The Power of Dreams

I remember one day at school, a friend of mine told me "where there's a will, there's a way." I also clearly remember the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where the lead character's motto was "life is short." She goes on saying that it is "not original [...] but it's true. [...] Seize the moment. 'Cause tomorrow you might be dead".

These two quotes are roughly what I have been living by since I was 10 years old. The moment I set my sights on something, I achieved it and I didn't worry about what other people thought of me. I didn't even stop to consider whether I was doing the right thing or not. I was on a mission and that mission was achieving my dream. It was and it still is the reason why I wake up every morning. However, I do not believe that there is one dream to be achieved in one's lifetime. No. There are many. Once, my dream was to work for Fox. I started my career as a production coordinator in sports media. I liked sports, I liked journalism, it totally made sense to me. Even though it wasn't the job I ultimately wanted, I gave it my all and learnt a million thing about me and where I wanted to go from there. I was very pragmatic and I knew I couldn't just knock on Fox's door right out of college, I was never a fool. Optimistic, sure. Aggressively enthusiastic, you bet. Unrealistic, never. So I put my head down and kept on working hard all the while trying to find a path to my ultimate destination. Patience and motivation paid off and when it was finally time to fulfill my dream, my drive and my resourcefulness won the day. I was in. I did accomplish my dream and reveled in it for some time. Then came the time to move on and fulfill another dream. Perhaps this can be called something different, like life goals, but it is what drives me and help me get as close as possible to my kind of success.

When I was a student, my only driver was that abstract need of being good in school. I believed it would get me to where I was supposed to go even though the destination was completely unclear. I stopped at nothing to be the best, even though it came out as narcissistic and psychotic. I did not have any friends, I was bullied and I ate most of my lunches in the bathroom. Even so, I didn't want to understand why this was happening to me and I was not inclined to change who I was just to please others. In my mind, they were the ones missing out on all the fun of tough assignments and surprise tests. I was also brash, selfish and intolerant; some of the blame can ultimately be shared. However, I never backed down or retreated to the average way of doing things. I kept moving forward to University, realizing my dream of studying in an English speaking country.

Having grown up in the smallest town imaginable in rural France, this was an achievement I was very proud of. I studied for a time in Australia and finished my studies in England. All these aspirations came right out of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. This horrendously dubbed TV Show opened my eyes to a world of possibility. It introduced me to US entertainment and the beautiful English language. It taught me self-esteem and perseverance. The latter is so very important, especially for women in the industry I am working in. In my opinion, there is no finer trait than perseverance. It will carry you to where you want to go, it will keep you up at night studying for finals, it will introduce you to your ugliest weaknesses and force you to grow. Fighting for your dreams requires perseverance as it makes you patient and makes you tough. I would have never been able to find a job in this industry without perseverance.

I wouldn't have been able to move to the United States without perseverance either. I remember having dinner with my parents when I was 12 and telling them, very solemnly: "mom, dad, I want to go live in California." Both of them looked at me like my classmates usually looked at me. I thought about it constantly for four years and they finally sent me to America for my 16th birthday. I came back for a few internships but there was no clear path for me to move to the USA as immigration is a nightmare. So I waited for my time to come, always keeping my eyes wide open for any opportunity that would form on the horizon. Hope started to glimmer when my partner's company mentioned they were looking for someone in Los Angeles. He was qualified for the role and I lobbied hard for him to make it happen. It was the hardest, most stressful and harrowing time of my life. Immigrating to a country that does not want you through a company that does very little to help you get there is extremely distressing. However, I persevered. I spent hours rewriting immigration letters and a thousand more hours following up on status and paperwork. This is the only reason why we are now living in California.

