Welcome. Why are we gamers.

Why we are Gamers

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the very first article from Wickedowl Forged!

This is the start of our journey into creating our very own game, and hopefully the start of our future full-time careers.

In this journey, we will be giving updates on what we are creating, while also writing a few opinion pieces regarding the gaming world. Topics such as our favourites, the worst, and where we think gaming is heading.

The reason for this is simple. We want to share who we are, our authentic selves, because creating a kick-ass game in the multitude of AI-generated games today will require more than just a brilliant idea and great execution. You need support and a following. People who were there with you on your journey, who understand who you are and know the blood, sweat, and tears that went into creating what we hope will be a great game.

As we share articles, there will always be a little more about ourselves and who we are. Through these articles, we hope to share this great journey with you.

Thinking about what to write for our first few articles was a little more challenging than originally anticipated.

In the world of AI and generic suggestions, multitudes of opinions already written, nothing ever felt quite right.

It was while discussing a specific game we were playing that it dawned on me and my brother: Why are we gamers?

That is the simple true topic, that will be our 1st article.

We probably talked for a good hour about the great games we played and those moments we will never forget.

We also then we realised that one article would never be enough to fully explain it.

So for now, we will address Nostalgia, other articles will address topics such as memorable stores, moments, worlds we explored

And some of these will definitely be well-known, some less known, and a few very specific to us as brothers.

Also note that these are our nostalgia moments. This is not meant to discount any of our readers' moments, and we would love it if you shared some of your own nostalgic gaming memories in the comments.

So Nostalgia….

This is probably where we'll give away our age a little. (We ain't spring chickens.)

But neither are we "over the hill". Just maybe started climbing it....

Moments we long for, knowing we might never experience them again, because they were those first moments and experiences that stayed with us.

In no particular order, here are some of our nostalgic gaming moments:

Starting up my own PlayStation One for the first time on a very early Saturday morning. (A gift from an uncle.) It became a habit to wake up very early on a Saturday morning while the whole house was still asleep. And with PlayStation recently bringing that very same startup sound, music, and visuals back to the PS5, that feeling is one I still remember vividly today.

Buying my own Xbox with my second paycheck. (Obviously on some VERY expensive credit line.) Walking out of the shop, I felt like a millionaire.

Playing Need for Speed 2 split-screen with my brother, sharing one keyboard and one chair, fighting about elbow space.

The Christmas LAN we had annually at my cousin's house. A whole week with 6 to 10 family and friends getting together for a lot competitive swearing and some gaming. Very little sleep, lots of LAN cables lying around, and tonnes of coffee. From Warcraft III, Dota, Trackmania, Supreme Commander, Unreal Tournament 2004, and Command & Conquer: Generals, to too many more to mention. If it supported LAN multiplayer, it was on the menu.

Thinking about great gaming companies that no longer exist, but brought us so much joy. Bullfrog, Westwood, and cheers to those who have stood the test of time!

Watching a friend almost have a heart attack while playing F.E.A.R. (My chair never smelled the same again.)

Blowing those damn cartridges to make them work on the original SNES consoles. (It did work.)

Fighting over whose turn it was to use the TV.

Sending seven different types of disasters through my brother's perfect city in SimCity 2000. (And then, out of habit, accidentally saving….) Apparently, I still owe him for that...

Hehehe.... Fun times.

Writing this, I sit here with a smile. So many more memories, too many to mention, but I treasure them all.

Thank you for reading this far. Please do share your thoughts and memorable moments.

And welcome to our journey.