We finally got the new shelves up in the living room, so the wife and I have been spending some time filling them up. The layout of things might change as I acquire more stuff — part of the reason for adding these new shelves was to have some room to expand — but for now I think we've got things looking rather nice.

As such, I thought you might like to take a look!

Here's the main bulk of the new shelves. I've moved the handhelds and their games over here, and the rest of the shelves are used for "display" purposes. My various Senran Kagura bits and pieces, which was previously squeezed into a space half this width, now has plenty of space to breathe.

Here's the wall many of you may have seen before. I've now got a lot more room to expand those parts of the library that are most likely to expand — Wii, Switch, PS4 and perhaps a bit more PS2.

And here are the shelves above the sofa, now entirely used to display various limited editions and big-box games, plus a few books that look nice on the shelf like the Zelda Hyrule Historia and Final Fantasy XIV's Encyclopaedia Eorzea.

I love how all this looks! I really am out of space when all this lot is full, though!

Well, I'm very excited to announce that as of today — the 9th of July 2020 — MoeGamer has already exceeded last year's views. Here's proof!

You all know that I don't do this for the numbers, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy when the numbers go up! I'm an RPG fan, after all; enjoying numbers getting bigger is in our blood.

Anyway, with that in mind, I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you who have taken the next step beyond just reading and perhaps sharing MoeGamer articles and my YouTube videos, and who have helped me invest in things to keep the site up and running and full of interesting stuff to read!

It really is super-appreciated, and it means a lot to me that my little passion project that I started out of frustration and disillusionment clearly means something to people other than myself. As a writer, it's always nice to know that people are reading your work; as someone interested in gaming history, it's a pleasure to know that the things that are important to me are important to others, too.

MoeGamer is such a major part of my life now that it most definitely isn't going anywhere, but I'm continually grateful for everyone who has helped it become what it is over the course of the last six years. I love doing what I do, and I hope that comes across!

Thank you again.

Limited Run Games' press conference was today, and they've announced a great lineup of stuff coming soon. If you want to see the full list, you can find it at  https://limited-run-games.myshopify.com/blogs/news/lrg3-2020.

There's a lot of things I'm excited about on this list — packaged releases of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection and the excellent Mighty Gunvolt Burst, to name just two, but one of the greatest things is that Shantae is making a comeback. Yes, the original Game Boy Color game — the one that commands astronomical prices on the second-hand market these days, and where you're probably getting a reproduction cart anyway. (Okay, LRG's version says up-front that it's a reproduction, but it's still a nice "official" way to get hold of a packaged copy of Shantae for Game Boy.)

Even better, both the original Shantae and Shantae: Risky's Revenge are getting packaged releases for Nintendo Switch. This means that the entire Shantae series will be available on one console, which I know doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but always makes me very happy when it happens. And Shantae is one of those series that just feels right on Switch.

Other highlights include the Grandia HD Collection — had a feeling this would get a limited-press packaged version — Ys Origin for Switch and the mysterious River City Girls 0 from WayForward. All of these are coming in the next couple of months, frustratingly for my wallet — but I'm damned if I'm missing out on a complete Shantae collection if nothing else!

Packaged releases of games are alive and well and, as I've said before, the whole "limited run" thing provides the potential for everyone's library of games on modern systems to be quite different to each other. While that may frustrate completionists who want a "full library" for a console, realistically that hasn't been an option for a good few console generations now! I think at this point I'd much rather celebrate my favourite games by proudly displaying them on my shelf rather than picking things up just for the sake of it.

I realise I say all this after I pondered getting into 2600 collecting yesterday — but even in that case, I'm primarily interested in tracking down some interesting or unusual games rather than the same things I can just boot up Atari Flashback Classics to play. A collection should, to my mind anyway, be an expression of your own personal interests and passions rather than shelves upon shelves of things you've never played and probably won't.

