Save Point: February 2023
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- 28 February 2023
I’m writing this post during the comedown phase after GameBlast23.
I’m always left with a weird feeling after participating in one of these events. There’s elation in knowing I’ve been able to do something to support SpecialEffect, a charity which is very close to my heart, but also sadness that it’s over for another year. What am I going to do with myself now?
Fortunately, the weather is starting to get a little better and spring is on the horizon. I had the pleasure of going to the Orchid Festival at Kew Gardens a couple of weeks ago and spent a lovely afternoon among the flowers; and we’re now taking regular walks by the seaside as part of our 2023 fitness regime. Days like this make for some great photo opportunities, as you can see above.
There’s also plenty of stuff coming up for the blog this year and February was just the start. The #LoveYourBacklog event made a return at the beginning of the month and everyone was encouraged to show some appreciation for their pile of video games. Thank you to the bloggers who took part and were brave enough to share their libraries with us, and look out for details on #MaybeInMarch – more on that below.
Before that though, I really need to put some hours into the portfolio for my Data Fellowship Apprenticeship after the recent hackathon. The final assessment is due to be scheduled in a couple of months and I won’t be submitted for it unless I’m able to provide a complete folder. I think it’ll be ready after one more project, so the end is in sight. But it does mean there might be a little less time for gaming during March while I put in the effort and focus on it.
Progress report
| Total published: | 10 |
| Most viewed: | #LoveYourBacklog Month: February 2023 |
| Most liked: | Self-care ideas from video games |
| Most discussed: | #LoveYourBacklog Month: February 2023 |
| My favourite: | Video game lessons: how not to flirt in real life |
Game of the month
For anyone who enjoys narrative gaming experiences, I can recommend SEASON: A letter to the future. I enjoyed the visual style and voice-acting despite a few minor bugs and it has a lovely message at its end. Full-motion video (FMV) dating simulator Ten Dates just edged out in front though. After completing its prequel Five Dates during a previous GameBlast event, we played it on Sunday for the final day of our streams. Watching Ryan and Derek’s relationship develop onscreen was heart-warming.
Event of the month
Well, what else could it be other than GameBlast23? Thank you so much to everyone who watched our ten days’ of streams, showed their support, shared a record-breaking number puns in chat and helped raise an amazing £3,013 for SpecialEffect. The money and awareness generated through the event will help so many more people with physical disabilities to benefit from the joy of video games. For anyone who missed it, here’s Pete once again donning his Pikachu costume and getting into character.
Photo of the month
Instead of a photograph for February, here’s a video instead. Pete and I had the pleasure of joining friend-of-the-blog Darkshoxx on Twitch one Friday evening recently for a cooperative jigsaw stream. We completed a rather unusual puzzle-within-a-puzzle called The Talking Jigsaw Puzzle!, in which you have to use the conversation clues to determine where each scene fits. Check out the end of the video where the lads flipped the jigsaws over – they totally impressed me with their skills, as it could have gone badly!
Plans for next month
Following on from #LoveYourBacklog this month, we’re entering into #MaybeInMarch and encouraging everyone to play the game that’s been waiting for them on their backlog the longest. As revealed in my response for the event, my title should be Brütal Legend, but I like to stream my #MaybeInMarch entry so I have a record of it and this game is bound to result in a copyright strike. I’ll therefore be deciding between The Cave, Papo & Yo and The Path. Which one would you choose?
There’s also another event making a return next month: the Gamers’ Blog Party! It’s been a while since I hosted once of these and the first of the year is due to take place on Monday, 06 March 2023. Come along armed with the link to the best post you’ve published in the last three months, and spend some time getting to know the other amazing gaming bloggers within the community. It’s always a great way of finding new blogs to add to your reading list and being inspired.
Gaming events taking place soon are the London Gaming Market on Sunday, 19 March 2023, then WASD from Thursday, 30 March to Saturday, 01 April 2023. I’m due to be there on the first day and have put my name down for volunteering on the SpecialEffect stand on the Friday – but sadly, there’s a good chance that the rail strikes could now mess this up. Streaming-wise, I’ll be kicking off the month with more from The Longest Journey and trying to finally finish the Dreamfall series.
Now over to you guys: what have you been up to lately, and what have you got planned for the coming month? Enjoy the rest of the week and hopefully I’ll see you at an event soon!
WCRobinson
3 weeks agoRaising over £3000 is very impressive, congratulations! Looking forward to the return of the Blog Party, they’re always very enjoyable events. I’m hoping to get Horizon Forbidden West and Life is Strange True Colors completed from my backlog this month.
Alot of brainspace is going into sorting out a contract extension for where my housemates and I live currently, but once that’s out of the way I’m hoping to put more time into gaming and writing. Also F1 is back as of this weekend, which is yet another distraction, aha… !
Kim
3 weeks agoI hope the contract extension goes smoothly and you can forget about it very soon. 🙂
Some nice choices from the backlog there. Seeing Ellen play Horizon Forbidden West made me want to watch a Zero Dawn playthough on YouTube, but after a couple of hours, I realised I actually wanted to play it again for myself. It sounds like there are going to be a few people hanging out with Aloy this month.
You’ll have to let us know what you think of True Colors too. I think I’m going to continue with Tell Me Why after starting it during GameBlast, to see if I like it any better than Life is Strange.
WCRobinson
3 weeks agoThank you! Still ongoing for now but hopefully the end is in sight…
Definitely, especially if you haven’t played The Frozen Wilds. It’s a beautiful DLC.
I will do, if I somehow manage to complete all the games I’m targeting to, aha. Hope you enjoy Tell Me Why, I only ever played the first episode on Game Pass. I did enjoy it a lot, that’s *another* game I ned to go back to one day… 🙂
Kim
3 weeks agoI know exactly what you mean… my list of games to complete this month increased from two to four over the weekend, and that’s without counting my #MaybeInMarch entry. 😆