The Historian

In 1982, we were fairly well off. Better than most, as my step-dad was an officer in the Air Force. Things weren’t perfect with them and they divorced just after Christmas.

So from riches to rags.

We really struggled to make ends meet through that year and as Christmas 1983 rolled around we had no money for gifts. We had a small plastic tree, a few decorations and no lights. Mom and I went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of TV dinners for Christmas day. They just happened to be having a blow out sale of Atari carts. Everything was $5.00. I knew things were tight so I just looked while she shopped. Being Christmas Eve, people were grabbing games faster than you would believe, I watched them all fly by. I noticed a Miner 2049′er that people just passed up and I really wanted it.
We left and headed home. Once at home I guess my mom, started to feel bad about not having anything for me for Christmas and asked it there was a game that I saw that I wanted.

“Yes”, I said, “but we don’t have the money”. She, didn’t say much more for awhile.

About an hour later she told me to get my coat on because we forgot something at the store.
You can guess the rest, with a slight twist at the end. Miner 2049′er was not there. Instead I got Fathom and I played that game for days on end. I don’t know exactly what it was, but that game was a turning point in my life. It led to computers and to the games there and many steps later to a career with computers. I also ran fan sites for games from time to time, when one caught my attention; the last one was Planet Dungeon Siege. I now work for Acclaim Games.

Even a $5 gift can change someone’s life and the the simplest acts can lead to much greater things. One game eventually lead to a dream job, even if it took 25 years.