About me

When I was 4 years old - back in 1985 - my dad brought home a mysterious package with a rainbow sign painted on the box. Little did I know that this moment would have such a profound impact on my life. I still remember how he sneaked into his bedroom, hiding the package in his closet. Looking at it from today's perspective and judging from all the secrecy, he must have payed a small fortune for it and was worried how my mother would react to such an investment. One day when my mom was out, he finally took out the package, connected it to our TV, started typing on it and then gave me a satisfying wink. Suddenly horrible noises began shrieking out of this strange machine and I could see a picture of a pink dinosaur slowly appearing on the TV screen. A few minutes later I saw my dad navigating a cartoon figure through fantastic worlds filled with all sorts of creatures and I couldn't believe what I have just witnessed! It was pure magic and I fell in love with this new "toy" for the rest of my life! The "toy" was called ZX Spectrum, the game was Kokotoni Wilf and I was forever hooked. From that moment on all I ever wanted to do with my free time was play games.

Some people later in my life would call me a nerd and would laugh at me for being so passionate about my hobby, but I didn't care. I didn't care because video games allowed me to experience worlds that these people couldn't even imagine. In these worlds I was a knight killing dragons, I fought countless monsters and conquered any enemy that was foolish enough to cross my path. I was a Formula 1 driver, a football star and an NBA player. I explored the universe and discovered new worlds. I traveled through time and talked to historical figures or vanquished them into oblivion. I could even become a vampire or a mustache twirling bad guy, without the consequence of actually hurting someone. Nothing was impossible and the only limitation was the number of games I could play due to real life responsibilities.

Games liberated me as a person and they allowed me to overcome my own shortcomings. They helped me cope with life and they were there for me even when I felt like I have nobody. That is why I will always be a gamer.

---

"I was born a gamer and I will die a gamer" - Red Knight