Anyway, I see Ys Origin is up for order today, I believe, so I guess it begins already…

I'm considering getting into Atari 2600 collecting. This is probably something to do with all the Classic Game Room I've been rewatching lately, but I have actually had a 2600 Jr. lurking around the house minus a power and RF cable for quite some time now. I've finally ordered the bits I need to (hopefully) get it up and running — and if it does work, then I might start a 2600 collection.

The 2600 is a really interesting system to me, for several reasons. One, because it lasted so long on the market, even amid technologically superior competition. And two, because its early days represented a time when developers didn't really know what a video game was, and thus just experimented with a bit of everything to see what worked and what didn't.

While it is simple enough to explore the system's library through emulation, there's something eminently pleasant about the physical aspect of taking a single-game cartridge and plugging it into an actual system. Plus I kind of like the way Atari 2600 cartridges look stacked up on a shelf.

Not sure if this will go anywhere as yet, but it's definitely something I'm considering. The cables and bits to get the 2600 up and running should hopefully arrive in a couple of days, so I'll keep you posted as to whether or not it actually works!

I'm tired out and stressed. And worst of all (not really, I'm exaggerating for comic effect) I haven't had any time to make any progress in Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy.

It's been a stressful few weeks at the day job, is the main reason. Thankfully, that should be coming to an end tomorrow (the stress, not the day job) so hopefully I'll be able to relax a bit. I feel like I need a break from obligations that I have absolutely no interest or feeling of investment in. But such is the way of the modern world; we're all stuck with those things.

I have, at least, spent this evening getting up to date on a few things including the next couple of weeks of videos, plus I've finally done something I've been meaning to do for a long time: revamping my outros for both Atari A to Z and MoeGamer to be shorter and more to the point. They're now a simple list of thank-yous to you, dear Patrons; none of that "call to action" nonsense or whatever.

I was hoping to squeeze some Mana Khemia 2 in this evening, but it's already 11pm so I should probably go to bed for now — particularly as I'll almost certainly spend at least a bit of time playing Evercade games and watching Classic Game Room.

Hopefully I'll be feeling a bit better tomorrow. I do not like being stressed out. It sucks, particularly if you're already someone stricken with anxiety. But as they say, this, too, will pass.

Hope you're having a pleasant evening, and with any luck I'll be able to talk to you with a bit more of a smile on my face tomorrow!

I'm rewatching some episodes of Mark Bussler's Classic Game Room, a YouTube series that has been a big inspiration and influence on my own work. I haven't watched them for a while, but I'm delighted to say I'm enjoying these old episodes just as much as the first time I saw them.

I think the thing I like most about Bussler's work — and the aspect I've tried to incorporate into my own — is the fact that he gives things a proper chance. Many modern reviewers tend to cynically write off stuff like Atari 2600 games as being too dated to be enjoyable, but Bussler always actually plays the game a decent amount and never writes it off — even in the case  of games that clearly have very few redeeming features!

Bussler's rather deadpan style of delivery probably isn't for everyone — it took a while for me to get used to it when I first started watching his stuff — but now I find his work super entertaining and oddly comforting to watch.

It's a shame Bussler isn't doing Classic Game Room any more, but he definitely had a good run as one of the very first gaming YouTube — and he seems a lot happier working on his other creative projects now rather than battling YouTube's dreaded "algorithm".

Anyway, just wanted to give a shout out to another creator who is a big inspiration for me. And if you like your retro stuff and have never watched Classic Game Room? Take some time to enjoy his old videos; they're all still online and well worth your time.

I've been playing some Demon's Souls. Those who have known me for a while will know that I've had several attempts at playing Souls games and have never ended up sticking with them. Just recently, I started watching a playthrough of Dark Souls III and thought "you know what, it's probably time I tried again".

I feel a bit more confident in approaching these games now; I've learned a lot about game mechanics and design over the course of the last few years — both through my own "studies" for MoeGamer and through discussion with others, particularly my podcast co-host Chris — and I strongly believe that understanding the philosophy behind the design of the Souls games is critical to truly appreciating and enjoying them.

