No one, NO ONE, is more terrified of his own profession then Mr. Russ Pitts. What's more, his fear is tangible, and comes across crystal clear in that always moving, utterly gorgeous writing of his. And it saddens me, as until I was a gamer, I didn't know what I was. All my life I was the "weird girl:" too oblivious and book-happy to be one of the popular kids, too aggressive and loud to be one of the nerds, not funny enough to be one of the clowns, I was bad at sports and at schoolwork, I cried in public and wasn't embarrassed about it afterwards, I asked lots of questions, I ignored rules, I had no friends, and no one really knew what to make of me.
It might sound strange that my experience with gaming has been one of finally feeling like I belong. Gamers, as a community, didn't care too much that I was loud or confrontational or obsessive; as long as I liked the games they liked, I was in. And since I love games, it's the first time I've felt like there's a real subculture with a place for aliens like me. Being a gamer, I think, has made me a stronger, more secure person. For the first time ever there are other people like me out there. I'm not alone.