Blaugust 2022 Prompt – The Origin Story

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.

Not me, but close enough…

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!

Secret Santa Christmas

In the spirit of the holiday season, I am participating in the #CreativeChristmasCollab in which a blogger from around the community is matched up with another to give them a shout out or simply say something nice about them or their blog. 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone and I wanted to spend my holiday season attempting to bring the slightest bit of joy and happiness back to a community that has meant a great deal to myself and others throughout the year(s). My secret santa recipient for the collab is the wonderful Heather from Just Geeking By.

A longstanding member of the blogging community and one of the sites I remember seeing across the comments sections of many others as I was first starting out with my own blog site. Heather is the creator behind Seriously Geeky Sundays – a weekly prompt containing a different set of questions pertaining to a specific theme open to any other bloggers who wish to participate. I always enjoy reading everyone’s different answers as I catch up on all my WordPress posts throughout the week. In addition to Seriously Geeky Sundays, she has been working on a 30-day World of Warcraft challenge counting down the days leading up to the Shadowlands expansion.

One of the things I admire most about Heather’s blog is her willingness to address and not shy away from topics others may not, such as health issues – both physical and mental, or positive depictions of those living with disabilities. Representation matters and Just Geeking By is a great example of it within the geeky lifestyle blogging community. Please check out Heather’s site as it provides a wealth of information on a wide range of interests….

Happy Holidays and thanks for reading!