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I consider myself very lucky to have found a group of friends that would show up when I suggest that we ironically wear formal attire and watch a train wreck gamer awards show. (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6BKKUoHzHt/?igshid=sgsq79o99lx7

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Spoilers for Midsommar #halloween (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4GkgsXHArq/?igshid=fittn40ii1oe

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Half of my camera roll was taken at Ramen Tatsu-ya (at Ramen Tatsu-Ya) https://www.instagram.com/p/B25TBYgn4tX/?igshid=wgub4y7w9hg2

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I played a video game today. On a Nintendo system. With my name in the credits. I'm not crying, you are. https://www.instagram.com/p/B1fA0HEHZk6/?igshid=1gyf68ual2v8c

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Best photos of #E32019 - 1. KBBQ group photo - such a cool team to be a part of and I'm psyched that Overland is coming together so smoothly 2. Matching Bois 3. Big Beeru for Big Boi 4. Lego Car! 5. KEANU. (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BysksUDH39I/?igshid=9wcz6z2k5ody

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Blizzard concept artist Oscar Vega mixed characters from Smash Bros Ultimate with modern fashion

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Proof that I 1. Am a video game expert 2. Will always have my eyes closed in a candid photo 3. Need a haircut (We were facing an audience full of people I SWEAR) (at San Antonio, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtRA2ozHq_y/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=xeysvlq6531g

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Press “X” to Cancel the Countdown

Beginning at some point in the mid-2000’s, there would being a five year period where I’d have the same exact birthday party year after year. Where I grew up, some kids would do rock climbing for their birthday, or maybe a pool party. But for me, every August, without question, I’d throw a Halo LAN party. All these years later, it’s still probably the most fun, fulfilling events I ever organized. Kids would prepare for *weeks* for this. It was the talk of the town. We’d have a bracket system. We’d have a trophy. We’d be split between four rooms, upstairs and downstairs, 100ft ethernet cables spaghetting everywhere - using every TV in the house and then some. For four hours on a Friday during summer’s hottest days, right before we were about to head back to school, 20+ cookie-handed kids would be at my house doing nothing but playing Halo.

Through a careful planning system that would crumble if even one person couldn’t make it, we had just enough Xboxes, just enough controllers, and just enough couch space to fit everyone. One year, Stephen couldn’t make it. We literally had to go run down the street to Joey’s house, who was at summer camp at the time, and explain the situation to his mom in order to borrow his Xbox. To do this as economically as possible, every screen was split four ways but still linked. Teams were separated by which floor of the house they were on. Red on the 1st floor, Blue on the 2nd. Needed to make strategic calls? No point in using headsets - we’re all under one roof. Send Conner P. down the hall to yell at Michael B. for ramming the Warthog into an inescapable ditch. That is, if we could get the game started without a jokester pressing “X” to delay the timer. (Spoilers, it was me most of the time. That shit was hilarious.) But when the games began, things got real. To this day, I still have never had an online experience where I felt I was this well matched. When your main opponents consist 15 of your friends, all of whom happened to be middle-schoolers who did nothing but play Halo, you learn everyone's strengths and weaknesses. Teams were decided in the style of a schoolyard pick, and because of this each match always was extremely tight. There was no “matchmaking”. There was no “ELO”. Your rank was peer reviewed. You’d know that Brent sucked with assault rifles so he better carry the flag. You’d know that Sam was a beast with the sniper so it’s probably best if he hangs back and guards. Halo was before games began to bake in character classes that we’re so used to now, but when you played with us, you definitely still had to play your class, the one that was assigned to you via the observations of your teammates. The last 15 seconds of each match were always, without fail, a flurry of instructions, encouragements, and insults, oftentimes with no distinct target. When the clock struck zero and the game was over, the losing team would always invade the quarters of the winning team and immediately start pointing fingers. Memories of the match would be slung back and forth, never giving credit to the skill of the player of course, but instead attributing the experience to how lucky they got. The blame-filled rhetoric would eventually die down whenever a few of us would notice the familiar beeps of a game starting and realize that some jerk snuck away and started the next round - we were needed back at our battlestations. A scramble up the stairs and back into our spots on the floor in front of my Zenith 22” CRT and we were right back at it. This was our meta-game. I owe so much to these feelings that my Halo LAN parties made me feel. People still bring them up to this day, nearly 15 years later. It made people happy. I think Halo is the number one reason why I do what I do today. Halo made me realize that I like using games to make people happy. And then Halo was able to validate me, when I was able to watch their Vidoc series and realize “whoa, this game has a Community team. This is a job I can have.” I’ve been chasing the feeling of these LAN parties ever since then. Truthfully, the main reason I want to own a home is to have multiple rooms so that I can potentially bring this back. I’m rambling at this point, but yeah. Halo. There was a point in life where it was everything to me. It’s definitely not that anymore, but you can see sprinkles of it here and there. In Destiny. In 343’s work. But maybe it’s not any different. Maybe I’ve just grown up. Maybe kids who play Fortnite today will think back on it with the same fondness I do with Halo, and it’s just that, when you’re a kid and it’s all you have, it’s the best. I don’t know. Either way, I’m thankful. ~Harris

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PAX South had a lot of really good really goofy photos https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs5sSw0nq3g/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ed1dl88bzyl9

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PAX South had a lot of really good really goofy photos (at San Antonio, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs5sEzpnMlh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1uil0wqt4hker

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Big wine for a big boy (Photo by @jetreset) (at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/BshCI-bnBHR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ogznf4mvfq52

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Course start screens from Super Mario 64 DS.

