Today’s Blaugust post is in response to one of the questions featured in the Blaugust 2022 Prompt List – “How did you get started in content creation?”.
I really, really dislike using particular “C-words” like “content” or “creator”…hell, I don’t even like referring to myself as a blogger or streamer. Both of which sound much more…serious than anything I ever do? Maybe I’m just averse to labeling oneself, though “Online Dumbass” has a nice ring to it? ANYWAYS…here’s me engaging in some Blaugust achievement hunting! The Gaming Omnivore origin story isn’t some riveting tale filled with twists and turns, it’s actually…pretty boring.
It all started with an office job. I had grown increasingly bored and frustrated with my current means of securing a paycheck – I certainly wouldn’t call it a career choice. I’ve always been the type person that tends to just check out of things when not mentally stimulated. Go ahead and ask my parents, who were always told I was a “bright student, but seems to have a hard time staying focused” by nearly every teacher I ever had. Of course, this was almost ALWAYS due to the fact I wasn’t particularly engaged with anything other than history or music throughout my school/college years.
So there I was, sitting at my desk and feeling my mind wasting away in real time. I had recently come in from one of my breaktime walks around the area downtown – most definitely playing Pokémon GO, and felt like I’d worked up the smallest possible bit of ambition. I remember I started writing down some ideas of things that I’d *like* to do, as well as things I felt I actually *could* do. I had already decided that whatever it was I would do, it would be video game-related. Gaming has been been one of my favorite things since I was just a kid and seemed reasonable enough that dedicating this newest endeavor to the only thing in this life I’ve ever felt confident about would assist in making up for my ineptitude across all other areas. There was a number of different things that I wrote down, but the one that seemingly had the lowest entry threshold was starting a simple blog site. Anyone who knows me or has seen literally ANYTHING I’ve posted online is well aware my clear choice in anything is the path of minimal resistance…
It was a few months later before I actually began writing anything – “proactive” being very much NOT in my vocabulary; it was February 2019 and my workplace had transitioned entirely to remote positions. Working out of my living room with no daily commute other than the few steps required to get to my computer made for extra time to do some research on starting a blog site. I remember being intimidated by the very idea of doing anything outside my normal comfort zone, but I’m glad I ultimately ended up saying “Fine. I’ll just do it already!” I ended up choosing the name Gaming Omnivore primarily due to the fact I don’t have a particular genre of game that I outright dislike and remain pretty open-minded about trying new ones. It was also a small bit of self-deprecating humor as the name essentially references my gluttonous indulgence in regards to my interests. That’s…pretty much it.
It was pretty difficult starting out and it’s certainly been a learning experience at times, but I’m still impressed I was somehow able to push myself *just* far enough outside my comfort zone to try something new. It’s been one of the most rewarding life experiences to this point.
Thanks for reading!
Gaming Omnivore 