Week 1 of Blaugust is themed as the “Welcome to Blaugust” week – but arguably, I’ve already covered the literal facts of the event, and my reasons for taking part, in my prior Week #0 post. However, I don’t want to divert too far from the main theme, so I’ve instead decided to answer a larger question, which is: why do I write? I started writing consistently on this site more than half a decade ago, and it’s fair to say that lots has changed in the meantime. I’ve been formulating and thinking about a post diving further into this for a while now, and I think it’s an ideal way to open my Blaugust offerings for the year! Below, I’m going to start by talking about why I’m writing – both in general, and in Blaugust this year – and then expand into some other topics around this central subject, such as my goals for Blaugust, how writing helps me personally, and physical media itself. I’m essentially just going to start writing and see where I end up; whether you’re new here or are familiar with me and my writing, I hope you’ll join me, and that you enjoy the post! Why I Write It’s the key question, isn’t it? With every year that goes by, it increasingly feels like the written word is becoming less fashionable; in a world of social media, YouTube, and short form vertical videos, the written word just can’t compete with that level of instant gratification. Then of course, in recent years we have the burst of popularity around generative AI too. It’s infiltrated creative spaces to the point where people now consistently question where something has come from, whether it be a film, a piece of art, or a blog post. To be very clear, I’m adamantly against generative AI and you won’t find it being used here on this site. I’ll say though, it’s scary to see WordPress pushing it – extra options for improving your posts with AI have now been added to the post editor, and I’m sad that is continues to encroach on the space. This is because to me, writing is all about the thought behind our words, and the personality we infuse into them. I love the act of writing, as done by a human themselves and their own brain (it’s crazy that I even have to clarify this, but here we are); it’s the antithesis to the often overwhelming noise of the internet, requiring us to stop and think about our words before we hit publish. At least for me, the editing stage is something I adore; my drafts are often a mess (reflecting my fast-paced and anxious brain, no doubt), and the art of refining them is rewarding. I’m very much an introvert, and so I often better express my thoughts and feelings in writing than I can out loud – and over the years, I think writing has made me better at both. Everyone is on their phone nowadays Furthermore, writing gives me a sense of purpose to my hobbies. I’ve said this many a time before, but I treat this site like a journal, where I document my thoughts on the things I love: games, films, TV, and more. I enjoy being able to read back through my posts and understand where I was at different points in life, whether it’s a game I was playing, or a real world adventure I embarked on. The added bonus is opening these thoughts up to the world, and I’m always humbled by the gradual but continual rise in viewership year on year. My main hope with this website is that my posts are analytical but also infused with positivity and optimism, as I think the world has far too much of the opposite nowadays. It’s part of the reason I stopped using most social media, and am even considering stopping YouTube now, as I’m often left saddened by the flourishing negativity over on those platforms. Once again, this only gravitates me further to writing and blogging. As someone who primarily keeps up with the blogging world through WordPress Reader, the community here is smaller than video-focused platforms but (in my opinion) more pleasant to be a part of. I enjoy keeping up with the writers I’ve come to frequently read over the years, and I’m looking forward to the “Creator Appreciation” week of Blaugust in order to talk more specifically about this! I started writing consistently here in 2020 during the pandemic, and the level of interaction feels understandably less than it did back then, when many of us were more consistently online. However, there are still many great conversations to be had in the comments or over on Discord, and events like Blaugust show there’s still a strong sense of community here. We’re all on the same side here, right? That’s the other thing – there’s a sense of cynicism to the popular posts and videos over on social media or YouTube, because it feels as though creators are being artificially (but no less dangerously) negative about things in order to get views and clicks (and sadly, it seems to work). I rarely find this in the blogging sphere, as to put it frankly, writing isn’t the way to go if you’re looking to make money on the internet. I don’t run adverts at all, because I don’t want to dilute the fun of my hobby, and I prefer having a streamlined site that is easy to read. Yet, even if I did, I doubt I’d make much money with my modest viewership. I could be wrong, but I think other bloggers are the same – I think most of us do this as a personal venture, whether it be an outlet for our thoughts or as a means to make connections online. There’s a sense of endearment and humanity in this which really draws me to reading other sites, and motivates me to keep writing as each year passes by. My Blaugust Goals Even so, my pace of posting has fluctuated over the years. During the pandemic times of 2020 and 2021, I would often write multiple times a week, a pace that slowed down in subsequent years amidst the adult realities of jobs, moving, and relationships. The feeling of burning out definitely affected me, both in gaming and in writing, but something I’m proud of is maintaining this site throughout, even when my posting was more sporadic. It’s become an important part of my life, and I’m always thinking of the next thing to write. Following my second marathon this year, I’ve made it a personal target to increase my cadence of writing again, up to approximately a post every two weeks. This schedule has been working well for me since April, and participating in Blaugust is a fun way to challenge myself to up that frequency further, just to see if I can! Sometimes we all need this The other target for me this month is (as mentioned in my Week #0 post) to see if I can be less precious about my writing. I think back to those aforementioned pandemic years where I managed to write posts much faster, and I wonder if part of the reason was being less analytical about my own writing; when I go back to those reviews, I can certainly see that less refined style coming through. It’s natural (and a relief) that my writing has improved over the years, yet I’d like to see if I can pair that with more freedom in my writing, instead of deliberating over posts for weeks or months. This is a product of the new approach I adopted in the last couple of years, where I aim to write a little each day instead of pressuring myself to write a whole post at once – yet, I think there’s a happy medium to be found. Frankly, writing is a skill and process that changes constantly in my mind, and I think it’s all a journey