As some who were following my replay of Mass Effect may have noticed, it has been about 5 months since I updated my journey through the game again. At first glance it would just appear I got bored with it or lost the motivation to continue writing but rather life events made it difficult to continue over the last few months.

I took a new job that required me to live apart from my wife for 3 of the last 5 months. I was staying with a family friend during the week and then driving back to see my wife on the weekends. I had a small area in a basement with a bed and a couple drawers, not enough space for a PC. They allowed me to stay with them for only $50 a month, and even then I had to force them to take my money, but it made it difficult to continue my journey through the Milky Way. When I went home I spent that time with my wife rather than squandering those moments on video games.

Things have finally started to get back to normal. We have bought our first home and my wife is finally here. Now I have the chance to get back to Mass Effect and continue telling Kylie Shepard’s tale.

This experience hasn’t been without its benefits. Taking some time off from video games, even if forced, has reenergized my passion for them. I had hit something of a rut in the weeks and months leading up to the move. While I was still enjoying games I was finding it harder to get excited about starting a new one. I looked at my digital libraries and the shelf of discs and couldn’t muster the energy to begin something new. I may have even uttered the words (or at the very least thought) “I have nothing to play,” even with a hundred games I have never touched, some still in the shrink wrap. The time away from my library allowed me to mentally recharge and come back fresh and focused.

More exciting is my conviction to finish what I started with regards to Mass Effect. It would have been easy, after all this time, to simply quit. I’m not being paid for this and don’t have any deadlines to keep. However, I have instead found myself more committed to finishing this. It was a strong reaffirmation that I enjoy writing and would choose it over other pastimes. It’s often easy to start projects and then leave them behind, especially after stepping away for a bit. To feel compelled to finish is something that I wasn’t expecting and I am excited to look back on the finished project once the credits roll.