With Giant Bomb's 10th anniversary and my own 21st birthday coming in November, I've spent a lot of time thinking about my teenage years.

I've been following Giant Bomb since 2009. Since I'm 20, I was 11 or 12 when I found the site. That's crazy to think about. I was a child listening to grown men talk about video games, and for some reason I enjoyed it. My older brother showed me the Bombcast, and it was the first podcast I ever listened to. I would download it on my silver PSP 3000 and listen every week.

My first vivid memory is listening to the 2009 GOTY deliberations, specifically the debate between Uncharted 2 and Arkham Asylum. I was sleeping on an air mattress in our basement because my grandparents were staying in my room. In our cold, dark basement in early January, I would fall asleep to the deliberations. My favorite game of all time, Uncharted 2, won the debate and it proved to me the duders at Giant Bomb knew what they were talking about.

I continued to follow Giant Bomb as I passed from preteen to teenager. I even started posting in the forums, and I'm sure my comments are just as cringy as you would expect from a 13-year-old. But I really began to feel like I was part of this community, and I was always welcomed with open arms. There are a couple of memories that stand out. I was a tiny part of the Giant Bomb Community Song, even though my voice clip was high pitched and probably annoying. I got to play with the crew on a TNT of Team Fortress 2. I made a dumb fake movie trailer in Movie Maker called Giant Bomb: Origins, and it received thousands of views and hundreds of positive comments. As a lonely and awkward 13-year-old, I was absolutely blown away.

In fact, Giant Bomb is the place where I really began to express my passions. Giant Bomb: Origins was my first experience with video editing, and I wrote several long-form blog posts that revealed my interest in writing. I was always positively encouraged by the community. I'm now double majoring in journalism and comm arts (video production) and am in the process of self-publishing a book. Funny how that works.

As I grew older, I stopped contributing to the community here, but I never stopped following Giant Bomb. Through all the weird and awkward turbulence of growing up, Giant Bomb always had my back. When I was nervous before my first job interview, I watched a Quick Look. Whenever I was lonely, I could tune into the hours of great content this website produced. After I dropped a game-tying pass in an important football game, and I was too ashamed to look at my teammates on the bus ride back, I put on my headphones and listened to the Bombcast. Even recently, through the booze and uncertainty-filled first half of college, Giant Bomb has been a much needed constant in my life. I might not know how I feel about moving out of my parent's house, whether my degree will be worth it, or if I drink too much, but I do know that every week I can look forward to listening to the Bombcast and Beastcast.

I may not contribute here anymore, but I believe this is the best community on the internet. I may not be able to afford a membership (at the moment), but I will always support Giant Bomb. I've grown up with this website, and it has provided me with countless hours of entertainment. More than that, it has been a light in the dark and a constant pillar in my life. For that, I will always be grateful.

Thank you Giant Bomb.