[Gaming Memoir] Confessions of a Teenage Gamer

[Exitec77]

Hey everybody,

Oldschool WoW player here, and for the past 5 years I have been working on a book called “Confessions of a Teenage Gamer.” And it’s finally ready to be shared with the world.

Back in 2007, I was one of the highest rated Mages in the World of Warcraft, and reached Gladiator status in 2v2 and 3v3 for the first few seasons.

But that’s not really what the story is about:

Confessions of a Teenage Gamer is the first memoir ever written about what it is like balancing hardcore gaming with the challenges of adolescence. When people think of World of Warcraft, they think of a socially awkward, acne-faced teenager with "no life." Confessions of a Teenage Gamer challenges those stereotypes and shows how a kid from an exceedingly wealthy family with every opportunity at his fingertips ended up finding himself in a video game. Confessions of a Teenage Gamer is funny in its honest retellings of teenage puberty, witty in its commentary on rich suburban life, and thought provoking in the way that questions the meaning behind "success" versus "happiness." This true story draws parallels between sports, music, and video games—and shows how, at the core, they teach many of the same lessons. With an extremely successful spine surgeon for a father, a music teacher for a mother, and a house full of driven, high-achieving siblings, Confessions of a Teenage Gamer shows how far one boy will go to chase his dream of becoming a professional gamer.

The reason I decided to write this book was because, as I have gotten older, I have come to realize just how much my years playing World of Warcraft had an impact on my life, and how the same could be said for gamers all over the world. This isn’t just MY story. This story is ALL of ours.

I have poured the last 5 years of my life into this book. I studied Creative Writing in college and worked on this manuscript in every single one of my writing classes for three years—and then another two years after graduating, continuing to refine the story on my own.

I am calling upon the World of Warcraft community, a community I love and will value for the rest of my life, in support of this story. I want to challenge gaming stereotypes and get a conversation going into the mainstream, challenging people to learn about and value the positive impact gaming can have on people’s lives. World of Warcraft was the only thing that mattered to me in high school, and ten years later I can honestly say I don’t regret a thing about it.

If you’d like to be part of the launch, read the first chapter, maybe just watch from afar, you can download it HERE: http://bit.ly/1LKnnZq" target="_blank

Cheers everybody,
Nicolas “Exitec” Cole, Undead Mage

[Kver]

So I only have one question really, considering it's really pretty much shameful self-advertising.

Are you going to tell people to get a proper education and job, and not give up their future for the 0.001% chance to become a professional gamer?

[skiz]

No thanks, Nicolas "Exitec" Mather.

[Curnivore]

This isn’t just MY story. This story is ALL of ours.

I don't believe that's accurate.

[Dikembe]

Frankly, the two paragraphs on your website sound like they're describing totally different books.

This is a true story about how, for the first 18 years of my life, I was undiagnosed with Celiac Disease. I was sick every single day. I was afraid to leave the house. I was constantly missing school. I had no friends in real life. And somehow, I became an Internet superstar.

A story about a rich kid that really likes video games and got sorta good at them doesn't interest me. I can't relate to that. But this other story sounds somewhat more enthralling, at least.

[Roggendorf]

I studied Creative Writing in college

[Rinoa]

Locking this thread. It's going nowhere and is just advertisement without any real discussion behind it.