I was never a gamer. I was never interested in gaming. I never understood gaming and gamers. I had been given the impression that gaming was a waste of time. A waste of money. A bad influence. For boys only. Warping the minds of the youth. Turning people into zombies.
And then, at the age of 31, I started gaming.
Well, really, I started gaming before then. I’d been playing Hearthstone on and off for a year or two before I stumbled onto the magnificence of console games.
2018 is the year of the PS4.
It started when I made a dear friend on Twitter, and he invited me to watch his stream. He was interested in Hearthstone, so I eventually set up my computer to stream just to show him the basics. Through playing Hearthstone again, I reconnected with another old friend from my college days. Long story short. Time passed. Much watching of Bloodborne streams happened. An illegal amount of fun was had. And I decided “I have to play this game.”
I was moving and didn’t have a job lined up and didn’t have funds. I promised myself if I found a job, I’d get a PS4. Well, I got hired on a Tuesday towards the end of July and had a PS4 on Friday, along with Bloodborne, Uncharted 1-3, Sonic Mania, and a headset.
Now, if you know anything about Bloodborne, you know it’s ain’t easy. I’ve been called crazy a couple of times for my first PS4 game being Bloodborne. And not just my first PS4 game, my first console game ever (if you don’t count the NES I rocked as a kid or the Wii in college that I never really used).
Bloodborne is mystical and mythical, creepy and insane, beautiful and terrifying…and downright fun (if you have the patience for dying a lot). Dying is to be expected. Sure, as you get better and level up you start dying less, but you’re still more than likely gonna die. Bloodborne also has this cool online aspect where you can summon helpers into your game. They can be random, or you can set a password to play with friends. That was always part of the draw for me. I’d just moved to a place I hadn’t lived in over a decade, with no friends to speak of, and I’m an über introvert. Bloodborne, and the PS4 in general, have given me a chance to connect with my long-distance friends. But I NEVER expected the other friends I would make through the magical world of streaming on Twitch and summoning random players into my game who I could then connect with on PlayStation Network.
Speaking of Twitch, I reached Twitch Affiliate yesterday. Hoorah! Hoorah! It was never a goal when I first started streaming for shits & giggles, but the closer I got to the achievement, the more I wanted to go for it and make this a thing. And now I’m here after 2.5 months of streaming.
If you’re here for writing reasons. You’re probably wondering what this blog has to do with writing. I promise you, I’m getting there. Remember, the title is Unexpected Inspiration.
I had no clue that the world of video games is so multi-faceted. I’d never watched a game like Uncharted, which is basically an interactive cinematic experience. Or knew of a game with the beauty and story of Horizon Zero Dawn. I’d never listened to the soundtracks from a game like Bloodborne. I knew nothing of this creative world BEHIND the games. I’d never given them a chance. And when I finally did, watching friends stream on Twitch, I was entranced. Enthralled. Agog. I sit and look at Horizon Zero Dawn, sometimes speechless at how beautiful it is. I’m not too far into the story yet, but I hear the storyline is AMAZING. And I can’t wait to get farther into it. No spoilers please.
In playing Bloodborne, and co-oping with other players, I started chasing a plot bunny. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is on the horizon. I haven’t written anything truly new in years. The last few years I’ve worked on rewrites and edits, without much to show for it. And I’ve hardly written a word almost this entire year because of life, but that’s another story you can find scattered throughout previous blog posts. I’ve had other plot bunnies scamper past, but none that I’ve really latched onto. This one, however, has me excited!
At first I thought I’d write a Bloodborne fan fiction, but it’s morphed into something entirely new and separate from Bloodborne. With some inspirations from the mechanics of the game that someone who is a Bloodborne fanatic might recognize. Little Easter eggs, is you will. And I am truly excited for November 1st to roll around so I can start writing. Hell, I’ve even been PLOTTING! And I’m a total Pantser (flies by the seat of my pants sans plot). So if I’m plotting, my excitement level is through the roof.
I’ve been toying with the idea of posting my NaNo progress here on the blog as I go. I don’t know that I’ll be confident enough in it. But if you all promise to understand the woes of a NaNo Draft, then I might. If you’re interested in reading the daily progress on my video game inspired, inter-dimensional fantasy romance, let me know!
My 25 year old self can’t believe that my 31 year old self is actually chasing an idea inspired by a video game. I would’ve laughed in your face if you’d told me that five or so years ago. Me? Gaming? You’re out of your mind! But it turns out that it’s not so crazy. Gaming has been a great outlet for me the past few months. It’s helped me get back on my feet. Laugh. Work towards something. Make new friends. Sparked my creativity. The list goes on. Crazy? Perhaps. But I’m glad for it. And I’m glad for those people who have introduced me to this wonderful world, and those people I’ve met along the way.
If you’re interested in my gaming and Twitch streams, you can find me here: twitch.tv/RoseEvenstar21
Please feel free to follow me. Drop by a stream and say hi.
I hope to get more writing out for my readers soon. I’m like a weighted down coal train trying to get going up a steep hill, but once I push my way to the top, there may be no stopping me!
Thanks for dropping by.
Much love.
Rosie J.