Ghosts of Gaming Past, Present and Future

When I started Controller for One, the goal was to make a one-stop site for everything related to single player games: reviews, previews, news, and anything else I could find.  I started down that path knowing that it wouldn’t happen overnight.  Things started out well.  I found a welcoming community and started writing.  I was only publishing a couple things a month, but it was all the time I could spare as I worked on moving to a new house and prepping for classes for the upcoming semester.

Gene1138, Frozen Water, CC BY 2.0

The site was growing and traffic was picking up, each month more than the last.  The Twitter network was growing as well, but still, new content was slow to publish.  Once the fall semester started, the content went from slow to stagnant as my free time was completely consumed with work.  Although the content flow was frozen, my brain wasn’t.  Reflecting back on everything that happened over the first four months, I quickly realized my first goal wasn’t obtainable for someone doing this on their own and working 70+ hours a week in the real world.  

I’ve spent many hours over the past couple of months thinking about ways I can contribute to the gaming community.  I’m eager to see how the next phase of Controller for One develops.

The Plan:

• Fun 4 One series – a look at multiplayer games from the viewpoint of a person playing solo.  I started this series in July and it was a lot of fun to do.  I think this is one of the main things missing from the gaming community as so many games focus on multiplayer.  I often question if I should even consider buying a game that is multiplayer focused.  
• Developer interviews – As a former board game designer, I really enjoy learning about the decisions that go into making a game.  I want to talk to those developers to see their game through their eyes.
• Reviews/Previews – It is a great feeling sharing experiences with the community and helping others decide if a game is a good fit for them.
• Streaming – This is something I’ve wanted to do since the beginning, and I’m slowly moving in that direction.  I have a huge game library to share from Atari 2600 to Nintendo Switch.  Hopefully everything will be in place by spring of 2021.