Timothy Meadows

I have been gaming as long as I can remember. I never knew that a gift from the Christmas of 1991 would start me off on a path that would largely define the rest of my life. Christmas of 2001, I opened this big box that I had no idea of its contents. It ended up being a PlayStation with all kinds of games in it. There were so many games! The only one I can remember is The Legend of The Dragoon. Although I was 13 years old, I felt like that 3-year-old kid again opening the Super Nintendo. I knew I could always dive right into any role-playing game (RPG) because no matter what was going on in my life, I could always delve into the game's rich story. Final Fantasy VIII was the first Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) I ever played, and I am ashamed to admit that I did not learn about how much better JRPGs were until the age of 14. Even after an early childhood full of gaming, I feel like my story really started when I discovered the world of online gaming communities. I started meeting people from not only around the US (and my very small town), but the world. I discovered not everything in this world is black and white and learned how to think outside the box. My ideas and opinions were molded by people from all over the world. Some of the people I met playing Final Fantasy XI helped shape me into the person I am today and still talk to them today. I loved learning everything I could when I would meet someone from a different country to be able to expand my views. I continued to play all through high school and used it as my escape from my real life. I felt like a black sheep but, could always fit in with whatever crowd because I became great at faking it. I could not wait to get home and talk to the people I had a real connection with, and they honestly taught me more about life than anyone I knew in “real life”.