I felt very aimless and drained of aspiration after moving to the US. I had achieved such a feat that there was not a lot of time left to think about my career and what my next dream could be. When I finally sat down and asked myself those questions, I realized I had just been stalling. I stopped moving forward towards my dream career because I didn't know what it was anymore. I kept taking the easy way out and the path of less resistance. And this is not me, not by a long shot. I realized that I needed to find my drive again, and I did. Unfortunately for me, I decided that I wanted to use my skills and experience to make something I was truly passionate about: video games. That's unfortunate, because, well, I have no degree in anything remotely related to video game design and even though I have worked in entertainment, game marketing and technology, this technically does not qualify as "having shipped a game." Who would have thought?? I obviously couldn't get my foot in the door the usual way as I was not fresh out of college and was definitely not willing to negate all the skills and experience I had accumulated throughout the years. So I reached out to some of the people I admire and regard as models and asked for advice. I worked tirelessly, every night, on my resume and my cover letters. I learnt additional skills and signed up for an online course. I did everything I could to give myself an edge and try and compete with professionals who had been in the industry for years. There were a lot of resumes sent. There were not a lot of responses.

When I thought I would have to settle for something that wasn't quite right but could potentially be the start of a parallel path, I received a call that, undoubtedly, changed my life. I was going to be a video game producer. The ideal role I was so desperate to find. Someone decided to be open-minded and was able to look at my resume in its entirety and catch a glimpse of the type of individual I was. I remain confident that this person wouldn't have been the only one. I do believe that with perseverance and patience, someone else would have come along to validate my aspirations. Turns out, I was right to go after my dream and the hiring manager was right to be flexible. I am a damn good producer. And part of this is due to me being qualified and right for this job but most of it is due to having fiercely persisted and pressed on to get to where I am. I won't just give 100%, I will give 200%, ever single day, because you can't be laid back about something you have craved for so long.

Hope never gets you very far, and I will never give a meaningless advice like "never lose hope." Sure, lose the hope. Trade it for hard work and for perseverance and for focus. Trade it for strength and for patience. Never give up. There are many things outside of your control and these things should be acknowledged and understood but the rest, every single other thing in your life you have control over, should be your bitch.

My dreams are back and are more alive than ever. I love what I do and I am the happiest when I am at the office, knowing that I am allowed to do what I worked so hard to get. The ultimate dream is still a long way away but I know I can make it there. I am on the right path, learning, growing and should this dream never be fulfilled, I would have been the most grateful, the most driven and the most enthusiastic participant of them all; because I made the most out of this beautiful journey, always looking ahead with big bright eyes. And should I fulfill this dream of mine, I surely will write again, this time, about how I became an Astronaut. I am pretty sure they have space walking seminars at Bioware.

Has anyone seen Alistair McNally's shirt?

When Alistair McNally is trending on Facebook, you know something HUGE is going on. The Bioware Director said he wore a t-shirt at GDC 2016 which had the developer's new IP on it. You gotta be kidding me. It seems like nobody noticed and there is no record or picture of said shirt anywhere on the bloody Internet. Also, I can't believe his tweet only got 164 likes so far.

Now, let me tell you something that you already know: I am a crazy motherfucking Bioware fan and any news about a new IP is earth shattering. However, that is just cruel. I need to know what that shirt says, what logo it displays or what picture it shows. There will never be enough Bioware IPs on this planet and I just know it's going to be great so I really cannot wait for some real news. The thing is that I really didn't expect any sort of information on this IP for a long time so now they have me pumped up. I hope it wasn't a mistake on Alistair's side. I really hope he's not going to get a slap on the wrist for saying something because it means it wasn't on purpose and we won't hear anything about this IP for a long time, as predicted. If it was a stunt and they actually mean to reveal something in the next couple of days, brilliant. Let's do that. Let's DO THAT PEOPLE!!!!!! 

If you find a picture of the shirt or happened to have been present at GDC and remember the culprit, share far and wide!!!

Dragon Age Keep: "Print your Tapestry option" reaction

Was there something missing from my grown ass woman's house walls? You bet there was: a Dragon Age Tapestry!

Bioware just came out with this new #amazing feature for the Dragon Age Keep: printing your own tapestry. I realize, as I am typing this sentence, that it is not OK for a 28 year old to write this. It wouldn't make any sort of sense to any normal person out there. However, it does to us Bioware crazies and addicts and super fans.

