I thoroughly enjoyed your article and am real chuffed to know I am Not Alone, now If only my friends/ family could jump on the bandwagon and maybe just maybe they will finally “Get Me”. This coming from an 18 year old’s point of view!

I suppose it all boils down to whether this bothers you or not? Me personally I couldn’t care less. I enjoy the games I play and if a friend rants and raves about a game then I’ll get round to it in my own time.

There are also games that I cannot talk about because of not playing them too, this is also down to stockpiling and then having either too much back catalogue to play or having something new and shiny come out that I want to play first.

And I’m sure there are games and experiences that you can talk about that I can’t join in with. Now you just need to get Markuz and Fred locked in the gaming room with only EDF and 53 levels to play before he can come out and there’s a whoie other conversation to share. You know he wants to. :p

I much prefer being in a small group, no more than about five or six, with people I know. Who won’t necessarily judge you for what you have and haven’t done. You can still feel inadequate in such company, but there’s usually at least one friend who will pick up on it and try to help you out. If that doesn’t happen, it can get very lonely indeed, but at least you shouldn’t be frowned on too much if you try the wrong approach to getting more involved.

I’ve felt outside the people around me almost my entire life. Even with family, I stand apart, both through choices and because of natural inclinations. Despite preferring this solitude for the most part, there are times when you just wish you could feel comfortable with another person and be able to just interact with them without constant worrying about making a fool of yourself, or running out of things to say. Sometimes because the experiences you have had, other people can’t relate to, other times because you’ve not done what everyone else has yourself. I often resort to putting a DVD on in the background, or a podcast, so that it at least seems that other people are in the room. I feel closer to certain characters more than the people who are really here.

If you ever want to talk, about anything, or nothing, just email me. Despite how I come across sometimes, I’m told I’m a good listener, perhaps because I’ve been through a lot myself. If it’s important enough, I’ll shut up and hear someone out. Mark has the address. I may not be able to help in any meaningful way, but I’ll still try, for a friend.