roots

With Halo 4 on the horizon, I’ve been thinking a lot about the good ol’ Halo 2 days. When I was in 7th grade, I got xbox live and Halo 2 on the same day, and I can remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the map (ivory tower) game type (rumble pit) and all of the feelings that dawned on me as I realized how amazing of a thing I’d stumbled upon. As I played more and more, I realized that there were a decent amount of people from my town who also played, some of them have become my best friends. As the years went on, I can honestly say that the halo community in Wethersfield became insane, your skill actually meant something to people. It was surreal, something I was good at that was commonly overlooked was suddenly important. Needless to say this was a tremendous influence on the way I lived my life during these years. There were very few days that I wasn’t playing Halo with a full party of 8+ friends, and if I wasn’t I was skating with them planning out playing later on. This was my life, it was the most important thing to me, which may sound kind of sad but the magnitude of people who played validates it in a way.

I would say that there were about two to three years that this went on, and I loved every second of it. I honestly can’t say that enough, I would give anything to have things they used to be. Eventually, however, things began to change. People began to move on, grow up, become involved in other things. It was sad to see, but it was a sign to me that I should do the same. This was easier said than done though, as this was as I said, my life. I kept playing as you would guess, and it became depressing in a sense, because things were never as good as they once were. I think people have that experience with anything that brings them pleasure, not to sound cliche, but all good things must come to an end eventually.

I gradually accepted the decline of the Halo scene, and even began to invest my time differently. As new Halo games came out, I would go back to my ways, but for less time with each release. Fast forward to the present day, in which I can say I’ve probably played Halo: Reach about 1/20 as much as I played Halo 2. I can count the amount of people who still play on my hands, and I’ve lost touch with a lot of people who I used to be close with because of Halo.

With Halo 4 coming out soon, it makes me wonder where my priorities will lay. I’ve noticed that as I’ve grown up I do a lot less of what I enjoy, and a lot more stressing out. I want to believe that I’ll be able to go back to my old ways, even for a brief period, because I know it will make me happy and provide me with good memories to look back on.

If you made it this far, you might be asking “why the hell is this nerd complaining about how he doesn’t play enough video games?” Understandable, and the only way I can explain it is this: gaming is something that I consider a constant in my life. Other than skating, it is the only thing that I’ve always been good at. I think everyone has something like this, and I also think that it’s important to remind yourself of what it was like when you first started, and how it’s changed as you’ve changed.