It’s easy to arrive at a destination and say the trials were worth it. But in a graph charted backwards, dozens of dots are forgotten to give one an illusion of smooth sailing. And I had plenty of initial virtual pimples. 

With every piece, I inched closer to defining my writing. If you have to pick between quantity and quality, pick quantity. You can’t write 10 terrible pieces in a row. I began to chip away at the wall of starting an article. 

I pivoted toward what I loved: the intersection of technology and gaming. 

My biggest wins came from interviewing the industry’s finest, like the minds behind iconic studios BioWare and id Software. Soon, I began to kickstart pieces without inertia, achieving a flow state in minutes. Cutting off distractions reduced the time it took to pen articles. A decluttered desk and a schedule helped too. 

If you’ve made it this far, know that I am grateful for your presence. 

In a rough year, don’t beat yourself up over the circumstances. I couldn’t stick to half of my advice in 2021.

But growth is non-linear. Watch it compound as you put in the work.

A Game Pass subscription coupled with the support of game studios gave me 2021's greatest excuse: consuming content for “research.” I got to work with talented minds from journalism and the game industry. I wrote less this year, but the little wins grew.

This year wasn’t about evening odds, it was about growing alongside them.

Learning Japanese at a 9-to-5 engineering job rounds off a year that taught me a great deal about myself. Slowing down and taking detours helped me attempt to accept the losses around me. Some of my side projects were brought to life, while others remain dreams.

Your presence keeps me going. As for your dreams, godspeed.

2022 was a year of recovery and growth. It showed me I had things to unlearn and places to be.

It also reminded me that core memories arrive without warning. Three years ago, I could not have pictured myself covering a game dev conference or being nominated for a journalism award. Debuts across publications and interactions with editors filled me with gratitude and determination.

It has been an incredibly fulfilling journey, and I can't wait to see where it takes me.

I reached a checkpoint and saved my progress in 2023.

Quitting my 9-to-5 without knowing what was next was a gamble. My first full-time games journalism job pulled me out of the survivor mode I had been in for two years. It allowed works of art to shape my view of the world. Seeing my reviews in accolades trailers reminded me of my responsibility to the medium.

I still haven't quite mastered the art of critique. There are things I want to improve in my writing. And I still have projects left unfinished. But there's no denying I'm closer to home.

This year, cherish those who've helped you make it this far.

2024 was a year of reflection and redirection.

While losing a full-time contract to the whims of search algorithms stung, it gave me the space to realize I am more than my work. I attended a press conference where Indian IT ministers discussed their vision for a medium I've grown to love. As I got back on my feet with part-time gigs, I pursued projects from the back burner. I laid the foundation for my comic series Orijinns under the UAE's Sandstorm Comics and Ron Marz, a Marvel/DC veteran. Aldebaran, a card game inspired by Arab astronomy, took shape over playtests.

I suppose there's some relief in finding questions I can spend a lifetime pursuing. Keep your dreams alive.