End of 2017 Stats:

(I was dumb and never kept track what my percentages were when joining in March but I had ~725 games and >20% unfinished. Deleted approx. 100 bundled/free games I had no interest in and managed to keep buying games under control! Mostly free/gifted/activated keys previously bought. Starting 2018 with 676 games.)

I beat 66 games from my Steam backlog - 75 Total. (Including 22 SG Wins / 4 Gifted)

My Top 3 Games of the Year:

INSIDE - My #1! Fluid controls, really atmospheric. Pretty much perfect.
Contrast - Beautiful game, great atmosphere and music, loved the characters, smooth controls.
We Were Here - One of my favourite free-to-play games. No real replayability, but the initial experience was so so much fun. Highly recommend if you have a best friend you can voice chat with. (So excited for the sequel!!)

Game I’m most proud of beating: Titan Souls !!!

Honestly played a bunch of games I enjoyed this year, but those are the ones that really stand out and I’ve thought about many times since.

I want to thank everyone for being a part of BLAEO. If it wasn’t for the Monthly Challenges/Themes and reading your recommendations I wouldn’t have beaten anywhere close to as many games as I did. Truly thank you for making it such an enjoyable experience and giving me the extra push that I need!

My favourite Challenges were the Scavenger Hunt / Rewind - I’d like to continue beating games I’ve previously started, even if it takes me a bit.

I was also really lucky this year and won 19 games, am so grateful!! I have every intention to continue playing my wins and going back to ones I haven’t, am excited. :)

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Bunch of personal/reflective text:

2017 was one heck of a rollercoaster. Back in April I was reacquainted with a friend and spent SO much of my time talking/playing with him, basically any chance I got.
(I still do tbh even if not quite as much, he’s the best. ^-^) Singleplayer games took a back foot but I was having a blast playing multiplayer, was all good. :D My health, both physical and mental has been a real mess though. I’ve had problems for a long time, but the past year and a half in particular was brutal. I spend the majority of my days in bed, unable to play. And when I do push myself I really pay for it afterwards. I’ve really struggled with balancing this year. Like with my best friend, I love hanging out with him but it caused a lot of frustration with myself because I was incredibly limited physically. I enjoy the time spent, but couldn’t spend nearly as much as I’d like and would have to take constant breaks. Also a lot of fainting and sudden weakness so can’t use a mouse or controller half the time. Really bumming me out.

I’ve been planning on making a December wrap-up for a week now and have said what I wanted to say in my head a lot, but typing really takes it’s toll. I slept the majority of 48 hours on New Years and have been getting much worse seizures again, typing alone often triggers them. Siri has been a godsend and really grateful that it allows me to talk still, but lately with the seizures/other health issues I can’t speak for hours at a time and am getting really bad stuttering before/after. Basically my body is a mess and it’s caused a lot of frustration. I’ll be having surgery at the end of February unless they're able to get me in sooner Edit: January 25th now which I’m hoping will allow for more answers because currently I can’t get a brain scan until afterwards. I’m terrified since last time the surgery worsened me, but I’m hopeful that things will improve this year at least a little. I’m spiraling downhill even worse so fast, they have to find some answers right? It’s been going on too long. That said, I’ve fought for a long time now and am proud of still pushing through. I’ve done it before, I can do it again. One step at a time.

Negative stuff aside, I had some of the most fun, happy experiences. I’m so incredibly grateful for those who still played with me and were patient. Even though I often didn’t feel well it was such great escapism. Laughing and enjoying the company/games. So much laughter. :) A game that stands out to me is Life is Strange. I was recommended it so many times, but had seen the first 20 minutes and don’t really love high school based things so wrote it off… But after a couple of best friends said I HAD to buy it I did, over the summer sale and then Ninglor03 challenged me to play it the next month. I loved it more than I could have possibly imagined. The first 3 episodes I sped through, so invested in the characters. I normally don’t listen to in-game music (or have it low) but the music was so phenomenal and perfect!! Then I tried playing episode 4 and really wasn’t feeling well, but was fed up with my body and played anyways. Needless to say I couldn’t focus at all, I was upset, felt awful, didn’t enjoy it. Was upset that I “ruined” what would’ve easily been a favourite game of the year, but I realised I shouldn’t be so hard on myself. So what I wasn’t able to enjoy it how I’d like. I still had some incredible experiences before that. I know I enjoy games more when I binge them, but that it’s often not feasible. I should appreciate the experiences as they are, and it’s a high priority to go back and replay episode 4 and finish it this year (hopefully soon).

I always put off games that I think I’ll love until I “feel well”, but I almost never feel well. So it’s silly to always put things off in the meantime. I need to learn to accept taking breaks, play when I can, and stop being so hard on myself. I’m doing the best with the cards I’m dealt, it’s okay to not be mlg pro. Every gaming experience doesn’t have to be “perfect”. If it makes me happy or get through a rough time that’s great, I don’t need to give each game 100% of my attention or skill.

My brother will be taking a 6 month break from college, so my #1 goal of 2018 is to play as much local co-op as I can with my brothers. I know they both work a lot on top of my own issues, so wanna make it a priority to play as many games as we can in the meantime. Even if just dipping in and out of them. :) My mom joined us playing Jackbox games over Christmas and it was a blast!! I love my family so much, definitely wanna play with them more.

I’ll probably make less posts here and focus on gaming when possible, though I’ll still reply and talk to people. I don’t wanna disappear entirely, I really do enjoy making wrap-ups and putting my thoughts together. They’ll probably just be more sporadic and if I’m in the mood to do one I will, regardless of when in the month it is! Or even little ones here and there for games I particularly have a lot to say about, not gonna worry about not having updated about all previous games. Gonna try to keep taking part in the challenges as well. :)

Here’s to a good 2018, wish you all happiness and good health. Best of luck to everyone with their backlog assassin-ing and most importantly remember to have fun! :D