In the beginning, there was Jam.

Jam was a bored little girl.  She had no desire for allocating her time to toy babies who urinated their nappies, and slurping over boy bands that had scary hairstyles.

And so, in 1987, Jam’s parents said,

“Let there be Amstrad!”

And it was so.  And Jam was happy. 

Many (many...) years have passed since that time.  Jam is old enough now to tie her shoelaces and realises that just because you can fly down the stairs in your dreams, doesn’t make it so in reality.  Lycra cycling shorts and neon leg-warmers are no longer in fashion (although apparently, waistcoats are making a comeback), Thundercats is but a distant memory, and Timmy Mallet still looks as freakishly young and buoyant as ever.

Gaming is still here though.  It comes and goes in various guises, and often is occasionally ignored for other pursuits (read:  ‘cake’ and ‘air-guitar competitions’), but it has been as consistent in my life as brushing my teeth and swearing at inanimate objects.

That’s why, when I was offered to be in this ker-razy gang, I said yes.  I could joke about it, dress it up into something else, and draw it out, but essentially that’s why.  I love games.  Without them, I don’t quite know what I would have made of myself as a child.  And, y’know, to be honest I am rather proud that I’ve been given this opportunity.  I grew up experiencing people who thought I couldn’t possibly be any good at or enjoy computer games, because I’m a girl, and I don’t really want to bang on about it, harp on about it like I’m on some kind of crusade, because to be frank I don’t think dedicating that much word count on what is essentially a close-minded minority is worth my time.

But my mind clicks back to just a few weeks ago, to a lovely event called I-25.  It was the Frag Doll’s first official event, the magazine articles hadn’t hit the shelves yet, and I was nervous as a botox injection in a Hollywood health spa.  As myself and my fellow Fraggies played on, a man and his little girl, no more than five years old, wandered up to gaze at us. 

“You see that?” said the man, “That’s what you can be one day when you grow up, if you want to.  You can play games too, just like these ladies.”

Heh.

Anyway, er, ooh, look!  It’s a flying giraffe!

*runs away*