The new year in video games starts tomorrow. Before I get to that though let me talk about something a little different. For me June is the end of video games for about three or four months. In June video games stop coming out, school finishes and everyone goes into summer mode. Which for me means lots of barbeque, late nights and sleeping in till 1pm. This years summer was a little different though. This summer meant the beginning of the end. The beginning of the end of summer as I know it and of the lifestyle I've come to know over my past 17 years on this planet. I begin my last year of highschool tomorrow. Which is certainly not a bad thing. 
          
          I was once told and I'm sure all of you have heard it before, that your years in school are the best years of your life. "I sure hope not" was the first thing out of my mouth in response to this crazy idea. Isn't that a terrible thing to say to anyone? "Hey, your life is only gonna go down hill from here!" What I realize now is that "best" was simply a poor choice of words. I think what everyones elders are trying to say is that the high school years are their most cherished years. Alot of stuff happens in school, you meet a shit load of people, nice or assholes. You learn alot of stuff, interesting or boring. You make friends that you'll stay in touch with or maybe never see again. You have alot of experiences great or terrible. All of this stuff helps shape who you will become after highschool. 
 
           I have no idea what i'm going to do after highschool. No idea where i'll be living. No clue what my job will be. Or who i'll still be in contact with. All I know is that wherever i'm at, whatever I do for a living and whoever my friends are I will always be playing video games. I can remember this time exactly two years ago when I was counting down the days to Halo 3. I can remember five years ago when I was homesick for a few days and my mom bought me Metal Gear Solid 3 to make me feel better. I remember eight years ago when I stayed up all night playing Super Smash Bros. Melee with my friends. I can remember ten years ago when I found my N64 underneath the tree and played The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the first time. Trying to find that fucking sword so I could get past that bitch and see The Great Deku Tree. I remember eleven years ago when I first got my gameboy and played Pokemon Blue. I remember finding my dads old Atari in the closet so many years ago when I played my first video game console ever.  
 
         Video games have been apart of my life as long as I can remember. I can't wait to play all the great games over the course of my last school year. So bring on Halo: ODST, Borderlands, Modern Warfare 2, Mass Eftect 2, Brutal Legend, and all those other games. Bring on life after highschool,  let the new year begin. 
 
Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go make a new hero on Champions Online.