Welcome to Infinite Lives

My quarter-career crisis come to life.

I can’t remember my first video game.

I know it was a Nintendo game, but it's a toss-up between Super Mario World or Donkey Kong Country. This is perhaps because I was five when I first picked up the controller and started engaging with gaming and being engrossed in world’s beyond my own.

My parents thought I’d kick that habit as I got older. In fact, I doubled down. I started playing more and more, to the point where at one point my mum ended up smashing my Gamecube out of frustration. She grabbed it by the handle and flung it to the floor -- it was perhaps the only thing that handle was good for!

She ended up replacing it, as I was sulky beyond belief when she shattered that clunky -- but rather petite by today’s standards -- gaming console. My gaming continued, and my parents just accepted that it was part of my personality. 

I did eventually moderate my habits. After all, the things you love tend to get less enjoyable if you do them all the time anyway.  But to this day, I continue to game and I’ve played just about every genre of game too. 

It’s my form of reading, what I do when I need to relax and take my mind off things.

So that brings me to why I’m starting this publication. I made a conscious decision not to get into the gaming industry, as to not ruin something that I love by turning it into a job. But, as a writer, I find myself longing to analyse, share stories and curate ideas on this very topic. It’s my quarter-career crisis.

So what can you expect? Despite being involved with media, and a former reporter, I’m not going to be breaking any news or diving into controversy. I intend to analyse trends and ideas from the video game industry. It could be about gameplay mechanics, it could be about the business of games or a personal experience that ties into gaming.  

I’ll also be curating posts from my like-minded friends on similar topics. I’m also creating a platform for their sakes too, as I know a lot of them are overflowing with great ideas, but have no outlet for them.

The goal here is a collection of short, snappy posts that serve as thought-starters. Maybe spark some conversations among your mates. 

One thing I will promise upfront though: I’ll apply the same level of rigour that I held as a trained and practising journalist so you can expect -- to the best of my ability -- accuracy, and reliability. 

As for the name… (I’ve been told I have to explain it and make it meaningful…)

It’s partly inspired from playing (and just finishing) Yakuza: Infinite Wealth. But I think it speaks to the escapism and role-playing that’s innate in video games. And also, who doesn’t like cheating in video games every now and then?!

Anyway, let’s dig in. Welcome to Infinite Lives.