I have already voiced my love for Dragon Age's distinct aesthetic and beautiful recognizable drawings and they have made these available in the past through their store. Today though, they make it possible for fans to print their very own story and very own art. I mean #mindblown.
To me, Bioware already signified  engagement, individual and personal stories and visceral attachment to my customized world, but today, they took it to the next level. Most people will not see the appeal or the significance I do in this small feature. But to me, this is Bioware staying Bioware, and it means a lot in the wake of Mass Effect Andromeda's release later this year. Dragon Age Inquisition has come and gone but they keep bringing these little tokens to us, immersing us consistently in the universe and bringing the universe into our real (sucky compared to DA) life. This is constant, sweet and welcomed fan servicing at its best. I could go on and on about this but all there is to say is thank you Bioware for being the most awesome game developer of our time and keep being you forever and ever.

Trespasser Review - One arm, no job, no lover. WTF.

Dragon Age: Inquisition has come to an end you guys. Why??? I am so sad and so depressed that I have to wait more than one year until the next Bioware adventure. So how did the Inquisition finish its run? With a bloody bang!!!

First, Trespasser was amazing because it allowed you to say "Goodbye" and have a nice reunion with all your companions. I guess they took cues from The Citadel DLC aka the best DLC ever made. This was very welcome when you know that I spent the last DLCs running around Skyhold to see if I could get a few extra words out of my LI or my favorite party members. Some conversations in Trespasser are more elaborate than others but all in all, I felt really satisfied, especially when there was talk of a wedding with Iron Bull. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Cue the last mission ever in DAI history and you have to fight the Qunaris (my favorites!!!sob sob sob) and go through twenty different Eluvians only to find out that the two most interesting characters in this story are, really, definitely, your enemies. When Iron Bull turned against me, I couldn't believe it. I tweeted Freddie Prince Jr, I tweeted Bioware and DAI, I was in distress! I thought it might have been a twist within a twist but no. The Bull had betrayed me and apparently my Inquisitor was the laughing stock of Thedas for being so gullible. Well, Thanks!!! At the end of the day, my Inquisition was disbanded, I had one arm and killed my (awesome) lover. This was clearly not how I wanted to end my run as the mighty Inquisitor. However, was it thrilling, eye widening, surprising and upsetting? You bet it was. I love being that shaken by a video game, it means I cared about the characters and I cared about the story. The fact that the very last scene clearly, like in your face clear, hints at a new Dragon Age taking place somewhere else (excited!!) was very welcome. I got so pumped about this and really can't wait for the next round of Dragon Age awesomeness. Getting to see Solas again and finding out more information about the overarching plot was a great treat, very much setting up the next chapter of this incredibly intricate journey.

I am not going to lie, I did replay Trespasser with my human character who romanced Cullen. The ending was a tiny bit more satisfying on the romance side!!
I have read some reviews that complain about the loot and about the final map but seriously, who cares about the loot at the very end of the game? I don't care. I care much more about getting answers, more lore, closure with my characters. Go play Diablo if you're in this for the loot.

Jaws of Hakkon Review - Thank God for DAI

When it comes to DLC, Bioware has very rarely disappointed me. Obviously, since the extraordinarily brilliant Citadel DLC for Mass Effect 3, I have been pretty biased and have had faith in anything they are releasing. I don't think I have ever played such an emotional, well written, bad ass story. The one liners were witty, the inside jokes were flying and the clone storyline was very cool. However, I like that for DAI, this DLC was taking place after the win, since the Inquisitor had a very happy ending. I was looking forward to Jaws of Hakkon since I have beat DAI 8 times and wanted something new to play with. To be fair, there were a few releases that grabbed my attention (Bloodborne, The Witcher III, ESO) but it's been pretty boring and dry in terms of video game releases. I was sad when they announced Jaws for Xbox One only but I knew it wouldn't be too long until we get it for PS4. I tried to stay away from any sort of spoiler, playthrough videos or reviews so I could go in unbiased. I have been pacing myself and still haven't cleared the whole map just yet. I don't want to run out of DAI goodness too early.

