✏️ "5 years, 600 articles and over 400,000 words" 🗒️ @BrittRecluseuk

It dawned on me a few weeks ago that, as of March 2022, I’d been writing for Games Freezer for over half a decade. I thought it would seem crazy, but to be honest – writing and editing for The Mighty GF has been such a key part of my daily routine for so long that it feels like I’ve been doing it forever, and loving it! After a quick glance at the various folders spread across multiple PCs, it looks like I’ve written over 600 articles now, and out of a misjudged sense of curiosity, I looked back at my original article for GF - way back in 2017 - and it was clear me how much I’d progressed and learned over those 600 articles – and how much I love Landstalker.

I’m not a particularly nostalgic person, but in thinking back to how I started writing for the site, it was hard to deny the impact that being part of GF has had on me. Not just in introducing me to a wealth of games that could have very easily passed me by, but in improving my skills as a writer and also allowing me to visit and comment more deeply on various events I’ve attended, as well as celebrating the talent of the developers, publishers, records and musicians that I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with.

Rich – the creative mind behind Games Freezer (and a man I definitely owe a few pints to!) first approached me and @Kingdomofcarts following an article on our games collection in Retro Gamer, asking if we’d be interested in reviewing some games. It had very much been a childhood dream of mine, but I was nervous.

Aside from some jokey short stories and song lyrics, I’d never written anything before, and the thought of discussing and critiquing someone else’s creative endeavours felt deeply personal, so I developed the approach of being pretty straight with my writing, only taking a more humorous approach for games that I thought were amazing, I didn’t want to ‘punch down’ or make light of games that had issues, being a musician myself, I can understand how disheartening it can be when something you’ve spent time and passion on is the point of (often unfair) ridicule.

Through the reviewing process, I’ve come across games that I feel are the best of their era and absolute highlights of the consoles they were released on. How many memorable moments have I had playing games such as Streets of Rogue, Beckett, Death Road to Canada, Aground etc.? and the records that I’ve been listening to and covering for the last couple of years have very much been the nucleus of a tectonic shift in my musical tastes and preferences. The emotional engagement I’ve had with some records has been a personal highlight for me, the talent on display from some people is truly breathtaking.

Outside of sitting at a keyboard typing away, there have been so many other facets as well, how Rich and I totally overhauled our rating system, the other writers that kindly write for the site; the incredible force that is Pixel Hunted, the infectious enthusiasm of Co-op Chris, Lee ‘The Lord of Lovecraft’, Punmaster Max, my little bro Transvaal and, of course, that wonderful London drawl that has graced hundreds of ten-minute taster videos, our not-so-evil overlord, Rich. 

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Rich, all my colleagues, the readers of GF, and everyone who has given their time to Games Freezer, the world of video games is an exciting one, and I feel lucky to be in a position to write about them on such a cool site. Here’s to another five years!