1997 huh...
I was 14, my parents had just told me over xmas that they were
getting divorced and that I needed to choose which one I wanted
to move in with, in different cities.
Had my very first crush... girl was perfect, and we hit it off so well.
But I was too shy to say anything, and she started dating another guy.
Was sent away to another city, another school, lost all my friends.
The one close friend I had moved away across the country.
My whole family, which always met every Sunday for a barbacue
over my place and slept over at my place (we had a countryside house
with soccer field, horses, lots of space) for xmas/newyears/holidays
never again met and was completely shattered into different directions
thanks to my parents divorce and both moving away.
Never again had Sunday barbacues and started hating xmas/new years.
But other than that, 1997 was a beautiful year!
And most people still ask me why I don't believe in marriage.
I did however find my soulmate. They really exist.
When she's not around I just can't function properly.
She's just an extension of myself, a missing piece that I found.
Been together 3 years now, still do everything together (including gaming)
and we laugh 24/7. It's beautiful.
Years later, I found Subsim. That was when I discovered i688 hunter/killer.
Then, Silent Hunter 2. And later SH3, which was the summit of anything
I have ever experienced before and ever came to experience after.
It's still my favorite.
For years I've worked day and night on making mods to share with these
awesome guys that compose what Subsim is for me, a second home.
I still carry in my heart as one of the best periods of my life.
I was here on Subsim day and night, I'd breathe Subsim and SH3 18h a day.
Real life came about and took me away... its unavoidable.
Seems like everything in life is only temporary, and even when you
think you've found a home, it won't last. It's normally for the best anyways.
Thanks to real life and the lack of time, I was forced away from modding,
which in turn forced me away from SH3 and Subsim. I still did check from
time to time to see what was going on, always with that " itch" of coming back.
And every time I planned a comeback, life would take me away again.
Maybe when I get retired? XD
But it was thanks to Subsim that I've learned about modding.
And thanks to modding, I discovered my love for game development.
And thanks to that, I eventually got a job at SmileGate as a videogame producer
in charge of CrossFire, which was for many years the most played game
in the world (still is top 3). Yes the game is crap but the job itself was
awesome. It required creativity, which I have an abundance of.
I moved to Canada when I took that job, and I lived in Canada completely
alone for 5 years, away from family and friends. Got in trouble with the
law and even been to jail for something I haven't done. After 2 years of
court battles managed to prove my innocence and get rid of the fear of being
deported, which kept me awake for months on end.
All-in-all, I don't regret any of it. It was all an awesome life experience,
something I wouldn't ever had experienced if it wasn't for
SUBSIM!
Thank you, Subsim, for the huge impact you had in my life!
(But screw 1997)