I am impressed by this DLC release. This is my verdict. It is no Citadel DLC as there is unfortunately no big party members reunion or new dialogue with your LI but there is definitely some fun to be had. I am grateful for this new, gigantic map. It is intricate and interesting, completely different from any other map that we encountered in the main game. The landscapes are very pretty with sunsets that are actually breathtaking. The feel of this new land is specific, with indigenous species and sounds. The camps high up in the trees are original and the architecture is, as always, detailed. When you have played through every main game's maps 8 times, it is very refreshing to discover a brand new world, with new enemies and new sights.

That is one of the achievement of this DLC. However, it is fairly easy to release a new map that would be empty of meaning and just stand on its own, not blending with the rest of the main story. This, I found, was not the case in Jaws of Hakkon. I very much liked the quest and its meaning. I thought including scout Harding tied everything together nicely. I was impatient to know the end and discover all the mysteries surrounding the 1st inquisitor, and this is a sign of good storytelling right there. If I had only a few complaints about this DLC, it is that your romance choice doesn't seem to matter so much. There is obviously new banter between your characters, which is welcomed, but not once is the relationship with your LI mentioned. I wish there could have been an additional scene in Skyhold, perhaps another Wicked Grace scene or another love scene thrown in there for good measure. On the other hand, I liked the new available high stats gear and the additional Inquisitor ability which made leveling up much more relevant. All in all, Jaws of Hakkon is a delightful new addition to one of my favorite game and I definitely long for more. DAI is such a vast world, there is material for a fourth game, but in the meantime, I will happily spend more time with Iron Bull, Varric and my kick ass Inquisitor in any DLC story the Bioware team crafts masterfully. Also, thank god for this DLC, I almost killed myself after 10 minutes of The Order...

Dragon Age Inquisition - Multiplayer thoughts

I have obviously bought DAI when it came out but I have only signed up for Playstation Plus yesterday. Any past and subsequent Dragon Age games were and will always be epic single player adventures for me. I have never been a fan of MMOs either, no story, and I have never been a fan of multiplayer add ons. The Mass Effect multiplayer was fun enough but it lost its appeal fast for me as it was too repetitive and didn't feel like a Mass Effect experience. That is why I postponed playing the DAI multiplayer. I kept seeing all these multiplayer events popping up on social media and the DA team referring to players as agents and I was intrigued. How can I possibly enjoy the DAI multiplayer I thought? Oh boy. Do I enjoy it. The first thing that appealed to me was the similarity between the single campaign and the multiplayer menus and design. The crafting, the inventory, everything is streamlined to be more concise but it is the same clear and familiar design which is great. The chests are presented to you by an Inquisition soldier and in it you can find your usual loot items but they are portrayed on cards, as the DA world is now depicted. It's so easy and pretty and consistent it's perfect.

The starting characters are good and what you expect them to be. All the races are there and as you put more hours into it you will be able to unlock the best of them ie: Reaver and Arcane Warrior in my humble opinion. The best part is that you are feeling like the matches you do actually matter and are part of the Inquisition. They have added the voices of Cullen, Leliana and Josephine to make you feel like your are truly on a mission for the Inquisitor which is so welcomed. Also, I had the chance to play with people with mics who were wondering what the dwarf legionnaire was talking about when the line about the Deep Roads came up. What?? You don't know about the Deep Roads? Let me educate you! It was amazing to share my knowledge of Thedas with someone who just got DAI and who hasn't played through the whole series. I can't wait to put hours into this, participate in the weekend events, meet fans like me and just have a fun time playing in the Inquisition world, in Thedas, forever!

Dragon Age Keep - Why this was a bright idea

There is usually not much to do while waiting for your favorite video game franchise to spawn a new title. This is obviously without counting on the brilliant minds at Bioware to create something like Dragon Age Keep. This thing is genius.

