Back in 2012, I took the first step and admitted I had a problem. I couldn’t be in denial any longer: My video game backlog had grown out of control. Thanks to Steam sales and Craigslist thrifting, I had amassed more games than I’d ever be able to finish. Rather than feel a sense of…
After I attempted to take my life, I spent five long weeks in the hospital, eagerly awaiting my return home. Eventually, I was discharged by the hospital’s mental health facility. But I wasn’t quite free. Instead, I was released on “Extended Leave” under British Columbia’s Mental Health Act. This act gives the government the authority…
Since my legs are broken and I’ll be spending my foreseeable future indoors, getting swept up in a good RPG sounded appealing. I dabbled with the top-down apocalyptic RPG Wasteland 2 but ultimately found that the game’s isometric perspective limited my enjoyment. Staring down at my characters like ants through a magnifying glass as they…
The morning of March 29th, 2021, was unlike all others. Rather than waking with the intention to live my life, I planned to end it. I had grown weary of existence. I hated the pursuit and management of capitalist resources. I hated the abundance of ceaseless errands and chores. I hated the obligation to comprehend…
Do you remember we were standing here a year ago? Our minds were racing and time went slow If there was trouble in the world we didn’t know If we had a care, it didn’t show But now I worry our horizon’s bear nothing new ‘Cause I get this feeling and maybe you get it,…
Above: Heavenly-forged Kyrian armour probably weighs thousands of pounds, so this out-of-place hyena mount ain’t having it. Roughly five months ago, Blizzard delayed the latest World of Warcraft expansion, Shadowlands, by about a month. That delay was one of the reasons I decided to cancel my pre-order and miss the game’s launch entirely. But old…
Every so often, a work of art comes along that shatters preconceptions, shifts the realm of possibility, and reinvigorates its medium. And every so often, that work is shepherded by a madman. Unfortunately, the twisted but beloved 90s cartoon Ren & Stimpy falls into that category. It was the result of burgeoning TV network Nickelodeon funding the…
Thanks to COVID, I’ve been living a very stripped-down, monotonous life for nearly a year now. I rarely leave the house for non-essential excursions, day-to-day novelty is sparse, and my sense of community is dwindling. In response, my subconscious is yearning for a new place to call home — but not in the real world.…
People with full-time jobs are often compelled to work on side projects outside of their regular work schedules. These side projects might be “side hustles,” pivots to other professions, or creative projects with no immediate expectation of profit. But entangled in the pursuit of these projects lies a dilemma: with limited recreational time, how much…
It’s been nearly a year since COVID-19 hitched a ride on humanity’s air travel infrastructure and blew its viral load across the globe. And I’ll admit: even as a practiced introvert, spending this much time at home is starting to get old. Thankfully, I’ve managed to shake things up with a new outdoor, social-distance-compliant hobby:…