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As an Austinite, it breaks my heart to learn that the HOPE Outdoor Gallery (sometimes known as Castle Hill or simply Graffiti Park) permanently closed yesterday. This was one of my favorite spots in town, and it will be greatly missed. (at HOPE Outdoor Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOB_DgnOB4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=tnpiw1hdwihr

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Hat Stacking into 2019 with the best crew (at Austin, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsE60pynwlq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ideotb101ird

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My Top Ten Games of 2018

Hi Friends! 2018 was a year that just got better and better. Except for the PAX Prime food poisoning. That was bad. Let’s review the year real quick:

January 1st - February 28th: I was working at a horrible game studio and was incredibly depressed. 

March 1st - December 31st: I started working at Finji, doing work that actually matters and I am very happy

Okay now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about video games! I’ve heard a lot of folks say that 2018 was an “eh” year for games and I just don’t agree with that. Due to the sheer number of great games I’ve played this year, I had a hard time picking out and organizing my top 10. Reviewing my notes, I played a total of 26 of this year’s releases. Here are my favorites.

10. Sea of Thieves

I’m very happy this game made it onto the list. All things considered, Sea of Thieves brought me great joy this year. My friend Devon put it best, describing the game as sitting around a campfire with friends as you chat and drink beer. Sure, every once in a while you’ve got to get serious and address a giant megalodon or another ship full of players, but for the most part you’re just mindless dinking around a gorgeous seascape with your mates, goofing and gaffing from island to island.

9. Mahvel’s Spiderman

Spiderman 2 on the Gamecube was one of my favorite games growing up, so when Insomniac finally made another good Spiderman game nearly FIFTEEN YEARS LATER, you know I’d be there for it. I’m not much for superhero stories, but the swinging around the city is the funnest traversal I’ve ever experienced in an open world game. But like, it’s 2018. Peter Parker is a big enough shithead to dab. There wasn’t one dab in the game. What gives.

8. God of War

BOY.

7. Return of the Obra Dinn

There’s a spoiler moment when I was streaming Return of the Obra Dinn that made me alt tab and put it on this list. That’s all I’m going to say. It’s a fantastic piratey Ghost Trick and you should spend $20 on it you penny-pinching buttlicker.

6. Tetris Effect

This might be the most beautiful game I’ve ever played. The final sequence of journey mode had me, slack-jawed on my couch, being both the most relaxed and focused I’ve ever been in my life. My neighbors probably hate how loud I cranked this game on my surround sound system, but fuck ‘em. Tetris Effect regularly caused me to stop thinking, which for a guy with anxiety, is kinda a big deal. I hope Enhance never stops making video games. I will buy every single one of them.

5. Hitman 2

One of the best just got better. There’s not much to be said about Hitman 2, only that it improves in pretty much every way possible on the original. The new locations are complex as they are beautiful, the new stealth mechanics and alert notifications make you feel like you’re pulling off badass maneuvers in a way that the original never did, and for once I cared a little bit about the story? The modern Hitmans (Hitmen?) are games that I greatly admire and want to see more and more of. Buy this game.

4. Jackbox Party Pack 5

This is one of the tightest Party Packs in years. The return of You Don’t Know Jack, the social manipulation of Split the Room, the 2nd time playing Mad Verse City where you’re all on your toes, and most importantly, Patently Stupid. I think Patently Stupid is up there with Quiplash and TeeK.O. as some of Jackbox’s finest work. No other game has my friends rolling on the ground laughing as I’m pitching them the concept of a PISTOL to SHOOT CLOWNS. Gah. So good. Also, you’ll notice I didn’t mention Zeeple Dome. That’s because I never got around to it. Sorry.

3. Beat Saber

This is one of like... 3 VR games that I think are cool. Would I ever recommend someone buy a VR headset? Hell no. Would I recommend someone play Beat Saber? Hell yeah. This thing is going to be my ticket to fitness next year. Oh, and they added 2018’s bop of the year, POP//STARS.

2. Super Smash Bros Ultimate

This is pretty shocking. I picked up Ultimate seemingly on a whim, and proceeded unlocking all the characters while on a trip to Vancouver. Sitting next to Gabe and Felix, we drank beers, swore at each other, and had a grand ol’ time. And this is all coming from someone who has never been a big Smash guy. The first one I bought was Brawl on the Wii, and it was mostly due to the fact that it was the easiest way to exploit the console at the time (sshh..). With my Smash come-up taking place on that version, I mained Snake - and when I found he wasn��t in the WiiU iteration of the game, coupled with the fact that my roommate unlocked all of the characters while I was on vacation, I fell back out of the series. Ultimate brought back Snake, made hits feel a lot harder, and fits in my backpack.

1. Dead Cells

Dead Cells is the most video-gamey-ass-video-game I played all year. Many games have attempted run-based, souls-like combat in RNG dungeons before, but Dead Cells is the first one to really nail it. I spent many hours on this game, and I only ever unlocked one of the many traversal upgrades, only about half of the weapons, and only ever made it to the final boss once, but damn did I have fun the entire time. There was seldom a death where I felt cheated, a feeling I believe to be common (and biggest detriment) of the roguelike genre. Every year I try to get my Souls fix. This year, it was Dead Cells.

Thanks for reading! I’ve got a few honorable mentions too, but that’s probably a separate article. Anyway, here’s to 2019!