in time. I did not foresee that particular download anywhere in the past, there was no prior knowledge of anything even remotely grandiose which existed. Serendipity at its finest.
I felt that indie game creation was somewhat of a scarcely existing artform, but little did I know I would encounter entire communities which devoted their niche on the internet to those who shared my own sentiments. It felt like a dream, but it bled with truth and contained such vivid sensory that I could not deny their existance within reason. In these communities, tutorials and resources were abound, certain prominent games were featured on the home pages, and users like myself were sharing ideas on game creation. I scouted throughout every nook and cranny on the internet in search of the ultimate gaming community, a particular website stood out above all else.
It's name was GamingW.
When I first registered on GamingW, I was still learning the ropes of game creation and I hadn't properly refined my abilities. Still, an entire community laid before my eyes that was devoted to the game creation process. Over the years, I have attempted to assimilate into the community but, in a sense, I still feel like an outcast. Regardless, I must praise GamingW for bolstering my interest in indie game making and, as a dedicated member here, I must offer what I have witnessed over time of this marvelous community.
Several years ago, I joined GamingW and stood as a mere neophyte amongst regulars, but I felt within my comfort zone and have seen the rise to prominence and eventual descent into madness of the community, and every bit that lies in between. As new members have joined and old ones disbanded from the group, we have collectively been a part of a robust brotherhood that can not be subverted from its enterprise of offering purely good experiences. Although we have been embraced by hardship, we have learned to band together, united as a community, which has shared the entire gamut of human emotion. Together we have cried during times of loss, felt despair, laughed at petty topics regarding relationships, engaged in insensible quarrels - divided at times, but as a durable community, we can not be wholely undermined. We have stood tall over adversity and transversed the proving grounds.
Although the name GamingW has recently retired, we have not. GamingW was simply a label affixed to the community as a means of identity. The essence of the community, the members which belong here, is still going strong, despite all that has been said and done. I stand here,
waving goodbye to GamingW, but I raise my glass to usher in the newfound SaltW - here's to many years past and much more to come. Here's to you, my fellow community members. Here's to you.
- With love...
Your good friend, Omcifer.
Gaming World Forums
Here we stand