Three hundred sixty-five days ago while surfing the web for the latest & greatest game related news I found Destructoid. I really can't remember what exact piece caught my eye but I can say for a certainty that it was one written by our loved/hated residential British writer/blogger/amateur lewd cartoonist extraordinaire: Jim Sterling. Probably it was one of his infamous sardonic political rants but whatever the piece, I stuck long enough after being impressed with his writing to check the rest of Destructoid. Boy I'm glad I did.

Back then Destructoid was a bit different in its look as well as its feel, a bit more roguish but ridiculously wildly entertaining. That same day this old man joined the Destructoid community. The next day I wrote my first blog because God told me to blog. I still remember trying to figure out how to change my avatar and header, it took me awhile, I remember Workman under the guise of The Dark Side of Gaming with a Darth Vader Avatar, being one of a handful of Dtoiders commenting on my blog.

Destructoid was unique. There was nothing else out there like it. Editors of the site mingled with the community like regular joes, not some big shots full of themselves who could care less. The Cblogs were CRAZY wild territories traveled cautiously by newbs. Back then getting flamed/hazed on the Cblogs when you began was a trial of fire that only the strong would survive. Brutal, not for the faint of heart yet hilarious all the same. Back then the Legend of Electro Lemon with his Latenight Lulz, Workman with his usual epic oddities and Sony bashing were the norm.

For the first time, I was as equally captivated by things off the front page of a site, the cblogs themselves, and began writing blogs like a madman. It was awesome. At the time I never wrote anything and having that opportunity was plain cool. The personalities of the cblogs then were the stuff of legend. The blogs themselves cruder, sillier, crazier and a breath away from a flame war. Wii sucks was in his prime, Lemon was matlocking something on a regular basis, Snaileb was on Destructoid as much as King3vbo, hell I remember King3vbo's avatar before Item Forty graced him with one. Why way back then, Necros actually blogged more than once a month and about things aside from Special Edition Game Unwrappings and DVD Design would entertain us of tales of Japan.

The wild west feel of Destructoid was bonkers. I never knew what I would see on the Cblogs. Yet time passed and like all things, Destructoid changed. I never envisioned when I joined up long ago that Destructoid would have grown the way it has. I never would have thought the list of Cbloggers that got promoted to Editors here would be as large, or the look streamlined, or the inflation of members to our ranks or the very changes that have made Destructoid even better than before. I know at times I miss the wilder crazier times but looking at Dtoid now versus then I realized something... Destructoid hasn't lost any of its independent spirit, merely refined it. Can you imagine another year from now?

This post is basically here to distribute love. Here's some love for Niero for creating this place that I still can't get enough of and to everybody old and new on the staff. From Jim, to Colette and her love of Chocobos, to Rev Anthony's unflinching reviews, to Hamza's shark antics and Workman's well... everything ( Your missed but your trolling helps ). I would also like to thank the many many honest to goodness friends that I have made here in Destructoid in the community. I wont make a list because in all honesty it would take three blogs worth of space. You guys bring it and make it happen here daily. The selfishness of people giving to the community is unprecedented as is the time devoted to just creating content for us to peruse. Epic stuff.

I couldn't imagine being affiliated with Destructoid in some way no matter how small. Here's a toast to Destructoid and everybody who has contributed or has been a part of it old and new. Long Live Destructoid, here's to another 365 days and beyond.