Hello (from the other side)

[CuteBeaver]

Hello Vault  Forum Dwellers

Its time for me to stop hiding...

My handle is CuteBeaver, and I am from Ottawa Canada.

I have been playing computer games, since a small child. My father is a technician for the military, and he taught me how to build PCs and program at a very young age. I tried to pursue that passion (although for reasons which could be inflammatory) I was dissuaded from continuing with computer related sciences professionally by educational staff... I transferred and graduated police foundations at the top of my class. I ended up working for a while as a Private Investigator for a local security firm here in Ottawa. Shortly after graduating I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus, and much of my mobility was affected which has prevented me from continuing further with policing. When I am playing games I tent to pick genres that focus on movement and getting that feeling of freedom back. For someone like myself TLD provides a chance to get out and feel that remote sense of beauty when camping without actually leaving my apartment <3 Even when I am having a really hard time physically games have always been a bright spot in my day. A reward for pushing through the pain and getting everything done. Lupus comes and goes and some days are better then others, I'm not in a wheelchair or anything that extreme. If you Google "spoon theory" it perfectly explains what living with Lupus is like.

 Okay then, lets continue with something happy that we all have in common. I fell in love with TLD during its kickstarter, but waited for it to hit steam and get some reviews from other players. I regret waiting <3 Every patch this project gets better and better. One of my favorite artists in the world is Lawren Harris.  He was a Canadian Painter who did landscapes. The Long Dark reminds me of his work and when I play the game it feels like moving through one of his masterpieces. The Developers have done an excellent job making an incredibly immersive Sandbox experience.

Normally I would be playing games that involve Stealth and Movement. A few friends convinced me to get into the FPS genre a couple years back, and I have become decent enough to get tangled up with the wrong crowd. However my heart still belongs to adorable indie platformers and other small creative projects. I have an attention to detail and tend to donate my time for bug reporting. (Specifically for Planetside2 since I feel that game got a rough start.... And... partially because I play the Stealth Class which has had its fair share of bugs to report lol. ) "Survival games" have been a guilty pleasure of mine for a while, almost like a secret hobby. Sadly I'v kept them from my FPS friends and subscribers who do not seem to share the same passion. I still maintain a strong following in the Planetside2 community and enjoy jumping back into that game even though the competitive gaming scene (and sadly most of my friends) have long since left it behind.  I'm looking forward to re-joining my squad mates once Star Citizen launches but until then we have been bouncing around between different games.

I think when you have an illness a certain mindset develops, challenges seem normal and self evaluation becomes second nature. You must face your own limits, evaluate and adapt. If something I am playing is too easy I gain no pleasure in completing it. The Long Dark is great because of how technical and challenging it can be. While at the same time unlike my beloved Planetside2 it offers entry level difficulties which don't frustrate new players as much. Hinterland has a bright future ahead of it, they are making smart choices, and you can just tell how much passion has been forged into this project.

Before I go, I really must compliment the community, both on the official forums, and also on Steam for being incredibly mature and refreshing. I really love reading some of the guides, and friendly banter between members. Some of you have dedicated so much time into creating beautifully accurate maps, spreadsheets worth of data and the most amazing artwork. The kind, helpful nature of everyone here is so overwhelmingly apparent. Completely different then some of the toxic FPS communities I have run into as a female gamer. I have witnessed so many people of various age groups, and from all locations around the world participating on the forums and on steam. Even people trying to translate for each other  Keep on being amazing everyone.