I write about FFIV because I love the game dearly and I think it achieves more than most give it credit for. Despite its streamlined story sequences and dated format, I find more pure storytelling packed into this old game than many new shiny RPGs, with their voice acting and FMVs, ever bother to try for. What it does, even in its limited format, it does well.

I write about FFVII because I feel affection for the game's world. It stands for the sanctity of life amidst wretched conditions, where flowers bloom in a sunlit church in a poor neighborhood devoid of hope. I find that beautiful.

I write about Genso Suikoden because it reflects what is in my heart. I've been a fan since there was only one game, little-heard-of, and not expected to have a sequel. It's still that first game that is at the root of everything I hold dear about the series.

I write original stories because my brain keeps coming up with places and suggestions of things that could be, and I long to find out what happens in any given circumstance. It is a way to think about issues that weigh on my mind or to preserve precious memories before they fade away. Sometimes my stories help me explore an alien thing, be it a place, a situation, a standpoint or the mind of another person. My characters are as confused as I am, as all people are, but when they interact with each other they can learn things; and sometimes, through them, I learn things too.