The state of affairs

I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing.

When I made Broad St. Gamer back in January it was really my first stab at writing about video games, something that I've always loved, but also something that I had never given much thought into writing about before. 

I had high expectations for the blog, and I still do. The thing is, I'm not sure where any of this going right now. 

As I've said before, Broad St. Gamer exists because its a project for one of my classes at Temple. But I also said that I wanted this to be more than just a grade, that I wanted it to be a place where I can openly talk about the coolest entertainment medium in the world and connect with the millions of others out there who feel the same way. 

All of that is still true, and now that the semester is over, I do intend to keep the blog going. But there are some issues that need to be addressed.

For starters, I haven't really established much of an identity here. Sure, there are things I do on this blog that others don't (constant use of GIFs and end snippets that probably aren't as clever as I originally thought they were), but nothing that definitively sets Broad St. Gamer apart from any other video game site.

Consistency is another problem, too. For the most part, there has been one post a week, with the exception of the last couple, because final exams are nerve-racking for no good reason. But I know I can do so much better. There are so many games out there, and so much happening within the game industry from week to week that there can easily be more content going up on the blog on a weekly basis.

I'm one person, though, and between work and school, there are limits to how much I can do right now. However, the least I can do is try and get more content up, and with some sort of a schedule (having specific days out of the week where I know I can get something up). And before you ask why I mentioned school when we're going into the summer, I have to take summer courses to make sure I can graduate by next May...yeah, it sucks.

And then there is me. When I'm writing something, actually, when I'm doing just about anything, I only have one setting. With anything I do, I have to do it the absolute best I possibly can, and some times it still isn't good enough. I'm a perfectionist, and, in terms of how that pertain to this blog at least, it ends up taking a lot to put just one post together (and probably makes it way longer than it really needs to be).

As a result, it takes so much more time and effort to work on this blog, because I sit in front of my computer thinking carefully over every word I type. I stressed so much over making sure that every point I made was properly explained, and that every argument I made was airtight. You could disagree with my point of view, but I never wanted anyone to say that I didn't do my homework before I spoke.

On top of that, I had a real hard time putting my actual opinions into the posts. I'm not much of a fan of the term "I" and another thing about starting this blog was that I constantly wondered who really cares about what I think anyway? Even now, I still go back and forth on that question.

These are all things that have to get sorted out. But sitting here and thinking about how to fix each and every flaw isn't going to work.

During the the past few months, people such as Enrico Campitelli of The 700 Level, Joey Sweeney of Philebrity and Tom and Lorenzo visited our class to discuss how they found success as bloggers. They each offered their own advice, but there was one common thread between all of the them. They didn't waste time thinking, they just did. And when they found success, they ran with it.

I have to do the same. I can't sit and think about how I should write a post, or how I want the blog to look (pretty sure, I have that figured out, though).

At least for now.

I just have to do, and everything will figure itself out as I go along.

It's not like there is going to be any delay either. There is so much stuff to talk about, from games that are about to come out to ones that will never cross the finish line, games that amazed everyone to ones that didn't quite meet expectations, design choices, experiences, current industry trends and even games that are being made in our own backyard (well...my backyard, I mean...Philadelphia). 

Like I said, I'm not sure where Broad St. Gamer is going, and I don't know how to get it there. All I know is that I have to do something...

I don't know, maybe I got off on the wrong foot...

Hi, I'm Nick Tricome, the Broad St. Gamer.

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To everyone who has been reading this blog, seriously, thank you. The fact that you spent even just a few minutes here means a lot.

Oh, one more thing, remember when I said this blog was part of a class? Well, there were a bunch of other blogs that were created in the course, each focusing on different topics with their own unique perspectives.

At the beginning of April, my friend David Glovach and I put together a site that brought all the blogs under one roof. You can check it out by clicking here.

There is still a lot of work to be done on it, some blogs still need to be added, it could really use some color and the name...well...we couldn't think of a better one, and it's a nod to our professor Will Bunch, so my guess is that it probably sticks.

Also, David might tell you I'm "the mastermind" behind the whole thing, but I don't think that's true. He was there every step of the way, give him 12 percent of the credit.

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Oh yeah, and these end snippets. What are they for? If the line above didn't tip you off, it's to pay tribute to these.