This was a triumph. I’m making a note here – huge success!
If you’re anything like me, then you just couldn’t read the two sentences above without singing them, at least in your mind. 2007’s “Portal” was, and still is, one of the greatest games ever made. It had a fun little story spearheaded by what would become one of the most iconic, well-written characters in gaming history, a core mechanic that is a bit hard to explain, but is immediately comprehensible when seen in action, and some of the most well-crafted and intelligent puzzles in any game that always manage to tickle the player’s brain in just the right way without ever getting so difficult that they’re frustrating. And who can forget the wonderful Jonathan Coulton song that ended it all? A truly brilliant experience on practically every single level! So when I made the decision to start my own/online magazine about gaming, to me, there was no better name than “Portal”. Say hello to Portal Games Magazine!
By this point, you might be asking “Who the hell are you?!?” Well, my name is Elliot Dawson, born and raised in a tiny Yorkshire village named Yapham, located about 20 km away from York. Ever played “Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture”, a recent PS4 game by TheChineseRoom? If you have, then you’ve already visited Yapham – I swear, that game managed to nail the “small English town” vibe so perfectly! But anyway, the thing is, there’s not a whole lot to do in Yapham – there never really was, so growing up I had to find other interests, which mostly consisted of reading and old sci-fi and/or horror movies (so I was a nerd, sue me). I was also a big fan of card games, mostly poker, which I often played with my friends. In 2007, two very important things happened in my life – I turned 18, which meant that I could FINALLY start visiting the casinos in York and use my card-counting skills (which may or may not be imaginary), and I also played the aforementioned “Portal”, which changed my life and forever hooked me on videogames!
But yes, to keep a long story short, over the next few years I increased my knowledge about videogames and especially about casino gaming, having signed up to several online casinos in order to play there when I didn’t feel like travelling to York (seriously, those online casinos are a life saver for people like me). I’ve always liked talking about these subjects, but sadly, not a lot of people in my surrounding area ever wished to listen. As such, I decided to make this blog and update it whenever I had something to say! You know, to get it out of my chest and move on! I’m not sure how many of you will actually stumble upon it, but if you’re reading, thank you very much, and keep a look out for cool things to come! Updates may not be frequent, but I assure you that the blog is Still Alive and I don’t Want You Gone (I’m sorry, I had to).