I am not the best at parties. By “not the best” I mean, “completely awkward and out of my element.”

Today I was at a brunch party. It was hosted at my partner’s parents’ house and they were all friends from high school.

I didn’t go to the same high school.

I would say “strike one for me fitting in,” but I’ve gotten to know some of the people present over the years so that certainly helped.

However, I still found myself rooted to one spot, out of the way, and trying to make decent conversation that didn’t result in me saying something completely ridiculous.

Last year, for frame of reference, I got so flustered by a conversation that I ended up having to actually say, “Oh no no no, I don’t believe in murder.”

I am still mortified. And have no idea what I was even referencing.

Anyway.

When I talk to various people, I find conversation comes easier with some than with others. That’s to be expected. However, when a couple I’d never met before showed up, we very quickly discovered that all three of us love games. Both of them then started to talk about how much they love Journey, and we really hit it off.

We started talking about all kinds of different games. One of them mentioned that he wanted to play The Last Guardian so bad that he was seriously considering finding a PS4 either used or new so he could play it. I expressed how much I also want to play it and how being sick for so long thwarted me before this trip. We talked about Trico and how wonderfully powerful and fragile he seems, and we bonded for sure.

Later in the party, everyone went around the room and talked about the highlights of their respective years. When it was my turn, I didn’t have much to say, as a considerable portion of my year was…let’s just say frustrating at best. Another friend interjected with the question: “What was your favorite game you played this year?” I asked for clarification on whether he meant my favorite game that came out in 2016 or my favorite game I played in 2016, and he confirmed the former.

I went on to explain Virginia, a game that I profoundly loved.

The room went very quiet and I realized I was talking to a lot of people that don’t necessarily play video games and that they were all listening to me explain how much I loved a game. I explained how powerful it was with no words at all, and how the experience was open to interpretation, but that it left me deeply moved.

And you know what? Every single person seemed interested and open to what I had to say. About a video game. And that made me unspeakably happy. Later I spoke with a couple of people at length about the game and how technologically impressive it was aside from everything else about it, and it felt wonderful to be able to engage with others about something I am so passionate about. I’ve always felt games bring people together, but today I felt like it took a bit of a different form and I was pleased to be able to share my love for a medium that too often gets dismissed.

Once again, I firmly believe in the way games bring us together, both playing them, as well as discussing them. It was a pointed reminder of why I wanted to write in the first place: to communicate with others about games.

With that, I say thank you for being here, and thank you for sharing your comments and thoughts with me. I love interacting about games and I hope to do more of it in the coming year.

Please be safe out there and have a lovely weekend, no matter how you spend it.