Earlier this year I realized something — in a great many ways I’ve pulled a complete 180 from who I used to be a decade ago. Namely in opinions about some topics, preferences for some things and general interests. It’s kind of funny to think back, but given the stuff that can happen to a person over 10 years it’s not such a crazy thing, and I think it would be fun to go over a few of these changes, and maybe have a laugh at myself. Why not, right?
It’s kind of wild — I went from being a PC gamer who really wanted a PS3 to being on the Xbox side of things. Being a PlayStation gamer since 1998, I had figured that at some point I would get a PlayStation 3 and enjoy it as much as I did the original PlayStation and the PlayStation 2. That never happened. All the while, I had an almost irrational hatred for the Xbox brand mainly because of the way fans of it acted about it — I placed the blame on the game system itself, rather than realizing what I actually disliked was the attitude presented by people. This would be a common thing, even to this day — the only difference is I now understand what it is I have conflict with, and can articulate this feeling better.
Similarly, I went from being someone who wished people would shut up about how “great” Apple is to having a little collection of vintage and semi-current Mac’s and even now using an iPhone. It’s honestly kind of crazy to think, and I feel like these two things are the main aspects that 2009 Chris would say “What the fuck is wrong with you” to the current me. It was the same thing — people’s attitudes were the problem, not the products themselves, and just a few years into the 2010’s I eventually would find a bit of joy in watching videos of Mac Pro owners upgrading their machines. It then became inevitable I’d get into this scene, and sure enough that happened over 2018.
There’s other changes that aren’t so positive — Back in 2009 I was still heavily in love with music games, primarily the step rhythm games Dance Dance Revolution and Pump it Up. I was very heavily involved in the simulation side of these games, where fan-made software could be used to re-create these, and even had made my own game based on this software, using music I liked and step and graphics created by myself. This actually was a major hobby of mine back in this time period, but now, it’s a long dead project — I quit because the music game scene was (and still is) indescribably toxic. I just had to step away from the project. I still have the data, but I’ve not worked on the project since about 2012. It was time to move on from what was honestly a pretty major chapter in my life.
I barely pay attention to the real games at all anymore, either, primarily due to the closure of the arcade I frequented to play some of these games. Others existed, sure, and new arcades have opened up in the area, but these places charge more than the original arcade I loved so much did, and I’m honestly too busy to bother going to these places to play anymore. Plus, I’m almost 35 – my body isn’t quite what it used to be anymore, and I really need to get back into shape before I consider trying to play these games like I used to. With that being said, I do have a collection of both American and Japanese home versions, systems to play them on, pads and equipment to get the full experience, and a nice audio system to back it all up. I just need to make time to really enjoy these games again, like I did for so many years in the 2000’s.
I really don’t game all that much anymore, either. Part of it is due to the time I devote to this site which, but for much of the year I just don’t feel like playing anything. Nothing serious, just a quick play of this or that for a while off and on. Sometimes I’ll get sucked into a game for a while — Late last year Red Dead Redemption 2 kept me busy for a solid month, and earlier this year I finally finished Halo 4 in a bit of a marathon setting, but otherwise I’ve not played anything too seriously in a while. I just haven’t felt the urge, but 2009 me would be crazy about playing everything I’ve got sitting here. My collection was pretty much non-existent back then; now I’ve got plenty of modern and classic titles to choose from whenever I want, but not enough interest to really go at them.
Don’t get me wrong — there’s been a ton of good stuff to happen that 2009 me would say “oh, damn, you did that? Awesome!” That’s just the nature of things — people change over time, just a little bit. It’s a good thing, so long as you never try to force it and become a completely different person. We are who we are as individuals for reasons, after all.
C’est la Vie