So I guess there’s a chain letter going around, targeted at you. I know, I hate em too, but it’s the price we pay for being on the Internet, I guess, and this one isn’t so bad. I got it from Rowan at I Have Touched The Sky, who apparently got it from River at High Latency Life. I thought that I’d hedge my bets and get some wish list items down. I’m realistic, but I’d like to let you know that if you could make these come true, then I’d campaign hard for you to get your own religion. So keep that in mind /overexaggeratedconspiratorialwink

1. Something groundbreaking and out of left field that will make everyone’s hair stand on end, this year at PAX East. While I absolutely appreciate the fact that PAX East is held only 45 minutes from me, 2012 is shaping up to be a kind of a droning affair. Last year Star Wars: The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2 (and even Battlefield 3, and some others) were the big draws. By the time PAX East 2012 rolls around, SWTOR will have launched, and GW2 will be just another “hurry up already!”. Honestly, I don’t see anything wicked awesome on the schedule (as we say in New England), except maybe Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but even that’s not wicked awesome enough (at least for me).

2. Please don’t let the PS Vita suck. And please keep the anti-Sony comments away.

3. Grant me the time, the tools, and the willpower to sit my ass down and to actually complete one of these projects that I’ve either started (like Universe, for crying out loud) or have on the brain. Even if it never goes public, or if it does and doesn’t register on anyone’s radar, I’d still like to be able to say that yeah, I made a game. It’ll be a start.

4. Peace on Earth, etc. I’m sure other’s have that request covered in spades, so…

5. Finally, what I’d really like is for gamers all over to remember that we do what we dos for enjoyment. We don’t cure cancer, or actually explore new worlds for the greater good of humanity, or feed and cloth needy children, so chill out on the gravitas! Yeah, I know that a lot of people enjoy being on the naughty list because they think it makes them all badass or something, but like Big Hair in the 80’s, you may think it looks cool, but really…it’s not (I apologize, Mrs. C, if you had Big Hair in the 80s. We’ve all been to dark places like that). We game for the same reasons people collect scale model trains, or knit, or make beer in their basement: because we like to win, to succeed, and to accomplish something through perseverance and trial. But being civil, kind, compassionate, inclusive, fun, and patient are not virtues that need to be discarded in that pursuit. You don’t win when you’re an asshole, even if you reach your goal. Not you specifically, Mrs. C. That was the Royal You. I’d like people to live by that in 2012, not just in gaming, but in anything they do.

So just in case you were planning on surprising me with these, I’ll start melting down the good silverware and making the molds for the Mrs. Clause idols… but if you can’t get to it, it’s cool. I can use plastic flatware, and maybe the molds can be sold as cake pans or something.

Oh and…uh…just one more thing: if you can get me involved in whatever the heck is going on in that picture on River’s blog, we’ll call it all even. Thanks.