I've played about seven hours of Demon's Souls over the course of the last two days so… well, you be the judge as to whether or not it's resonated with me this time. And yes, I deliberately started with Demon's Souls because it's been on my shelf for a very long time, and I have the feeling in my head that I "should" play it first for whatever reason. (I have also ordered the PS4 Dark Souls triple pack, since there was a good deal on that on Amazon, so even if I don't play these games a ton, I've got pretty much the definitive versions on hand to bust out whenever I feel like it.)

So yes. So far I feel like I'm definitely appreciating it more — though I do find myself wondering if I'd be feeling different playing a melee character. I'm playing a Royal at the moment and concentrating on ranged magic; perhaps in the Dark Souls games I'll experiment with a character that gets a bit more up-close and personal to compare and contrast.

Anyway, I'll probably write something about my experiences on MoeGamer at some point — perhaps a new occasional Delving Into series, or something akin to The Zelda Diaries from a while back. Either way, I'll definitely have things to say very soon!

Had a very strange experience this morning while attempting to wake up: I actually, legitimately felt "trapped" in a dream. I've had vivid dreams before, but this felt like something a bit different: it felt like I "had" to achieve something before I would be "allowed" to wake up.

My memories of the dream are somewhat disjointed, as memories of dreams tend to be. But I recall fleeing from… something through some alleyways in a modern-day city, then at some point the perspective changed to the final battle between a group of adventurers and what was presumably the villain of the piece.

The villain defeated the adventurers with ease, but they did not slump to the floor, dead; instead, they simply froze in place, unable to do anything. It was at this point I realised that I was looking at a diorama of sorts; the adventurers and the villain alike were miniatures in some sort of elaborate small "stage", and I was outside of the situation, looking in.

For a while, I didn't know what to do. Nothing seemed like it would resolve this situation. It appeared like I would be trapped forever; I knew I was dreaming, and I knew that I should wake up, but I couldn't.

But then something happened: the "wizard" figurine of the party was holding a staff of sorts, with a kind of "fan" arrangement atop it, and within the middle of that fan was an orb. That orb started glowing and flashing, and after a moment I instinctively knew what I needed to do was to reach out, hold that orb between my thumb and forefinger and squeeze.

I felt a "click", like I was pressing a button beneath some sort of malleable surface, so I held it down. Light intensified around me, and I knew that everything was going to be all right. I don't know exactly what happened next and how the situation was resolved, because that's the point I woke up.

You never get any decent "closure", do you? Still, I feel oddly happy to have successfully made it out of that particular trial my subconscious apparently set for me!

I was saddened to hear today that a popular World of Warcraft streamer, known variously as "Byron" and "Reckful", had taken his own life after what appeared to be some long-term instances of cyberbullying — culminating with some real unpleasantness surrounding a rather public proposal.

I didn't know Reckful (as we shall refer to him hereafter) or his body of work, but from what I've seen he was widely beloved, and an instrumental part of building up a significant community surrounding World of Warcraft streaming. As I type this, various memorial events are going on in-game to commemorate him, and tributes have been pouring in. He will be missed, it seems — but the people who drove him to this will likely feel no remorse nor face any sort of justice.

"Cyberbullying" is a ridiculous word that stems from the '90s tendency to slap "cyber-" in front of anything vaguely related to technology — but it's absolutely a real thing, and it can be devastating. You can meme and joke all you like about "just look away, just turn the screen off", but for a lot of people it's simply not that easy. Sometimes just seeing something online briefly can be enough to make that thing stay with you — even if it's one negative thing out of a thousand positives.

I know this because it's something I feel on occasion, and I have, regrettably, experienced cyberbullying on several past occasions. It has had a profoundly negative impact on me every time it has happened, and each and every time, no-one responsible ever faced any sort of justice for what they did — nor would they have done if I had taken more severe steps.

By far the most serious instance was back in 2011 or so. I'd become interested in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic show after hearing about it and watching a few episodes on Netflix. I enjoyed what I'd watched and I found it fascinating how it made use of a lot of anime-style tropes and techniques; I also found it particularly pleasant to be able to enjoy a piece of media based almost exclusively around messages of positivity and happiness.

