5th Blog Anniversary!

Welcome, dear readers!

Even though the day I started this feels like yesterday, I can't help but sense the weight of time on my shoulders. I've seen very good blogs die in less than five years, maybe even months, but I'm still here. Why is that, I wonder?

Back in 2007 I started buying video games in order to put them on a shelf and play them sparsely, so I was primarily a collector. After a few months doing that, reason began replacing the enthusiasm and something that always lurked in the back of my head started taking shape. This collecting hobby demanded something more of it, it couldn't be just about piling up game after game and eating away the available space in my room.

I needed to come out of the closet.

My Xbox 360 collection, exactly 5 years ago

Figuring out the concept of the 1CC changed the way I saw video games. In fact, it changed my approach towards them forever, eliminating whatever I had left of appreciation for casual or mainstream gaming - that part of the industry that involves video games with excessively long campaigns, unlimited save points and time-based completions. Titles that lacked scoring systems or offered almost no real challenge suddenly sounded bland, lifeless to me. Factor in aspects of real life, less available time to play, personal aesthetical taste and you get the picture.

I began getting rid of almost all games I owned that weren't shoot'em ups, and the collection started anew. With it came the notion of keeping track of my performance in each one of these games, and a few months later this blog was born. I was a noob then, and even though I still feel like a noob now I believe I have learned how to play these games a little better over the years.

Looking back in retrospect, I like to think of it this way: what started as a collection of a particular genre of video games kinda shifted into a collection of trophies in that particular genre of video games. A hobby with no boundaries except for the ones I set myself, no grinding away in achievements poorly established by developers from the latest video game generation. It feels good, it feels clean, it's in line with the existing standards of an awesome niche community. Above all, it keeps the love for my hobby and my collection alive. However, I'm 37 and some people would probably tell  me I'm too old to dedicate myself to such a childish hobby.

With that said, I must say I will not be doing this anymore, or at least for a long time.

Years go by really fast, and even though five years seem like a very long time I think it's a reasonable interval for you to rejoice and celebrate a particular accomplishment with friends and readers.

As a response for suggestions made over the last months, I have enabled a menu on the top of the blog containing links for a few dedicated pages with rearranged information on cool shmup readings and all the stuff I wrote so far.

I'm really thankful for all the feedback, encouragement, challenges and ideas received during these wonderful five years.

Cheers!