I Was a Teenage Gamer - 001 - 23/12/2010

Imagine if people never aspired to be actors or musicians or politicians. The world would be an empty, boring place. If you want to be something all you gotta do is just reach out and go for it.

At the risk of sounding like a mush-bag loser (which I am), my mom is an endless source of inspiration for me. These were her words after I asked her how she would feel if I ever moved out to San Francisco to work for a certain favorite independent gaming blog of mine. What she said surprised me. She's the protective-type - I suppose like most mothers - and San Francisco isn't exactly around the corner from our Central Ontario, Canada town.

Of course, afterwards she reminded me that California is due for an apocalyptic-scale earthquake any day now. I was almost surprised she didn't tell me that I would have to pack at least four pairs of clean underwear.



Today is my birthday. I'm officially 19 years old. This means a few things for me:

- I'm now legal drinking age! Beeeeeeer <3

- I've been alive on this Earth for nearly 7000 days! (6935 to be exact) That's a crapload of orbitation.

- Scariest of all, I'm taking my first few steps towards adulthood!

Now that's not to say I haven't made any progress of maturity in my life. I've got my driver's license, I'm halfway through college and I made it 48 hours into Final Fantasy XIII without throwing my controller at a wall. That's patience.

You're probably wondering where this is all going. Or maybe you've already figured out from the first paragraph. Either way, I'll clear it all up.

My name is Andreas - Dre for short. Excuse the header but I AM a teenage gamer. In fact, I've been playing games since I can remember. My first console was an NES that I loved like a rebellious adopted child. That's because I technically did adopt it from an older cousin and rebellious because I constantly had to blow the cartridge slot to get a game of Blades of Steel or Mario Bros up and running.

Needless to say, video gaming is a hobby that stuck. I've played Pokemon cards, snowboarded, was in a House League soccer team, joined a weekly anime/manga fanclub... You get the picture. To varying degrees, I still have interest in those things. However, I always was and always will be above all, a gamer.

At this point, I'm part of Destructoid Toronto, host a weekly podcast with my buddies called Pixel Bros, acted as a Moderator on the official Destructoid Live show (prior to the recent position resets) and am an avid fan of all types of games.



As you can probably guess, my aim is to one day work for Destructoid. I've been a member of this community since I was 16 and I've seen it change, expand, evolve and even digivolve into the amazing place I call homepage.

Now, I'm not completely naive. I understand the circumstances of employment at Destructoid. I've had the awesome opportunity to talk to some of the amazing editors and hosts on numerous occasions. I'm aware that they don't allow just anybody to be a Staff member.

That's why I've started this series: I Was a Teenage Gamer. Every single day for the next 365 days - right up until my 20th birthday I plan on updating this blog on my experiences with Destructoid and with the greatest past time this Earth has ever known: Vidya Games. I hope this way I'll get to know the community even better, learn a lot about writing, blogging, gaming and about myself! I have nothing to lose but self respect and I gain an awesome venue to showcase my dedication to all that is Destruct and Toid. And perhaps, just maybe, I'll get the attention of some of the people who are behind the unholy yet 100% righteous website.

Tomorrow I'll talk a little bit more about what I think I might be able to bring to the table and some of my personal experiences! Talk to you than! Oh, and happy holidays you damn nerds! <3