Journey’s End: A New Beginning
by Edward
“Hi, I’m Ed Price, and you probably won’t like me. Most people don’t.”
Those were the first words I ever said aloud to one Mark Reid; a man I had very recently begun writing for. Call that introduction self-deprecation, brutal honesty, or just blatant stupidity, but he’d first met me during a rather transitional phase of my life.
Alone and bored on a 21st century night, I’d applied for a radio show at my University, reasoning that it would force me to go outside more and gain confidence by trying something creative, rather than shut myself away at a time when all my friends had moved miles away to earn degrees of their own. Figuring that everyone else would be pitching comedy shows or deeply alternative music hours where they shared secrets of the universe and bands that were only good because you hadn’t heard of them yet, I decided to talk about the only thing I knew about – video games.
From there, I’d somehow chanced my way into a press pass for the Eurogamer Expo, spoke to the writers of another site by complete accident, and began writing stuff for them. A man known as Markuz had read a comedic article I’d written about movie adaptations of games, liked it, and left a comment. I’d soon find myself asking to write for his new website, GamingLives, and a month or so later, we found ourselves face-to-face, assuring him that he probably wouldn’t like me, because not many people did. I’ll always be grateful that he chose to ignore that warning.
That introduction took place five and a half years ago. Today, I find myself saying goodbye to what I consider to be the greatest gaming website that ever lived, and not just because they were nice enough to let me write for them.
After nearly six years on this planet, GamingLives has – to steal an expression – grown from a tiny acorn, and it’s been an amazing experience to watch it grow into something amazing. I’ve been a part of this site since only a few months after it was dragged kicking and screaming onto the web, and I always imagined that I’d leave with the same reluctance.
Those years where I’d sit around a live-chat discussing E3 conferences seemed a distant memory when I was asked to fly out and attend them in person. I went from dreaming of meeting some of my biggest idols in gaming to actually interviewing them one-on-one. Now that I’m finally taking gaming from being a hobby into a legitimate career, there’s so much that GamingLives has done for me, and so many amazing stories and experiences that I’ll be able to take with me in the years to come.
When I first started that radio show all those years ago, I had very little in the way of self-confidence, so if you’d told Past-Me that decision would eventually lead to me flying out to E3 and covering the entire event as a website’s sole representative, I’d never have believed you. After all, attending E3 at all was an unattainable pipe-dream that I’d had since I was eleven, and I never imagined being in the position where it would be possible. If you’d told Past-Me that all those evenings playing The Secret of Monkey Island over and over again would not only shape what kind of writer I’d become, but that I’d get to meet the game’s creator and thank him in person, I’d tell you that you fought like a dairy farmer. All those years ago, I never thought I’d find myself in this position – having a second family of wonderful and terrifying personalities united through a similar love of videogames, and then having to say goodbye to them all.
People like Richie, a man whose every Richie Report and off-colour rant sends me into convulsions of laughter. Chewy-faced men like Ric, who uses his love of games to wear his heart on his sleeve and take you on a beautiful journey with every anecdote. Chris, a man with views I often disagree with, but who has a passion for games that is utterly undeniable. Lorna, whose incredible writing is a constant inspiration. Markuz, who has been an incredible mentor and a better friend, despite my constant fuck-ups and mistakes. Keegan, who is just so tall. The other ones, whose names will come to me later, probably. The other other ones, who left for various reasons and are therefore dead to me.
These are people who constantly made travelling up to Scotland a highlight of each year. Weekends spent eating junk food and Awesomeburgers. Mocking the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. Teaming up to take part in quizzes, or battling each other for ultimate supremacy in the latest game du jour. Watching Batman: Arkham Asylum being played for hours on end just so people could attempt the challenge rooms. Waking up to find Jo leaning over me, cackling, then later threatening me with a dildo. Ric stretching across the sofa bed and insisting Keegan paint him like one of his French girls. The time Richie convinced me to play Rock Band for some easy achievements, only to find ourselves playing a cover of Aerosmith’s Train Kept A-Rollin’ for hours on end for ten poxy points. That time we were in a limo.
You’re all amazing people, and I’m going to miss you all terribly. Except Ste. Get to fuck, you wank.
The last few years have been full of incredible highs, and writing for GamingLives has given me so many stories to tell, as well as many more that I probably can’t. It’s been a memorable journey through and through, but not all of it is positive. Some of it’s just plain weird.