I made the mistake of admitting that I enjoyed this show while, apparently, the "wrong" people were watching. Said people were a group known as the "GNAA", who I subsequently discovered were a somewhat notorious troll group. This was more than just a few mean comments online, however.

This was them flooding my Twitter notifications with accusations of being a paedophile. This was them phoning my family with these accusations. This was them phoning the owner of the website that I was running at the time with these accusations. This was having no escape whatsoever from what appeared to be a very concerted effort to completely ruin my life. And why? Because I liked an animated TV show.

I went to the police, armed with lots of evidence. They were unable to do anything, particularly because it was a very "international" case. I reported the incident to Twitter. Nothing came of it. Ultimately I just had no choice but to go completely dark on social media for a while, removing my accounts and just "disappearing" for a while.

I was an absolute state. I was terrified for my wellbeing. I didn't know what to do. Serious things that I would have regretted following through on crossed my mind. It made the Internet — which had been, up until this point, a place I very much enjoyed hanging out, talking with friends and sharing the things important to me — a frightening, unwelcoming place that I didn't really want to be a part of any more.

Thankfully, I had the support of my then-partner (and now wife) Andie at the time, and family and friends who, while they perhaps didn't understand what was going on, were more inclined to believe me than some rando calling them out of the blue with horrible accusations. If I hadn't had that support network in place, I shudder to think of what would have happened; I suspect I probably wouldn't be here any more.

Subsequent instances of cyberbullying thankfully were nowhere near as serious as this; they were essentially ongoing targeted harassment by two separate people who never managed to get any sort of "traction" — but in both instances, it still hurt a great deal, and had a profoundly negative impact on my mental health.

It still frustrates me that there was no "closure" in any of these instances; no justice, no reassurance for me, nothing.

Cyberbullying is real. It's not about "growing a thicker skin" or "learning to deal with the Internet". No-one should have to put up with any sort of shit like this, and for people to gleefully drive those struggling with mental health to suicide — as has happened a regrettably large number of times in just the last five years alone — is just shameful.

Rest in peace, Reckful. You will clearly be missed by many people who loved you a great deal — and by people who never knew you too, from the look of things — and I hope you've found peace, wherever you are now.

As predicted, there was indeed a setback to the opportunity that looked like it was coming my way — but it's not entirely doom and gloom.

Essentially, the problem was that the job in question is a long way from me — like, not practically commutable long — but could have easily been done from home, with occasional visits to the office for meetings, events and suchlike. The guy I'd been dealing with was all for me working this way, particularly as during the pandemic most people there have been doing this anyway, but sadly their CEO is pretty dead-set against people not working in the office for the majority of their time.

This is silly, of course, given that so many businesses have shown they can operate very effectively with a home-based workforce during this whole situation — but, well, if you can't move the big boss man, you can't move the big boss man.

This would have been a great opportunity, but it's doubly frustrating because our boss at the day job is being absolutely insufferable right now. She's continually making up new "procedures" and constantly complaining at us when we don't follow the rules she's decided we should be following on a whim. She's a complete control freak, and she's only been getting worse over the course of the last year or so.

I wouldn't mind if these procedures actually added any benefit to our daily working life, but all they do is create work that isn't necessary for what we do — as evidenced by the fact we've been more than capable of doing our job for years at this point without her latest hobby-horse getting involved. But anyway. That's a complaint for another day.

The "not all bad news" part of what's happened is that there may be some sort of freelance opportunity to still get involved — and in the long-term, that may be able to convince the CEO to bring me on board more permanently. It's not a sure-fire thing by any means, but it's a start — and it'll be a bit of extra pocket money if nothing else.

With this in mind, I still can't give details, I'm afraid — I'm actually going to have to sign an NDA to discuss the potential freelance stuff further, so this will probably be the last you'll hear of it for now — but suffice to say it's bad news… but not the worst possible news. I'm upset, but there's still hope.

Better than nothing, I guess. Now to drown my sorrows in Mana Khemia for the evening.