Bill
I am ever amazed with the amount of greatness there is in my life. I have a great job, great friends, a great wife, and in general I have very little to ever be upset about. If I find myself grumpy, it's usually something so trivial (like my iPhone being broken by a passerby's carelessness). I watch people all over our country and others struggle with their day to day lives, and then I realize the worst I have to complain about is occasionally missed deadlines and a hectically full inbox. That's humbling, no matter how you look at it. People say it all the time as a cliche, but I really can't complain.
Yep, my life is pretty damned great and I am forever thankful for the hard work of our entire team, the dedication of our readers and talkers, and the ever-present support of everyone involved in making these sites churn. Everyone I work with here on MMORPG.com and RTSGuru.com I consider my friend, even though there are folks on these teams I've never met in person. We're a family, and we get a lot done through cooperation and determination that other sites can't compare to (I should know, I've worked for them). Where most real-world families are dysfunctional by nature, our little nucleus is strong, reliable, and downright efficient in their ability to care for one another. This is truly my dream job, and as long as they keep making games, I'll keep prattling on about them if you guys will have me.
Lastly, on a very personal note: I am thankful for my beautiful wife, her strength, her support, her love... and the son she's bringing me in April. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Suzie
It always amazes me when Thanksgiving arrives here in the U.S. It seems like it sneaks up on me and I find myself feeling kind of guilty that it's arrived and I've not kept my internal promise to myself from last year to be more thankful on a day-to-day basis. Yet it does every single year. I'm not totally sure how to feel about that other than to give it another try this year!
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In gaming, there are so many things for which to be grateful. I'm thankful that there are passionate gamers out there who are creating the worlds in which I love to play. I admire their drive and integrity and their 'stick-to-it-iveness' and the fact that, despite often harsh criticism, they persist in doing what they love most: Making a game out of a beautiful art form. I love the people with whom I play these same games, some friends, some acquaintances, some family, some total strangers. I am thankful to have such a wide variety of choices on where I choose to spend my time. Whether it's the intricate combat of Pirate101 or zone events in Guild Wars 2 or the ever-evolving Rift, there are beautiful landscapes and tons of fun in each and all keep me coming back for more.
In a non-gaming way, I'm so very thankful for my family, for the love we share and the beauty of being together. I'm especially grateful for my home, my pets and the best job on the planet and a loving family of coworkers, each of whom I consider my friend. I'm thankful I live in an era when I can share so much of my life with special friends from around the world. Without them, my life would be less than it is.
It's difficult to nail down all the thousands of ways I'm so glad to be a part of this magnificent world. I am quite simply thankful today and in all days.
Garrett
There was a lot to be thankful for in 2012. First off I have to go through the list of games that I enjoyed. The Secret World, Pirate 101, Torchlight 2, and most of all Guild Wars 2 really made the year an amazing time for MMOs and RPGs. I am happy to see the games coming out next year with The Elder Scrolls Online and Star Citizen leading the charge. I am also very excited to see the rise in mobile MMOs and RPGs. The genre continues to get better and better as more mobile games come to market. The team at Spacetime Studios is doing an amazing job with games like Arcane Legends. I cannot wait to see the Ultima Forever game come out soon from EA as the previews and trailers we have seen look amazing. So for 2012 there is a lot to be thankful for, anyone who says MMOs are dying is wrong. The genre is changing and growing each day. Many companies are going more global and games are being designed all over the world right now. We have a lot to look forward too and this is just the beginning of a bright future. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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Som
I'm thankful for variety. I'm grateful that my family, friends, and colleagues represent a wide diversity of interests, beliefs, personalities, careers, and senses of humor. I'm thankful that not everyone shares my opinions and point of view, and that my location, spectacular though it may be, is only one of tremendously many, each with their own features and peculiarities to explore. I'm thankful that because of this variety, I'm rarely bored.
As a gamer, I'm thankful that we have, now more than ever, an unmatched amount of choice when it comes to our shared activity. I'm ecstatic that I have several MMOs on my desktop, none of which are costing me a dime, thanks to increasingly prominent free-to-play models, and each of which takes a different approach to online gaming. I'm likewise excited about the sheer amount of AAA and indie single-player games arriving on our digital shelves nearly every month, and sometimes more frequently. Gone are the days when we had to content ourselves with waiting until the holiday season for the next big thing, clinging to whatever scraps of information Nintendo Power and EGM would fling our way. I'm thankful that presently, there's constantly a ton of new and different games to play, and likewise, always a lot for us to cover at MMORPG.com.
I'm also thankful for cranberry stuffing. So if you celebrate Thanksgiving, here's to a great meal with lots of variety. If you don't, take some time anyway to be nice to yourself and others, and switch things up now and then to add a little spice to your routine. And play some games!
Mike
As far as gaming goes, I'm thankful that the next generation will soon be upon us. As a PC gamer, having all my PC power pushing basically what amounts to XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3 technology for the last number of years has been pretty silly. I'm excited to see what the games of the next generation will look and play like and what that means for the PC experience, specifically. For MMOs, we've seen some serious leaps in terms of what MMOs can now do that they couldn't just a few years ago. Action combat is no longer a pipe dream, but a reality, and the visual fidelity is really getting up there. Where will MMOs go in the next couple of years? It's hard to say, but if the past couple of years is anything to go by -- I'm pretty excited!
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In life, I'm thankful for the amazing team I get to work with every day here at MMORPG.com. Our managing editor, Bill Murphy, brings an unbelievable level of energy and commitment to the job and has been nothing short of an amazing friend and colleague. Garrett Fuller, our industry relations manager, who isn't quite as visible as some of the rest of our team, has my eternal thanks for being such a great friend and helping me realize my own potential over the last couple of years. It was also great finally meeting our amazing news editor, Suzie Ford, at PAX Prime this year. Suzie's dedication to making sure all of our readers are kept up-to-date on all the latest MMO developments is truly unrivaled. I'm also thankful for our wizard Evan Wilkinson, who I am convinced must be superhuman given all the massive projects (including our upcoming site redesign!) he juggles. And where would we be without Ben and Craig? The duo that started it all! I couldn't be happier to work for these two guys.
Of course, how can I forget our excellent mod team? Our moderators work hard every day in order to do their best in keeping things sane on our forums. And last, but certainly not least, I'm also glad to be stewarding such an excellent community. Sure, tempers sometimes fly, but in the end, we're all just passionate MMO gamers who want to see the best this unique genre has to offer.
Christina
It has been a pretty great year for games, which would be even better if science had invented more hours in the day by now. But I am happy that so many dedicated developers pursue their passion daily. And I’m grateful for the family and friends that I am lucky to know and to have. Here’s to a holiday season (and beyond) full of fun, health, and happiness for all.