Writing about Games is a weird occupation at the best of times, and, truth be told, there’ll be some moments and people I’ll be glad to see the back of. Getting dragged to “that” GMA Award ceremony and watching the ensuing #Defiance controversy play out. The time a PR cornered me in a bar near the MCM Expo demanding to know why I’d only given Dishonored a seven out of ten. Being bullied by another PR for several months. That time a wannabe-journalist put in a complaint about me to Markuz because I didn’t say hi to them at an event when I didn’t even know they were there.
That site who, for some reason, considered us rivals and tried to drag me into their dramas despite me having nothing to do with it. The other site who tried to openly demonise me at a public event when I was trying to keep the peace and stay friends, despite everything that had gone on. The person who’s been stalking me across the internet for several years because they didn’t like an article I wrote long before I joined GamingLives, and which I’d genuinely forgotten I’d ever written. That other person who’s been stalking me for several years over something that never actually happened. The guy who threatened me with a chef’s knife for reasons that will never become clear. Gaming has exposed me to some of the greatest people I’ve ever known, but it has also thrown in some seriously fragile egos, and ones I’ll be all-too-glad to be rid of.
But, with all that said and done, I wouldn’t change my time with GamingLives for the world. You’re seeing me during a rather transitional phase of my life, and wherever I’m going next (Note to Editors: double-check if I can reveal I’m leaving the UK to work for Nintendo), these last five and a half years have been an incredible journey that I won’t forget. I started off as a guy whose talent extended to poorly-thought-out listicles and reviews that took eight hours to edit, yet through a series of completely random coincidences, luck, and some of the most supportive and amazing people around, I became Deputy Editor of an incredible website with fantastic people, covered E3 by myself, and now get to move on fully content in order to fulfil a life-long dream that would have been totally impossible had I not uttered those poorly-chosen words all those years ago.
I’m Ed Price, and even though you probably didn’t like me, some people did. And in the end, that’s all that matters.
Goodbye.
Last five articles by Edward
- Best of 2015: Journey's End: A New Beginning
- Journey's End: A New Beginning
- You Can't Choose Your Happy Ending
- Okay, Let's Fix Comedy In Games - The V-Effekt
- Time Keeps On Smashing Away
Au revoir Eduardo! You bendy armed weirdo. Good luck in the land of wurst and pickled red cabbage! Make us proud. And if you haven’t already, get shot of that damned beardage!
I never liked you, and I probably never will, but good luck at Nintendo (never heard of them). You’ll probably be back once they realise that they don’t like you either.
Oh God. Ed, don’t go!
But since you are going, enjoy what you are going to do next. I have heard through the grapevine that you are working for a company that would give geeks geekgasms every single day. Congratulations, on that fantastic achievement. Congratulations on your awesome time at GL and the awesome things you have done. Congratulations on being a great person.
Also, I liked you since day one!
See ya Ed! We are in a constant state of busting your chops but we love you really. You will be missed.
Bah!
Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t be arsed when folks leave because FUCK THEM.
My feelings are different this time though.
Good luck, Ed. You deserve this chance.
Always remember, fuck who you work for. Even if they are Nintendo. Bosses ain’t shit.
Make them release more Game and Watches.
Equally, how about they do a new Pilotwings (but stop fucking it up).
See you around, chap.
We’ll miss you mate. Very much. You’re like part of the comfy furniture of the site and as selfish as it is it makes me so sad to lose you. Gutted. But, at the same time, I am so happy for you it’s off the charts. This is your dream job and you deserve it. Just don’t fuck it up by insulting Shigsy’s hair or something. Also, you should totally be in a live-action reboot of Captain N: The Game Master.
@Edward
Bye Edward . Good luck Edward at nintendo.
Regards
Priyanka
All the best, Ed. Have fun at Ninty, and whatever you do don’t go on any un-authorised podcasts, run your mouth and get fired – like that Pranger guy a couple of months back. Fool. I’m sure you’ll do fine though…provided you’ve been training up to pass through security, as I heard to get your building pass you have to run across a bunch of giant pipes with deadly plants in them, eat some strange mushrooms and then dodge over-sized bullets fired right at you. Well I suppose it’s one way of trying to keep the riff-raff out, but that’s all over now I guess, right mate?
Seriously though, hope you have a blast and enjoy what I would imagine is your dream job. Oh, and good work ditching the UK – bonus points for that effort.
Stu
Best of luck Edward at Nintendo. You are a great person for me.
Regards
Anjali