GameCola Headquarters
Seymour, CT 06483
April 22, 2013
Dear Readers,
I’ve done my fair share of inappropriate navel–gazing here at GameCola over the years, but you can indulge me one last time, right?
When I started GameCola back in 2002, I was a sophomore in high school, looking for a way to develop my skills as a writer so I could one day write for a gaming magazine (this was of course back when there were magazines), or even—this was the ultimate dream—actually write for videogames themselves. I was inspired by my older brother’s movie review newsletter, then called MovieMansion, now called Frothy Ruminations. What better way to become a writer than to, well, start up my own website and actually become a writer? Even at age 16, I knew my goals. I had places to go.
Little by little, the site grew. As reserved as I am in real life I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with friends, and early on I got some of my best bros (not to mention some of the most talented people I know to this day) to help out—people like Jenna Ogilvie, Brian Wolf, and Lianna Gaughan—and of course, Neal Iannone and Matt Gardner. I’ve made jokes about it before, but in those days, we really did plot out each and every issue of GameCola’s newsletter in after-school meetings in Shawnee’s cafeteria. I still have the minutes recorded on cassette tape somewhere.
Then we graduated—both me, and GameCola itself. The site made new friends. Your Brian Vaneks; your Stuart Gipps. Your Captain Erics. GameCola evolved. It wasn’t just localized to the area immediately surrounding…well, me, anymore; it was national. Global. We had writers in other countries. Can you imagine? This dumb thing I put together in high school—this little website where I was waxing nostalgic about Super Nintendo games while still practically a baby myself—was attracting writers from around the world. (And considering what the site looked like at the time, I can guarantee you it wasn’t just our whiz-bang layout.) Readership was stagnant, sure, but it’s not like we ever really cared about that before. We were building a community within ourselves, and by the time college was finished and I was moving into the real world, GameCola wasn’t just a collection of writers who popped in for a few months until they got bored. Jeddy joined our family. Colin. Christian. Nathaniel. The Michaels. Matt Jonas. All of our friends who shaped GameCola into what it is today—a place where people can make fun of games, in every sense of the phrase.
Which brings us to today. GameCola’s 11th birthday. This site has been with me through every major milestone of my life, from high school to honeymoon. It’s been my thing through most of my teenage years and all of my adult life so far. It’s been my hobby, my creative outlet. What I’m known for. My baby. Nothing I can say can put into words how important this site and everyone who’s ever written for it, read it, or even posted some jerky comment on it has meant to me, and leaving it now feels like I’m cutting out my own appendix.
But it’s time. See, I’m one of the lucky few whose childhood dream has actually come true. I’m not just an aspiring games developer anymore; I’m a games developer, period. I wrote and designed my own little adventure game in the form of Life in the Dorms last year, and now I’ve got another one on the way, hopefully by the end of this year (but probably sometime next). I’ve been doing a lot of freelance work for companies small and—well, slightly less small. I even got to work with Daedalic, who developed one of my all-time favorite adventure games.
And it happened much the way I started GameCola—I wanted to be a games developer, so I got out there and found a way to develop games. If I can leave you with anything, it’s the advice to stop being an “aspiring” anything and just become that thing.
But don’t consider this a game over. It’s not even a reset; it’s a New Game+. I’m leaving GameCola, but I eagerly welcome the new man in charge. You know him as the three-time Staff Member of the Year, podcast master, writer, artist, and noted Jaleel White impersonator Alex “Jeddy” Jedraszczak. May he, and everyone else who’s a part of the GameCola family, now and in the future, be so lucky as I’ve been these past 11 years.
Love,
Paul Franzen
Former Editor-in-Chief
GameCola.net
P.S. If you wanna keep in touch, you know where to find me.
Faretheewell, Mr. Franzen. The Mystical Llama of Power wishes you all the luck in the world on you new endeavors.
A job well done.
farewell great bearded one, and though i will miss you greatly i wish you the best of luck in your game designing endeavors. also, my congratulations to Jeddy on his new promotion. but before you sign off, i do have one final question that i hope you will be kind enough to answer. will you still finish up the recording of your commentary of Zero Escape before you leave, or will some else take your spot?
Alas! My contributions to the VLR playthrough have come to an end. It’s up to my fellow Pony Pros whether they want to bring on a newbie or continue the recording as-is.
oh well, still, best of luck to you man. but the fact the you used the words pony pros has forced to me to ask you the most important question of all.
Who is your favorite pony princess?
I’m ashamed to admit that–and this is a BIG GameCola secret, so don’t start spreading it around–I’ve never actually seen a single episode of My Little Pony. I don’t even know what friendship is.
FOR SHAME!
just kidding. but if you get the chance sometime you should check it out, and if turns out it’s not your cup of cola (see what i did there?) that’s perfectly fine.
but i feel that i should at least give you some kind of exposure to the show before i leave.
let’s see… (one compilation video watch later)
ah, here we go. have a fan made video that took the audio (and some video) from another pony fan video as well a dragon ball z kai parody and a short little clip from what i believe is yu gi oh abbridged.
i now give you the plot of dragon ball z kai explained by ponies in under 10 minutes.
p.s. you of all people should know that friendship is having nothing better to do on a december night and riffing on a horrible excuse for an awards show while having people listen to you riff it and simultaneously have matt call one of them a liar and then have you favorite all of their comments.
those 3 comments you favorited were mine by the way, so thanks for that.
no hard feelings toward Matt either, if anything he made me laugh harder.
If you go and become a drunken hobo and not talk to any of your friends, I will be very upset.
Best of luck to you, O Captain My Captain.
I take offense to your insinuation that becoming a drunk hobo who doesn’t talk to anyone is a bad thing.
Bye Paul! It has been great reading your site
http://gifsoup.com/view/4611383/bumbie-s-mom.html
Ignore everything but the gif itself. Good luck Paul.
Will you came visit us here sometimes?
Anyway, with what you’ll do in the future, I wish you the best of luck.
I don’t have any definite plans to, but it’s not impossible. Particularly for any live podcasts, because those are the best.
Also, thanks!!
Also, thank you. Thankyouthankyouthankyou for being the first person to tell me what Hatoful Boyfriend is. Without you and GameCola I would’ve never heard of it. Now it’s one of my favorite games.
We’ll miss you!
But I guess one of us Shawnee-ans needs to stick around…
I’ll still make sure you’re a bonus unlockable character in the GameCola hentai dating sim.
I already said my farewells to you, mister… Also, we all know you’ll be around making sure the bunch of maniacs don’t start setting the house on fire…
Heh heh…
I swear it wasn’t me. *Throws box of matches to the side*
And you got trusty fans like me to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. 🙂
*Hides propane tank*
Au revoir, O most wonderfully magnificent/magnificently wonderful beard-with-man-attached.
Adios Paul. I wish you the best.
So, who thinks he’s going to start leaving negative comments on all the new articles claiming they aren’t as funny now that he’s gone?