Not Another Bastion Phase Reflection Article!

Yes, I am an intern for the Bastion phase here at GameSkinny. And yes, this is another corny yet slightly inspiration article about my experiences. But if you’re expecting another hardcore gamer saying that this internship is what I’ve tried to find for years, then you’re wrong… or at least you are mostly wrong. (Which is sort of like being mostly dead.)

Truth is, I am one of the last people you would have expected to apply for a gaming internship. 

This internship is what I’ve been after for a while now, but I didn’t find it because I was looking through gaming sites or because I’m heavily involved in the gaming world or even because I had heard of GameSkinny. No, my dad stumbled upon a listing for the internship and told me about it. I thought, “Hey, it’s writing experience!” And then sent in an application/resume without really stopping to figure out what I would be doing.

As a BFA Creative Writing major at a small liberal arts college, I understand how difficult it is to break into the writing world. I work very hard to have an eclectic range of writing experiences in order be a well-rounded applicant (or employee) when I graduate. Of course, when I saw that I would be writing articles – something that is way out of my comfort zone – I signed up without adequate intel in order to pad my resume.

I got the position and then had the brilliant idea to go look at what sort of articles I would actually be writing. 

So here’s sort of how that went:

1. Clicked on an article (it had a snazzy title and a cool username)
2. Started reading the article
3. Brain did not comprehend
4. Ensue face

Yeah, I had just signed myself up for disaster with a side of inevitable failure.

But I pride myself on keeping my commitments and working through difficult situations. I had told the lovely Katy that I would be doing the internship and it just felt cheap to back out without a good reason. 

I started brainstorming and hoped my writing abilities would be enough to get me through the intership.

By the end of the second day, I had a list of twelve article ideas. My first article was one of the team assignments. (Basically, I rehashed old news in the most original way possible.) It was a good transition into the writing style and the gaming world. Next? Well, if you’ve been following my articles, you know what happened next.

If not, I’ll let you in on the secret. I wrote an article entitled, Back to the Classics: Why We Are Missing Out With Today’s Games. The article did surprisingly well. It was a nice little boost to the ego, but it got views mostly because it was controversial. I essentially attacked the games my readers love so much with a half-baked argument that sparked a lot of comments. It was a great learning experience for me, but it probably wasn’t the best way to start the internship.

Luckily, the writing was better than the argument. I realized that I was going to need more investment and less cynicism if I was going to survive the Bastion Phase so I buckled down.

And here comes the cliched (but inevitable) transformation and realization.

I started looking at the internship as a competition with myself. I wanted to best my articles. I wanted to produce things worth reading because they were informed and actually contained tidbits of gaming knowledge. The second week brought E3 and a chance to do exactly that. 

I’ve already written an article about how E3 completely changed my gaming perspective so I’ll spare you the blather and cut to the chase. My love for gaming and my hopes for the gaming world were reinvigorated. I had revived an old interest and I was doing that ridiculous thing when all I ever talked about was the internship or my articles or the newest game I had found out about. I probably sounded like a broken record considering I started all my conversations with, “I’ve probably already told you about this, but it’s so cool and I just want to talk about it so…”

Week three was exciting, but this last week was when it all started falling into place. I had an exclusive interview with Alan Emrich thanks to a personal connection and I found the company Jagex.

For the first time in my life, I’m actually considering pursuing a job in gaming. 

Lifelong dream: living in England/Europe.

When I chose the assignment on Jagex’s profitable year, I didn’t realize I would wind up wanting to work there. Not only is Jagex successful, but it is located in Cambridge, is considered one of the best places to work, and it is comprised of the kind of geeks I would love to work with. Seriously, just check out their website. They are fantastically creative and have a great sense of humor.

I may have two years of college left, but I’m already thinking about how I could work for the company and relocate to England… after graduation, of course.

And finally the spiel about how you should do the Orzhov Phase or any other internship at GameSkinny.

No, really. Do the internship. Apply right now. Go.

Honestly, this is one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. Not only did I take away valuable experience from this internship, but I now have writing experience in a subject I never thought I would be involved with. 

This internship is incredibly flexible and entirely remote. I never thought I would find such a rewarding and short internship opportunity that wouldn’t get in the way of my summer job. (I’m a college student. I have to find the seemingly unattainable balance between my moolah and my resume somehow.)

Sure, there were some rough days and we lost some team members, but in the end I could not be happier that I stuck with it. Stepping (way) out of my comfort zone has made my world just a little bit bigger. I have new knowledge, new connections, and a seriously fantastic portfolio of articles. 

This internship was worth every IV drip of caffeine I had to insert into my arm and every writer’s block induced headache. I only wish I could continue onto the next phase, but alas other commitments beckon.

And now, my final article for GameSkinny comes to an end as I implore you to apply for Orzhov. If you’ve followed me this far, give me some final feedback in the comments below.

Sayonara, folks.