Thank You, GameSetWatch

Post date: Dec 1, 2011 8:12:46 AM

In mid-2008 I had an idea for an article that I thought would be something people would want to read. The problem was, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. My wife and I hadn't created an issue of Game Time With Mister Raroo for almost a couple years, and now that we were parents, finding the time required to put together a new installment seemed impossible. So, I thought long and hard about my options. I finally worked up the courage to send an e-mail to Simon Carless to ask if he would be interested in running my article.

I did my best to present myself professionally so as to make it sound like I was someone he would want to work with. After many initial drafts, I eventually put together an e-mail message I was happy with. I included links to some of my writing samples and dropped a couple names along the way, hoping it would make me sound like I had an ounce of credibility. At last, after reading over my message numerous times, I hit the Send button and hoped for the best.

Simon responded quickly. His tone was very friendly and he invited me to submit my article as a guest editorial on GameSetWatch--a site I knew very well. So many awesome writers had put in time contributing to GameSetWatch, and I couldn't believe I was going to have something of my own up there as well. I hesitantly asked if I would be allowed to include a couple illustrations to go with the text, which Simon seemed delighted about.

I wasn't sure when the article was supposed to run, so for the next few days I checked in on GameSetWatch regularly, hoping it would be there. Finally, on the afternoon of May 11, 2008, "All Grown Up: A Gamer Comes to Grips With Adulthood" appeared on the site. I was so proud. And, as luck would have it, Kotaku picked up on the article and linked to it, which led to a response better than I could have dreamed. I was walking on air the rest of the day.

From there, I began posting at GameSetWatch regularly. It became the official home of Game Time With Mister Raroo, and I was proud to a part of the site's team of talented columnists. What made the experience so fantastic is that Simon gave me an unthinkable amount of freedom. I was basically able to post whenever I pleased on whatever subject I fancied. I had nearly 60 articles run on GameSetWatch during my time, and I put my best effort into all of them.

One of my favorite recurring topics to write about was San Diego Comic-Con, which I provided coverage of for four years in a row. I knew that my humble write-ups of the event were never going to attract the type of traffic most other sites would enjoy, but I still took the task very seriously and often stayed up late into the night putting the finishing touches on each day's report. This past year was extra special because Simon stayed at my home during Comic-Con, and we had a wonderful time heading out on adventures together.

Simon was always very generous about allowing me to go wild with my strange sense of humor. From my April Fool's Day article about the Happy Health Toilet Seat to my... ahem... "friend" Metal Steve's eulogy for Frank Cifaldi, I was permitted to post some really bizarre stuff on GameSetWatch. Whenever I submitted these types of pieces, I always pictured Simon shaking his head in amused confusion before shrugging his shoulders and queuing up the articles to go live.

To be honest, I'm already feeling more than a little lost without GameSetWatch. It was my safe harbor online. As life would become hectic and I became inundated with other obligations, there were long stretches during which I didn't post anything. But I always knew GameSetWatch would be there for me whenever I was ready to write something new. Though I was never quite sure if readers necessarily "got" my articles, I always had strong support and love from the GameSetWatch crew.

Thank you to Simon Carless and the entire GameSetWatch family for allowing me to be a part of the experience and have a place in its history. I am honored that I was able to contribute to such a unique site, and it will always have a special place in my heart. And, you never know... maybe some day GameSetWatch and I shall meet again!