First Person Storyteller

Episode 12 of First Person Storyteller, the Season One finale, features Kelsey; a gamer who leaned on her passion for gaming during a time in her life when she found herself homeless in a city 3000 kilometers from where she grew up in Australia. Kelsey’s story intertwines tough times, mistakes, hard work, and a lifetime love for videogames (instilled by her father) to sew a tale of finding comfort during life most difficult turns and eventually achieving redemption. You can hear as Kelsey shares her story that it sometimes hurts to look back, but she wanted to share her story in her own words and tell people how it feels like to feel invisible in a city you call home with or without a roof over your head. You can read a primer for Kelsey’s story, which she shared on Kotaku AU here: http://kotaku.com/i-was-homeless-and-video-games-saved-my-life-1762767569 I obviously want to thank Kelsey for her truth and her candor. I also want to thank all of my previous guests as well as all of my listeners for supporting First Person Storyteller for the past six months. I’m looking forward to taking time between seasons to make the platform as strong as I can make it. I don’t quite know what that means yet, but I look forward to what the mystery holds. Thank you all. I’ll see you all again for Season Two in Fall 2016. Continue to look to the blog for interesting gaming stories in the interim. As always, make sure you subscribe via iTunes so you can be the first to hear Season 2, Episode 1!

Episode 11 of First Person Storyteller features Terry Garrett, a gamer who lost his sight at the young age of 10 but didn’t let that stop him from playing some of his favorite video games. Terry started playing The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time when his vision began degenerating, and when he was forced to begin navigating the real world via new techniques; he had the gumption to apply those same techniques to negotiate the complex temples within the game. It took him a few years, but he recently heard the game’s final sequence, and he’s come on First Person Storyteller to share that journey. As a gamer with low-vision, this story hits close to home for me, and I’m incredibly grateful that Terry took the time to share his experience on the podcast, especially considering how deeply it permeated gaming and news websites just a few weeks ago. Terry was an incredibly gracious guest and shared some intricate details about his navigation in both the real and virtual worlds without sight. You can check out Terry’s Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/MegaTgarrett Episode 11 represents the penultimate episode of Frist Person Storyteller’s first season. Tune in again in two weeks for the season finale, which will remain a surprise for now. Thanks again for listening!

Episode 10 of First Person Storyteller features Zach, a gamer who met his wife years ago, when Zach was just a young boy searching for a community of like-minded people on a Harvest Moon fan forum. All these years later, their relationship having stood the test of time, Zach drew inspiration from their favorite game to make his marriage proposal unique. Here's a link to his commissioned creation: http://imgur.com/a/gNUzt Zach's story caught fire on Reddit, but First Person Storyteller allows him to go into further detail in his own voice, and the story does not disappoint. The next episode of First Person Storyteller will feature Terry, a blind gamer who set out on a five-year quest to finish The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Stay tuned!