Hello everyone and welcome to The Video Game Odyssey! This is my first post as a blogger for State Press Magazine.
Allow me to introduce myself; I’m Preston Sotelo, a video game journalist and media producer. When it comes to gaming, my enthusiasm
Me hard at work. For a gamer, there’s always another game to play! Photo courtesy Preston Soteloand passion knows no bounds. I’ll give any new game a go, but I have a particular fondness for RPGs (Role-Playing Games) and Action-Adventure games. I’m also one of those gamers who really get invested in the stories of video games. Often times a good story will keep me playing through a game even if I’m not entirely in love with the gameplay.
But what really excites me the most about gaming is that is it universal. People of all races, religions, creeds, etc. can pick up a good game and enjoy it. Video games have unique way of bringing together people and allowing them to connect through friendly competition and/or cooperation in gaming. The idea of a gamer sequestered in a basement alone in the dark is nothing more than a silly stereotype. In fact gamers come together and form big communities both on and off the internet, sharing their love and passion for the pastime.
Video games even have professional competitions with prize purses that number in the thousands, even millions! Professional Video games or “eSports” is becoming bigger with each passing year, as more and more people tune in via online live streams to watch pro gaming teams compete. In time, who knows? Perhaps there will be a TV channel similar to ESPN that follows all professional gaming events.
I view video games as a never-ending journey of adventure, discovery and excitement. There are games that are capable of masterful storytelling and artistic expression, while others are simply about beating challenges and setting high scores. However, no matter what the purpose, a game should always be fun to play. Gaming has come far over the past few decades, fighting all the way from pixels to full-blown 3-D polygons, as game developers and designers get more creative with their craft. If we have come that far, I can’t wait to see what awaits gamers in the future.
How about you, dear readers? Do you love to play video games? What do you love the most about gaming?
What to get in touch and talk gaming? Contact the reporter at preston.sotelo@asu.edu or via Twitter at @p_sotelo