For people who have played through the previous games and all the DLCs, it's handy to have one place where you can record all your choices and remind yourself of the story you have been creating over the years. Obviously, with the change to next gen consoles, Dragon Age Keep has all your games information no matter what changes come in the future. I think it's great. I also loved the fact that Varric was the one telling the Dragon Age story in the video, he is, after all, our story teller and hearing his voice again before DAI was a sweet treat. I am also very fond of the layout and the design they have come up with. It's very much scalable and if other games or DLCs needed to be added to the Tapestry, that wouldn't be a problem at all as you are going through the timeline very seamlessly.

I liked that the emphasis was on artwork as well, it's very pretty and in line with the Dragon Age feel and aesthetic. It's very appealing and eye pleasing if you ask me. I was pleased to see that the tiles changed with every different possible choice. Also, it doesn't discriminate in term of choices you can record or not. Like in-game principles, every choice you have made matters. You are not just recording whether you sided with the Templars or the Mages in Kirkwall, you are also recording who you romanced and if you chose to kill a minor character or not. I think that's awesome and it does justice to the story you have chosen for yourself in the past games. I am very much looking forward to adding my DAI choices in there, as well as my next DLC and (hopefully) games to the Tapestry. I was also impressed by the fact that you can save different world states and you are not stuck with one. The Last Court was also a lovely addition to the Keep while waiting for DAI to come out. Again, this is one of Dragon Age's great strength to actually add to the gamer's experience (see books etc.) while staying in the world they love, with characters they know. Not everybody will be excited by this type of mini game but it was a welcome side note you could delve into for a while.

I also think Dragon Age Keep is a great tool for gamers who haven't played through the previous Dragon Age installments and are band new to the world of Thedas and the franchise. I always feel sad for these people who don't know the lore and the inside jokes. But at least Dragon Age Keep give them a place where they can review the world and be as up to date as possible on the events and the characters involved in that great story. I hope it helped them enjoy the game as it should be enjoyed: an exciting part of a bigger and grander intrigue. I also hope they will use the Keep to record their DAI experience once the feature is available so that they can start to be part of this great world that is Dragon Age.

My Fan Tribute to the Inquisition - The Dawn Will Come

Dragon Age - The Masked Empire

If there is something that takes a lot of time and that we don't do nearly as often as we should is read.
We usually have enough TV shows in our DVR to last a lifetime so who has the time to read anymore? I always fancied myself as a reader but it generally only stretched to comics or history books. Fictional work never really appealed to me, feeling very much like a movie I had trouble picturing in my head. I picked up "Dragon Age: The Masked Empire" by chance. I was in a Barnes & Noble, looking for the DAI guide when I stumbled upon it. As soon as I saw the writer's name, Patrick Weekes, I knew I had to buy it. After all, everything in the DA universe is fantastic and I knew Patrick was a writer on the game so how could I not love his writing?

I was very much right. From the get go, this book takes you to a familiar place, Orlais, and guides you into brand new and unexplored corners of the empire. Straight away, it makes you feel at home but takes you on an adventure. The book was published before DAI was released but I read it after I played the game. I am not too sure what the best timing is but either way, I believe any respectable DA fan should read it.

Should you read DA The Masked Empire before playing DAI, you will get acquainted with Empress "asking a mange to describe magic is like asking you to describe a sunset to a blind dwarf" is hilarious.

Celene, Orlais and the rules of the deadly game nobles play behind their masks in this fabulous empire. Although the setting might be new and the characters unfamiliar, the personalities, the wit and the lore certainly are. When Andraste is mentioned, the Chantry, Kirkwall, even when Leliana makes an appearance, you know exactly what and who to picture. You do not frown upon the possibility of a tea cup being enchanted to be everlastingly hot. You do not wonder what the difference between an elf in the city and a Dalish is. And you know why the sentence

