#NerdsUnite: Confessions of a Videogame Journalist
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy John. We started talking on the twitter not too long ago, and then he reached out and asked if he could write for us regarding his journey through the nerdy realm. I was all DUDDEEE!! That's so raaaddd!! And now, here we are. Like right now, in real time, this is happening. Pretty cool huh? HIT IT JOHN!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JohnSollitto
So, it’s been a very interesting last week or so. Obviously in the wake of the Connecticut shooting, many people on TNTML have spoken about the tragedy. It is an outright shame and atrocity that such a thing happened. When the life of any human being is taken in any form, it’s not okay. If a child’s is taken, it’s even worse. My friend is a teacher just 40 minutes away from Sandy Hook up there and I texted her as soon as I could to make sure she was okay, thankfully she was. But it just goes to show you that even here, in California, you can be touched by such a tragedy.
That being said, I was part of another sort of crisis situation last week, two days before the Sandy Hook tragedy. It was not nearly as scary or terrible as the incident with the children, but it was still somewhat frightening.
I was at school, Cal State University Fullerton, giving my honors presentation, when two dangerous men entered our campus and took refuge there. One hid in the business building while the other was supposedly still at large somewhere on campus. The police sent SWAT teams into the business building to search room by room for the man that hid there. According to reports, they were armed, and were fleeing the scene of a robbery where they had shot the pawn store clerk who worked there.
So, armed and dangerous men on my school campus while I was doing work, while my entire family (mother, sister and father) was on campus there to see me. We didn’t know about the men until another student came barreling into the room I was giving my presentation asking “Can I hide in here?” Not sure what was going on, we let her stay, until we heard over the PA system, “Attention, attention. This is campus police, there is an emergency on campus and it is now in immediate lockdown. Do not leave the room you are in, close the doors and stay quiet. If you are outside, leave campus or go inside immediately.” We heard that message dozens of times that day, waiting, hoping if everything was going to be alright.
I think the worst part of the entire thing was knowing that my father was supposed to be in that business building later that day, and had he not been at my presentation, he might have been in that building when the armed man had rushed in, and who knows what would have happened. That was what frightened me the most. The sheer coincidence.
I live tweeted about the event as it occurred there, but it became pretty dull as we found that the SWAT and police never found the man who had taken refuge in the building. 7 hours or so in that library, waiting to hear if we were safe or still in danger, not knowing anything but what we could learn off of the live-feeds from the internet and news websites. No one came to check on us, at least that I saw, the whole night till we were evacuated from the library. We were worried that no police had come to see us because what if someone was hurt, diabetic, pregnant? Of course there was no such emergency, but we got angry and frustrated that we weren’t taken care of. Honestly, we shouldn’t have been pissed off because we were safe and sound, but it was the anxiety talking.
Of course, we had internet, water, bathrooms and every other person had some kind of snacks on them, so we weren’t in a terrible condition, but it was the anxiety. This was, of course, nothing like the Connecticut shooting, but it was my own taste of what could have been.
What was even worse? Three days after this? My folks went to Fashion Island in Newport Beach to do some shopping. It was the first time in a year or more that they had gone to that mall. Some time after they did their shopping? A man came to the mall and shot the place up. I’m not even kidding. They missed being there when that occurred.
I don’t know what it is. If there’s something in the water, if it’s this 2012 bullshit that’s making everyone crazy, or if it’s just random coincidence, but by god it’s scary. I mean, honestly. I don’t know what’s going on anymore. I don’t know what can be done to stop it. I don’t know what anyone can do about it. But I’m scared sometimes, just at the thought of what could happen to my friends and family. So that’s my confession this time, gang. It’s not bad to be scared. It’s okay. I’m scared too, and I don’t blame you.
#nerdsunite
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