Just like you (probably), I'm on Steam because I love video games. Video games on the personal computer, to be precise.

Gaming is a love sown when my family got a computer of our own back in the 90s. I was a lil' cub back then, almost out of kindergaten. Some days, I'd watch my brother go taptaptap on the keyboard. It was fun to observe my brother and whatever happened on-screen. Not that I can remember exactly what he played back then, mind you. The memories were just of me watching him play, but not what he played. I never thought of getting a hand at it myself until a year or so later.

I do remember what I first played though. Our relatively huge-ass CRT (complete with a screen protector [www.amazon.com] no less) beckoned me into a hole in the ground. Duke Nukem 3D. Rise of the Triad. Worms. Terminal Velocity. Jazz Jackrabbit 2. The days of shareware where a CD included the first levels of dozens of games. No, I did not fall into a dark cramped pit. Rather, I fell into a cavern with walls so distant, there is no end to what I can see; and up to this day, gravity has yet to inevitably end my fall. In fact, I actually like the drop.

These days, I still love playing first-person shooters, whether they be linear or non-linear. To me, the essence of a good shooter is one that is enjoyably satisfying: achieved through a sense of accomplishment from an exercise of reactive skills as well as mental stimulus. Singleplayer games are my staple, though in recent years I have begun opening up to multiplayer ones.

For the record, Team Fortress 2 is without a doubt hands down my most played game. Cheers Valve for the great free updates on top of an already solid game. I do miss the early days before hats and alternate weapons once in a while, though.

STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl is also one of my favourites, due to its world that feels so uniquely raw and unscripted. No other game, not even its two sequels, have given me such a feeling.

Just Cause 2 also deserves a mention. Panau is one holiday location which I gladly revisit again and again; Whether if it is for a leisurely motorcycle ride across the desert or landing my helicopter on a n airship and then base-jumping off it (no, you cannot land an airplane on it. I've tried =/).

I also love it when games have in-game achievements. Having a tiny lil' notification popping in the corner of my screen once I've met the criteria of a challenge is strangely addicting. That, and the process of fulfilling said criteria too, of course.

Eventhough computer gaming is among my biggest past-times, a hardware enthusiast I am not. I rarely upgrade my computer, and when it comes to replacing it every few years, a mid-spec system would do for me. Anything that would let me run the latest games smoothly at medium or at worst, low settings. Besides that, branded budget-level headphones suffice for me and I can never live without a (cheap) mechanical keyboard. I do use a Deathadder though (in fact, it is my second one). To me, (a fairly high sensitivity user who does not use mouse acceleration)- no mouse feels as precise as the Deathadder. Additionally, it is oh-so-comfortable.

I do try be sociable as often as possible online, but generally when I'm in in front of the computer screen, I do so for a temporary escape from the worries and humdrum of life.

That's all I have to say about myself here. If you have spared a bit of your time to read it, thank you. Leaving me a greeting in my comments section would brighten up my day a lil', too.

Now, enough reading of raving ramblings and get back to pwning .