There are times in your life when a story or a work of art will speak to you in volumes that exceed the bounds of the original creation. Whatever the reason, the place, or the time, that thing stuck with you—maybe it filled a void in your life, or maybe the story, music, or something more abstract resonated with you at that particular moment, or maybe it was a means to connect with people in a way that might not have otherwise been possible.

It's something to do.

In only a few decades, video games went from being a weird sideshow of bleeps and bloops to a billion dollar industry and pastime for millions, complete with its own competitive leagues. Anyone who grew up through this time has witnessed the growth of beautiful artform only to have its wings clipped by constant microtransactions and identical sequels. Those 12-year-olds who were beating us at Halo and describing exactly what they did to our moms last night are now 26 year olds, still beating us…

Now that's a party.