Reading this thrilling story before playing the game is definitely recommended as it fills the gap between the events in Kirkwall and the ones in DAI. For example. without reading The Masked Empire, you wouldn't know why Celene's throne was in peril and why she acted as she did when the Eleven rebellion happened. You get a truly insightful look at the Orlesian politics but also at what it is like to be an Empress and make very difficult choices for your nation. Going into the game, it is then much easier to choose a side and make a decision on who to put on the throne of Orlais. Not
Gaspard if you ask me!! What really strikes me in this fantasy book is how it rings so true and real. The Elven rebellion, the prejudices, the insider's look at a leader who tries to do the right thing, all these are very reminiscent of what happens or happened in every country at some point in time. I simultaneously felt sad for an freedom deprived Elf and for a human merchant stuck in the cross fire, for a wealthy Empress and for a loyal servant. The different point of views served as a reminder that in every human conflict, the villains and the heroes are always interchangeable.

That's how this book very much departed from the games where the evil is recognizable and absolute. A darkspawn or a demon are, after all, evil to the core. I don't think you will find such a villain in this story.

Reading Patrick Weekes' take on Orlais after playing the game, I found myself regretting some of the choices I had made. I wish I had helped Briala more and I certainly wish I could have punched Gaspard in the face right there in the garden of the Winter Palace when he introduced himself. But the best thing about reading this book after playing the game is that I was back in Orlais after having the time to explore it for a bit. When the author described the palace, I knew exactly where I was and how it looked. I knew Briala's pretty face and Celene's demeanor. I was so glad to be able to get to
know these characters better after being introduced to them in DAI. I felt like all my questions were answered and more. Now when I will give Celene her locket back, I will know exactly what it means.

An introduction - Dragon Age Inquisition or My Latest Drug

So I am totally late and I do not know why I didn't start this little "essay" before but I guess I was just too busy playing the game 3 times in a row.

I need to start from the beginning so here is the story behind this game. I have obviously played Dragon Age: Origins and the first installment in the series was actually the game that brought me back to gaming, back to holding a PS controller. I didn't play for about 5 years while I was in college and when I settled down and had time after work to do whatever I wanted, I found myself wanting to play and find another way than the repetitive TV shows and restrictive movies to escape. I had been a fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer since I was 10 and the show helped me surround myself with confidence and fight the boring and tedious aspect of life for a long while. But to be honest, after 13 years of watching Buffy kick ass, sleep with Spike and giggle with Xander, I needed something else. I needed something I could truly immerse myself in as an adult and it seemed like a game would do the trick.

I picked up Dragon Age because I was and still am a sucker for fantasy. Elves, dragons, mages and all that weird stuff we have no real idea who spawned them, that's my jam. Also, you could create your own character and I was eager to do just that. Create an alternate self that would be prettier, more badass, would have fascinating adventures, epic fights and exciting romances. I had played many other RPGs like the FF series or action/adventure like any other casual gamer but I never ever got passionate about them or even replayed them. And I picked up Dragon Age: Origins. Even though I bought the game about 3 years after it came out, I didn't care that the graphics were not up to date and that the mechanics were a bit clunky. I was wielding swords, changing outfits, flirting with Kings and laughing my ass off at every line of banter happening between what I came to consider my good friends.


I went to buy Dragon Age II straight away and I suppose I was foolish enough to think that my whole gaming life will be wait free. RIGHT. So here I go, starting a new adventure with another female lead, but who funnily enough can as effortlessly be me as the Hero of Ferelden. And even though I do not find a man to fall in love with in this new Scooby Gang, I still enjoyed my time in Kirkwall. And so I waited for the 3rd game. I waited. And I tried other RPGs in the meantime. Disappointments after disappointments. I won't say they were not good, they were very much enjoyable for what they were but none of them made me feel this involved and this connected.

For some reason, I always shied away from shooters. I always preferred swords and in general, close combat. Must be the Buffy in me. I was extremely reluctant to try Mass Effect. Even though I knew the developer was Bioware, I thought that the combat system and the "space adventure" not being fantasy would put me off. Holly cow was I wrong! How much more badass than Shepard can it get!! I now know that everything Bioware does is absolutely brilliant. I am surely biased. Not every Buffy episode was amazing but I do not give a dusty fuck about one aspect of this most brilliantly written and inspiring character not being perfect. So before everybody comes at me with the fact that Mass Effect 3's ending was below par I say just don't. Seriously don't. Mass Effect was grand. It was again an epic story with a powerful heroine that I completely fell in love with. A heroine that inspired me to tackle life more decisively and never give up.


