And, like Diablo, the remaining staff will probably scramble and sell my corpse’s loot to the highest bidder.
Well Lusiputters, I have news.
Che is no more. He has ceased to be. His current condition is of interest only to historians. His pen shall not be taken up on a weekly basis. Breathing at a natural human pace seems to be paradoxical to his current state and condition.
In short, this is it.
After four joyous months working under the loving lash of Lusipurr, I have decided to take him up on his offer to live on a farm somewhere upstate. Comfortable sheets and regular breakfasts have been promised on the condition that I write this farewell post. I must also ensure, at some point, to say something along the lines of “I love you all, I go of my own free will and do not try to find me.” Odd bit of phrasing, that. After trying for several hours, I failed to find a perfect place to work it in, so that will just have to do.
Writing for Lusipurr.com has been something of an adventure for me. In many ways, this community represents the best of video game culture: a group of people, from disparate viewpoints, time zones, and realities, drawn together over a love of a medium. Think about it- what other artistic expression draws people together like games? We might read similar books or see similar films, but does that connect us in the same way as, say, playing a game of chess together? I think not. Lusipurr.com, a small site with authors based from four separate continents, is a good summation of that promise.
Farewell Mel! Farewell Wolfe!
One of Sid Meier’s famous maxims was to make games that are nothing but a series of interesting choices. History often works the same way- movements, cultures, and empires are simply the result of people making a series of decisions when presented with interesting choices. At this stage, video games and gamers have a number of choices laid before them: how far do we want to see a future in digital distribution? What level of DRM can be considered fair before becoming invasive and anti-consumer? At what level do we, as a cultural group, define our boundaries? For those of us who are interested in the intersection of video games and learning, the question of fun vs education remains a barren battleground.
At Lusipurr.com, I was privileged to work alongside people who investigated these questions and more. I would hardly say I agreed with every assessment, or even with the way those assessments were phrased, but the fact that those beliefs were placed alongside my own is a testament to Lusipurr.com’s commitment to portraying every angle of those questions. For those who worry that video game media has been rapidly homogenizing or losing the critical eye required of the press, Lusipurr.com has been and continues to be a welcome breath of fresh air. I am grateful to have been part of it for this short period.
Melodrama always makes me cry too!
Given this is my final article with the site, I am going to opt for shorter rather than lengthy. Towards that purpose, please allow me to wrap up with a bit of grandstanding and soap boxery. Video Games were, during my early life, a source of derision. We have all heard the stereotypes: Gamers are antisocial. Gamers have no ambition. Games are children’s toys. Despite the occasional flair up, this derision is now as out of step with the present reality as America’s Jim Crow laws. Gamers are using their money to raise money for hospitals across the world. Gamers have infiltrated positions of the government. Games have even become a legitimate object of preservation and study.
Like it or not, gaming has gone mainstream. We have lived through the influx of new blood to the community, and we are now swamped with those who never knew the pain of being laughed at for having Pokemon stickers on their Gameboy. It is up to us, as those gamers who earned our titles through scorn and suffering, to decide how we approach that fact. The things we say, the articles we write, and the way we present ourselves all come together to help decide how we will contribute to the community that comes after us. It is my hope that Lusipurr.com will continue to be active in this process, and I look forward to seeing what future adventures may come from it.
At the risk of sounding sentimental, thank you. Now, if you all will pardon, Lusi is urging me to take a quick shower before transporting me to the aforementioned farm. There are an odd number of shoes in the undressing room beforehand- almost as though nobody has ever come back for them…
…the grass must be damn soft on this farm.
