Dreams are a tough lot; some of us have them, some of us are less aware of them. Some of us know what they are, and are afraid of going for them or held back in some other way. Some of us know what they are, go for them anyway, but struggle.
I don’t mean any of this in a “woe is me” fashion, but creating content, especially when you do it alone, is hard. Doing it with regularity is even harder. Sometimes it’s f*cking brutal. But so many of us keep going, keep creating, keep sharing.
When I started this website over four years ago, I knew I would write on a schedule. I created a writing Facebook page to link each piece I wrote, as well as created a Twitter account which, I rarely use. When I started those accounts, I invited people to like the Facebook account; people who I am friends with who I know love and read about games.
There are over 60 people I’ve invited, people I know, who have never even “liked” my writing page.
For some reason that hurts.
Don’t get me wrong, I know there are many supportive folks out there who read what I write and interact with me about it. Those people are my lifeline. I could not appreciate them any more than I do.
But I am saddened by the knowledge that so many people I know who love games, love playing games, love reading about games, won’t read what I write or even throw a like to a page or a post. It’s the least amount of effort to say to someone, “I see you. I see you trying.”
It’s rough.
I know many people who create. I know what that takes. If I see someone post something, even if it’s something I’m not necessarily into, I’m going to throw them a like of support. I want them to know I see them trying and I want them to know I’m proud of them for every piece they write, podcast they record, game they create, anything. I want them to know I support their efforts to create. So many of us do it despite feeling broken inside about whatever we are doing. We have to band together and support our friends who are out there and going for their dreams, no matter what those dreams entail.
When I say support, I never mean financially. I only mean through the power of interaction. When someone comments on a link to a piece I’ve written, I’m ecstatic. When I started writing, my goal was to engage people and start discussions. At the conclusion of nearly every piece I write, I ask the reader a question, sometimes more than one. Maybe ask your friends who create a question or two; I know I’d appreciate it. In the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve been asked so few questions, I could count them on one hand. Some pieces I write don’t get any interactions; that’s hard. More and more lately, I’ve been assuming it’s just me; I assume I’m of less and less interest to people and am pondering irrelevant things.
I would like to remind everyone: you can subscribe to my website. At the bottom of each page, there is a field to subscribe via email. I don’t often bring this up, but it’s there all the same. I post links and other interesting gaming related things on my Facebook page; please feel free to drop a like there, too. And I’d bring up Twitter but holy crap I rarely use it and I don’t think I’m witty enough to be engaging on Twitter.
Going after a dream is hard. Putting in the time and effort isn’t always enjoyable or rewarding. Please let your friends know you care and support their endeavors. It might mean more than you think.
To everyone who leaves a like or a comment, I honestly can’t thank you enough. It’s been increasingly harder, and you keep me going. Thank you for your support. Truly.
Your friends need you just as much as you need them. It’s rough out there; we all need to band together to make it through intact.
Cheers, friends.
Categories: musings
Rebekah Lang 
Seeing a like or a comment on a blog post I’ve written really does brighten my day and knowing this, I try to like and comment on posts from other people that I follow in the WordPress community. I always feel bad when I read something but don’t have anything to add to the conversation because the interaction between creators is something I love about this group. Questions are a great way to stimulate that.
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I love that you engage with others because of that! Full disclosure: other than writing, I try to stay off my computer, so I don’t always get to reading things online I’d like. I do make sure I interact with every single comment, and I’m meticulous about that. If someone takes the time to comment, I want them to know how much I appreciate that. I sincerely appreciate every time you’ve commented here. <3
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As someone who doesn’t create I’d like to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to those that do. I can’t imagine how hard it is to produce something, especially when one just doesn’t feel.. In it, inspired, whatever. Thank you for those brief few minutes when you remove me from my world and supplant me in yours.
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I bet you create in your own way, and for that, I say thank YOU! And thank you, truly, for your incredibly kind words. They mean so much to me. Thank you. <3
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Oh God, do I ever feel this! The last few years and the rise of… a particular breed of obnoxiousness on social media (that I won’t get into now) has done terrible things to the way people interact with one another, and regrettably I feel like I have “lost” a lot of friends who would, in years gone by, have probably supported the work I do now pretty passionately. All because I’m not someone who subscribes to the “everything is offensive, I must spend more time complaining about it than actually doing anything productive” viewpoint. (I know I said I wouldn’t get into it, but, well, there you go.)
And yes, you’re right, it hurts.
A bit of context: I used to be part of a group of gamers, originally from the gaming website 1up.com, who deliberately delved into our collective “piles of shame” to rescue games that had drifted by unnoticed, underappreciated or otherwise overlooked. We began with lengthy forum threads before moving to a podcast format, and we covered some fantastic games. The philosophy behind that group is almost entirely why I run my site the way I do these days — and indeed the reason I’m so into the games I am today is largely because of that group.
And yet *not one* of those people who used to podcast with me have ever stopped by to leave a Like or a comment… or even shared my stuff on Twitter, or tweeted at me. It’s like I’m invisible. And it’s a total bummer.
Thankfully I’ve made new friends on this journey, and they’re of immense value to me. It’s just a shame those old friends seemingly don’t want to be a part of it. I think they’d get along. At least, the old versions of them would have.
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I’m not going to lie: sometimes the way people interact with each other online gets to me. My default is kindness, always kindness. I will never understand why things are the way they are in the online space, other than the cloak of anonymity the internet provides.
Case in point: last night I was play Destiny 2. I spawned in and people were doing the Protocol. I jumped in trying to help and immediately this guy (another player) started attacking me over and over. My general response to that is to do nothing because it’s not worth it. Less than 30 seconds later I get a message from the person saying, and I quote: “Idiot. SMH.” I wrote back, “Idiot, why? I was trying to help with Protocol.” They never responded. It just surprised me someone would immediately go out of their way to call me an idiot seconds after I spawned in and tried to help.
It made me sad. No joke. After that I just logged off and was like…well…I tried? I don’t know.
I’m really sorry your friends disappeared. That hurts. No matter the reasons, it hurts. I’m glad you’ve made new friends, but I’m still sorry about the old ones. It can be hard to reconcile.
Thank you for being here.
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