Hello there VGChartz, I'm relatively new here so I've decided it's time for my intro post. I would have posted earlier, but there's apparently something that stops new members from making threads until they hit 50 posts, which is fair enough I suppose, (though it might scare away the more casual forum goer).
So... Hi I guess. I'm Bill, or simply TC if you'd prefer. I've used the name TornadoCreator for well over a decade now, if I'm on a website I'm probably going by that name. I've been lurking around these forums for a few months now, and I'm already liking the atmosphere here; far more nuanced, and less rampant fanboyism than most forums.
I've been gaming since I was 5 years old, when I got my Master System, and I've owned or experienced pretty much every system up to the 7th generation. My favourite consoles would probably include the Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast, the original Xbox, and the Playstation 3; though I'm growing very fond of the Wii U now and the Playstation 2 and GameCube are both gaining my favour as of late. As a kid I lived with my brother, sister, and two cousins, all of which had their own games systems so we've had video games all over the place; especially as both of my parents are gamers too, (my dad less so than my mum). I was the Sega kid of the household, though also the only real PC gamer in my family until quite recently except for my mother. Still it was good living in a house with so many gamers, as it meant I got to try a little bit of everything.
Other than video games, I'm very much into films, particularly horror films and sci-fi, though I'm also a fan of serial dramas like Dexter, Bones, House, Breaking Bad and more, as well as sci-fi TV like Firefly, Dark Angel, and obviously Star Trek, (can't knock a good Trek episode). Film wise, my favourite directors include Christopher Nolen, Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher and Zack Snyder, (who's seriously underappreciated). Favourite actors would include Nicholas Cage, Brad Pitt, Ewan McGregor and Leonardo DiCaprio; actresses I'd have to say Angelina Jolie and Ellen Page, though Chloé Grace Moretz is definitely someone to watch as she's becomming a fine actress. Favourite individual films would be a list far too long to even begin and it changes practically daily depending on my mood though some I think highly of include Trainspotting, Fight Club, Inception, 8mm, Saw 3, Con Air, Hard Candy, Memento and so many more.
Hobbies wise I play tabletop RPGs and Wargames. I've played Warhammer for a few years, currently collecting a few armies all following a similar theme with Chaos, Beastmen, and Dark Elves being my current forces. I enjoy all aspects of the hobby from the painting to the battles, though I rarely get a chance to play. When it comes to tabletop RPGs, this is where my passion lies. I've been playing since college so I have more than a decades experience both as a player and GM, and I've played and run games of all types, including Dungeons & Dragons (3rd, 3.5 and 4th), World Of Darkness (new mainly), Cyberpunk 2020, Amber, Warhammer FRP, GURPS, and my personal favourite Shadowrun, which I'm currently running on Mondays, (in fact I have a game in about 8 hours). It's my belief that this is the main reason I have little interest in highly fantasy and atmosphere driven video games or multiplayer, as I already have a hobby that achieves that better than video games could.
Speaking of video games; my preferred forms of gaming depend again on my mood, much like with film. I tend to game for abnegation, the desire to switch off, but I also like a decent challenge, a good narrative, and a reason to explore and create; so I enjoy a wide variety such as platformers, beat-em ups and 3D brawlers, racing games, RPGs (though I prefer JRPGs over western RPGs), hack and slash, open world/sandbox games, third person shooters, rougelikes, strategy games, and the odd puzzle game. The only games I honestly don't enjoy are first person shooters, and even then it's the first person camera that bothers me, which is why I find I often can't get into western RPGs. Make it third person and I'll enjoy it a whole lot more, proof of that is Gears Of War, Vanquish, and Spec Ops: The Line, all of which I really quite enjoyed.
My life outside of my hobbies is unfortunately a lot more downbeat. I'm 27 and live in UK right on the border between England & Wales up near Liverpool. I studied Chemistry at University Of Wales, Bangor, followed that with a diploma in Computer Science at Coleg Menai, and went on to study Forensics at University Of Central Lancashire. As fun as all that sounds, I'm currently unemployed and this is unlikely to ever change. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and a multitude of other conditions that have left me disabled; I have limited movement of my left arm, and have almost no ability to walk, requiring a cane to walk short distances (room to room), and leaving me housebound and reliant on a car to get anywhere, (and someone else to drive it). I suffer with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, regular migraines, and seizures. I'm on a lot of medication. Current estimations expect me to lose complete use of my legs before I'm 30, and put my overall life expectancy at about 50 with treatment. As you can imagine this makes work pretty much impossible, and makes life in general difficult. I'm quite severely overweight at the moment as I've lost the ability to exercise. I go swimming once per week as I don't have to rely as much on my legs, but that's not nearly enough it seem. I was in the past far more active; I was a member of a Viking Re-enactment Society in Bangor, and studied three martial arts at an intermediate level. I've trained to fight with broadswords, longswords, quarterstaff and spear; though I never got around to learning archery unfortunately. Still, it was fun while it lasted.
So, anyway. That downer aside. I'm an outgoing kind of person, usually friendly though outspoken so I can come across a little full on at times; I've occationally been known to take my pain out on people online but I try not to when I can help it. I'm very interested in academia in general and I've spent time in private study learning about a variety of things including European History, Quantum Mechanics, Comparitive Theology and more. I'm also very interested in politics, and have recently taken to learning more about the governmental system. As you can imagine, being unable to work and having the internet at my fingertips leaves me with a lot of free time.
Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you all. I hope we can all have some interesting discussions over the coming months, and if all goes well, I hope to be a regular poster her. By all means ask me anything, and I'll endevour to answer as best I can.
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