of finding what works best each year as life changes around you. In addition, part of my idea to write a little each day was to get my novel up and running. I’ve mentioned this in posts before, but I’m working on a fantasy novel in the background, set in an expansive world of adventure and themed around family, time, and perspective. That’s all I’ll say for the time being; so far, I’ve got an (incredibly messy) draft for the first half of the book, and have been taking a break before diving back in again. My aforementioned marathon earlier this year acted as a bit of a checkpoint for me, and since completing it, I’ve fell out of some of my daily routines. I think the break was needed, but I’m looking to get back into my rhythm, as I’m excited to finish my story and share it with the world one day! I’m hoping that writing in Blaugust will help me get back into this groove. The Witcher is an inspiration for my novel writing, too Aside from these personal and internal goals, I’m also eager to achieve some of the literal awards for taking part in Blaugust. Yes, they may not be actual physical awards, but I’m still competitive, so they’re still enticing targets for me! This will be the first of my five weekly posts for Blaugust, keeping me on track for the Bronze award. My other target is to see if I can achieve the Community Builder award, which requires completing three of the several objectives; I’ve done one so far (by sharing the invite to participate), and for the second, I plan to engage with my fellow Blaugust participants each week, and keep up with all the posts everyone is writing for the event. That’ll be two down, so I need to aim for a third – the guest post or group project look most realistic for me, so I’ve got to think up some ideas for that! Thankfully, there are some very helpful prompts already set up for this, which I’m going to see if I can answer later on this month! How I’m Keeping Track Just as I have a passion for gaming, films, and more, so do I for physical media itself. Writing plays a part in this – part of why I’m drawn to it over video creation is how much more tangible it feels as a medium, able to be stored and read even if the internet disappeared one day. You might argue that by writing on the internet, I’m undercutting this point, but I actually print out all my posts for my own archive (see below). I use recycled paper and don’t include all the images and formatting, but it’s just so I have a tangible copy in case one day disaster struck and this website disappeared. The prospect of losing all the words and work here is a frankly devastating thought! Printing out my posts also plays into that journal feel I mentioned earlier – I like having my private printed version, as well as this online version I get to open to the rest of this world! As a book designer for a living, and someone who loves collecting physical media (whether it be games, films, or vinyl records), the recent news of PlayStation stopping physical disc production after January 2028 is extremely sad. Their PlayStation Blog post declaring the news is both brief and formal, which seems to match the cold reality of the news. I’m not the only one upset – far from it, as there’s been a loud outcry from many passionate gamers and collectors who are seeing the industry shift away from them. Clearly, the data shows PlayStation that they’re making more money on digital, yet I think part of that is because the industry wants us steered this way, where we just own licenses, not full pieces of art, and they don’t have to worry about the costs of creating bespoke cases or shipping them out to stores. The added element to this is Grand Theft Auto VI, which is already removing the disc element, instead releasing cases which will just contain a download code. That’s a very disappointing prospect, especially as the game will likely sell insanely high numbers, and this will be used as an example of why it’s good not to release physical discs. Just writing it makes me sad, because it feels manipulative. Safe to say, I now plan to never give PlayStation any more of my money – I had been deliberating about a PlayStation 5, but that idea is firmly over. I expect Xbox will follow their lead and remove the disc drive from their next console; I just hope Nintendo doesn’t follow suit. I know they have their own history of questionable business decisions, but I certainly feel like they care more about gamer goodwill than PlayStation currently. The Game Key Cards on Nintendo Switch 2 are a worrying trend and a potential sign that we might see a similar problem in the future, but for now, I choose to remain positive and optimistic. There are also companies such as iam8bit who are committed to physical media and sustaining it, so I hope gamers understandably upset by the PlayStation news will instead spend their money on these stores instead. That’s certainly my plan! A glimpse of my collection! This entire post may be clear proof of me becoming 31 and increasingly disconnected from the mainstream habits of younger generations. Yet, I think there’s certainly a lack of authenticity to the way industries are steering us to the likes of generative AI and licensed digital media, by removing our other options one by one until we’re cornered. Bringing it back to writing, whilst I think there are still issues to worry about (such as the proliferation of generative AI here, too), it remains a place more welcoming to a deliberate approach. In the world of writing and blogging, the sensationalist noise of other platforms somewhat disappears (at least for me) – the act of writing becomes a thoughtful escape where I can sort through my own thoughts, choose the right words to express them, and then have the bonus reward of sharing them with the world when I’m finished. Furthermore, I suffer from frequent anxieties that can have a very negative effect on me – and I find writing can be a way to keep these satiated, or at least to help train my brain to tackle them better. I know this sounds very vague, and frankly, it’s because I find it hard to talk about. It’s something I’ve suffered quietly with for a long time. One of my long running hopes for this site is that I become comfortable enough to talk in more detail about how these challenges affect my gaming, my writing, and my personal life. I’m not there yet, but with each year, I feel I get closer to it. I’ve talked around these topics before – for example, about the story in Celeste or the comfort that can be found in gaming. My quest to be increasingly introspective is directly connected to my writing here, and it’s one of the reasons I still write, and think I always will. Thank you for reading this post! I’m excited to open my official August account for Blaugust and share some of my personal thoughts on blogging and writing at the same time. I hope these have been insightful or at least intriguing to read, and I’d love to read any of your own thoughts in the comments below! My next post will be for Week #2 – Introduce Yourself week! I’ve already done two editorial style posts in a row, so I’m thinking up a different approach for this theme. Here’s a hint – it’s inspired by a post I’ve seen recently on another site… ! I hope you’re happy and healthy, and have a great week!