January 1st, 2012 was most likely a dreary, overcast winter day — and like the skies outside my window, a dense haze clouded my mind. I had most likely overdosed on cannabis at a New Year’s Eve party the night before. The drugs left me dazed and disoriented. Reluctantly, I emerged from bed and parked…
It’s Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, so I thought I’d take some time to reflect on thankfulness. The topic feels especially pertinent this year: Six months ago, I nearly succeeded at taking my own life. But thanks to the combined efforts of rescue, emergency, and health professionals, I’ve more or less resumed life where I last…
Uncharted took gamers on a series of thrilling, worldly expeditions. The Last of Us married brutal survivalist combat with emotionally charged storytelling. Both franchises are the latest proof of game developer Naughty Dog’s evolving talent. But despite their innovations, neither franchise is anywhere near as fun or as visually interesting as the studio’s preceding trilogy, Jak…
Earlier this month, I replaced a pair of broken headphones, paid for a $238 dentist visit, and backed a Kickstarter. Afterwards, I was feeling pretty tapped-out financially. It’s not that I didn’t have the money for these things: I’ve earned more this month with two broken legs than I did earlier in the year with…
The first coffee I ever had was a bottled Starbucks Frappucino. As something laden with milk and sugar, it was delicious to nine-year-old me. But beneath its candied presentation, I could tell that the foundation of its flavour — the distinctly dark, earthy taste of coffee — was something special. Roughly a decade later, I…
I rarely play handheld games these days. But occasionally, I get the itch to thumb through my humble library of Game Boy Advance cartridges, and a flood of heartfelt memories ensues. In many ways, the Game Boy Advance is still the perfect handheld system for my needs. Released in 2001, its 32-bit hardware is incapable…
Prior to 2021, I had never broken a bone. But earlier this year, I made up for lost time by sustaining all sorts of fractures all over my body. The surgeries to correct those fractures took place while I was unconscious, and most bone breakage has since healed. However, I’d thought I’d chronicle some of…
Battlefield’s brand of large-scale, high-intensity warfare has kept me captivated for over a decade. In 2010, I was completely smitten with Bad Company 2, a game that subverted many multiplayer shooter conventions. Buildings were fully destructible, so you couldn’t run and hide forever. Bullets dropped, requiring you to consider the physics behind every squeeze of…
My Mom has always been a compassionate gardener. She had a garden in our backyard when I was little. In her spare time, she would toil away, fostering the growth of chives, oregano, thyme, and more. What I didn’t know at the time was that my Mom had another garden: Us, her three sons. Like…
My partner and I recently hit level fifty in Fallout 76. And with the celebration came some contemplation. In Fallout 76, fifty is the last meaningful character level threshold. Crossing fifty lifts all level-related restrictions, meaning you’re free to equip any weapon or armour piece and attend any event in-game. You can continue to earn experience and…
