Who the hell is Load of Bollocks?

So just who the hell is Load of Bollocks? Well, I’m a sensual lover of videogames, a journalism student, and---

Wait.

What the hell? I’ve posted 12 blogs before this one. How can this be my intro blog? I suppose I’ve got some explaining to do. 

Why I’ve never made one of these before

I entered the Dtoid community like many did, starting in the Qposts, and eventually writing blogs semi-frequently. I was nervous at first, like many were; I didn’t know any of you, and you sure as hell didn’t know me! Luckily, this is the best community on the god dang internet, and everyone was warm and receptive. Weslikestacos in particular. That god dang dude made me feel warmer ‘an a pupper curled up next ‘ta his mudder.

So I think that in part played a role in why I didn’t decide to make one. I already felt accepted and comfortable. However, that leads me to…

Why I’m deciding to make one now

The flipside to that is that I never formally established who I am, and what I’m about, to the community. Sure, if you read my profile sidebar you might get a brief rundown, but much like grabbing a butt, you can only describe how it feels to a certain threshold until you need to give it a squeeze.

So, who the hell is Load of Bollocks?

THE INTRO BLOG

Well, I’m a Journalism student in the evergreen state of Washington, and, of course, a gamer. I’ve always been interested in games, but several of my other interests have been with me for just as long.

Since I was young, I’ve been interested in history. Growing up in the U.S., much of that has been directed towards the history of “the West.” I learned tons about the Greeks, the Romans, the Byzantines, feudalism, and you know, the rest, both at school and at home. It’s fascinating to see how civilizations rise and fall with the times, regardless of their location or time-period.

Oh, and the ancient technology and strategies these old civilizations used is mesmerizing. The tactics, weapons, and armor used from classical antiquity-era and the middle ages is, for lack of a better word, fucking awesome. Who doesn’t think Damascus steel is incredible?

I’m also really into music, that’s why I’ve always got those headphones on! My parents always had music on in the house, especially during dinner, when I was the most relaxed and receptive. I blame them for letting music slowly seep into my heart. They pushed me to learn piano, and after laying down the basics for music theory, I learned saxophone, drums, guitar and singing on my own. I became the best at singing, and still sing quite a lot in my day to day. Usually to aid in making jokes.

There’s a lot of styles and genres that I comb through, but I lean into jazz, electronic, rap and psychedelic rock when forced to pick favorites.

I’m also a Journalist. Well, I’m studying for it, but I do a hell of a lot of reporting in my day to day life for school. Most days I go out and talk to people, or attend a city council meeting, and write some story about it. It’s stressful, but it’s also incredibly rewarding, and a great way to improve my writing. I’m hoping to start freelancing and contributing for some gaming websites fairly soon, and I will be doing it full time in just a few years. For now though, I’m taking classes, producing stories, writing blogs about fucking publishers, and other bullshit.

Ah, let’s take a stroll down memory lane…

I know quite a lot of folks here are in their mid-20s to 30s, but I fall on the younger end of the spectrum at the ripe age of 21. I was born in 1996, so I didn’t grow up playing the classic FPS’ that we all know and love today. I didn’t get a chance to play most of the classic Nintendo games from that era either, with a few exceptions. To really understand my perspective on games now, I’ve gotta let you in on my gaming history.

My parents didn’t know anything about videogames, but they knew that kids liked the Nintendo 64. When that system came out, my parents got it, but not for me. They got it because I have two older brothers who were old enough to grasp what videogames even were when that console came out. This did however mean, that while I don’t remember getting an N64, in my own memory, I have always had an N64. I still have it. It’s sitting right in front of me I’ll show yah! 

Here'es the entire lineup (some games I've lost since childhood, some I've gained)

One of the first games I ever played. Damn classic. My dad also loves this game.

The first game that I ever chose to get (birthday present). Still fun to play today.

I remember this! They had this set up as an arcade game at the local Red Robin, but I felt super cool because I didn’t need any quarters, I could just play it at home!

Most people remember playing a lot of Melee, but the original is the one I have the most time on. I’ve put...too many hours into this game.

Severely underrated. Give it a go sometime if possible.

So yeah, I grew up with an N64, but I didn’t have a ton of games for it. It was a lot of Smash Bros, Banjo Kazooie, Mario Kart 64, and Donkey Kong 64. I think I had a Dreamcast for about a year with Sonic Adventure, which I hated, and never beat. So, during these first couple of years of gaming, I didn’t play a lot of different games.

But that all changed, when one day…

The Xbox changed my life, yo.

My dad brought home an Xbox one day. I don’t know why, maybe my older brother was begging him for it, but the why isn’t important. What’s important is that with the Xbox came with Jet Set Radio Future, the best god damn game of all time, and my dad also decided to bring home Halo: Combat Evolved.

I was never the same. I roller-bladed around Tokyo and shot my brothers in the face on Hang ‘em High. I got my first experiences with games that I truly loved to my core, that made me value uniqueness, creativity, challenge, and the pistol. It was a great time, and most of my experience on the Xbox era was with unique, fun games that often times, I could play with my brothers. Halo 2 consumed the shooter scene to be sure, but Fable, KOTOR, MechAssault, Battlefront II, and the Splinter Cell games occupied me as I grew from a young child, to a slightly older child.

I didn’t have a Gamecube, which explains my lack of fanboying over Nintendo games, but that doesn’t mean I missed every Nintendo game. I played the shit out of Pokemon Red as a kid, and later I would do the same with Crystal, FireRed, Ruby, and finally Emerald. Past that, the magic had started to fade, but I’ve certainly gotten my mileage out of my Gameboy SP, and I will never forget it.

By the time the next generation of consoles rolled out, I knew, and my brothers knew, that we were going to get an Xbox 360. I knew Halo 3 was coming…there was no debate.

What I didn’t know is that some of my favorite games EVER were also just around the bend on the 360. While I loved and still do love Halo 3, titles like Mass Effect, Bioshock, Call of Duty 4, Portal, Skate, Oblivion, GTAIV, Red Dead Redemption, Fallout 3, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dead Space, Bayonetta, Dishonored, Crackdown, Fable II, Mass Effect II, Braid, Shadow Complex, and one of my favorites of all time, Dark Souls, were coming. I was about to be obliterated by the insane amounts of quality games on the way.

It was during this time that I noticed some trends in what I liked. I liked shooting, but I also loved story and interaction with it. I loved role-playing. I loved exploring. It was an incredible period where I had so much free time and so much to play that I was able to clearly define what I liked and didn’t like.

Since then, what’s changed? Not a lot, honestly, I just followed the path I had laid out for myself. I started playing more FPS’, CRPG’s, stealth games, etc. I went to the launch party in Bellevue for Destiny back in 2014, and played a shit-ton of that game for nearly a year before dropping it post-Taken King era. I know what I like now, and while I still give other genres a fair shake, it’s likely that this will be my forte for the foreseeable future.

So, that’s me! If you’ve read some of my personal blogs you can find out even more about me, and I’ll definitely share more with everybody in the future. Until, then, I’m Load of Bollocks!

You can call me Drew if you want though.

LOOK WHO CAME:

Drew Stuart    

DeadMoon   58

Wes Tacos   51

BruceZ   33

Chris Moyse   26

Gajknight   23

SuperMonk4Ever   22

Dere   21

TheLimoMaker   15

homeoftheblues   14

Bukkake Waffles   14

MeeGhoulz   10

Drew Stuart    9

Pizza in a Tangle   8

Uber Mashu   8

Rasori   8

Gmana   8

Occams   7

Gamemaniac3434   4

A Luigi Fanatic   1