Then I had played the whole trilogy and I was left with nothing  6 months ago. I had to wait for Dragon Age: Inquisition, watch trailers, stalk the devs and writers on Twitter. Try to get my fix any way I could. I was unemployed for about 4 months because we moved from the UK to California and when DAI came out and I was able to play, this game felt like a cozy childhood blanket, like a partner I didn't see for years and was reunited with. I was so happy to see Varric again. His one liners are still the best and even though I am not Hawke in game, I am Hawke. And we know each other. What I felt so good about was that I was back in a world I knew and cherished. I had lived through the events of Kirkwall and had forged my very own opinion of the conflict unfolding before my eyes. I was, am and will always be the Inquisitor and my choices reflect my real life beliefs and nobody else's. This is my game. This is my world. I didn't know this world was so vast however! Not only is DAI absolutely huge but after beating the game, I delved into more than just the most popular rendition of that world.

I bought a book. I do not read often. I read Buffy Comics. That's the extent of my reading prowess. I am devouring this DA book which depicts the events happening in Orlais between DA2 and DAI. And it's again excellent. Even though I cannot put much of myself in a book, being able to reenter this world where I shaped so many things and fell in love with so many people is just plain comforting. I am reading about Briala and Empress Celene and meeting new people who I adore and who have the wit and charms I came to expect from DA characters.

DAI has obviously won many awards and most (smart) people agree that this game is genius in every way. I am not going to go on about the absence of flaws in this compelling piece of content but because content is what I work with on a daily basis and have been exposed to since my youngest age I feel like I have to put this out there: I am obsessed with the depth of the DA world, the genius of its story and the attractiveness of its cast. As a person, I am not very good at being myself and at knowing who I am, which is I believe a curse on the human race altogether. Bioware games give me purpose, give me a sense of self which I do not get in the real world. They also provide a well rounded, fully interactive escape which is missing from any other game or any other medium. I dare you to give me an example of a story where I can create a female character looking just like me, explore the world with my friends cracking jokes by my side, romance, have sex and even break up with a handsome knight, fight with the strength of 10 dragons against an almighty enemy, craft my own fashion pieces and if I please, talk like an evil bitch to everybody I meet. No other piece of content is as empowering and compelling as this. None. None content.

Creating a brand like this where people can go back to every time they feel scared or bored and lonely is very smart. Marvel is doing it, DC tries to do it. Everybody likes to feel part of something bigger. But what Marvel doesn't have is that almighty inclusion of the self in its stories. You might have a huge crush on Thor but unfortunately you can't have a conversation with him and choose to be pummeled by his hammer. The romance aspect is so important. I am guessing it is much more so for female gamers and I am definitely not ashamed of it. I do believe that a good story always has a good romance in it. It just makes things more dramatic, the stakes are higher. I have fallen in love, literally, with Alistair, then Fenris, then Kaidan (multiple times), then Garrus, Cullen, also multiple times and the Iron Bull.

Of course DAI has more than a gigantically intriguing lore and epic romances. It's stunningly beautiful, it provides exploration galore and there are plenty of dragons/monsters to slay. But any developer can do that. Look at Destiny, look at Skyrim. They have all of that. They have none appeal for me. They lack the story, they lack the characters, they lack the panache. I hope Bioware keeps making games exactly like this, with a great world, a great heroine, a great story, great companions and great romances. I need them to. I wish they would grow the DA and Mass Effect world and keep building stories in them. But I trust them with a brand new world too. I trust them to create more fantastic personalities and epic struggles until I die. Some people might think I am a nutcase and I do not have a life. I actually have a pretty great life. However, I am not afraid to say that humans are ultimately hollow and in constant search of something more. Right now, Dragon Age is my something more. It's everything.