Hey SI,
A lot of you might not know me but I've been around on this site for a long time now. I joined the site way back in 2006. This was the first website I ever signed up at. I was looking for cheats for the F-16 Fighting Falcon game (an old flight sim from Novalogic) and I landed here somehow. I was, I think, 13 years old and I fell in love with this place. This was the website I visited all the time and this was the only community I knew.
I'm so thankful to a lot of people here. First off, Kres, I owe you tons. You took on an impulsive brat as staff and paid him for his first ever proper keyboard. I still owe you that $20; I think I always will. To this day, if there is anything I'm ever proud of, it's the fact that I worked for StrategyInformer. I'd love to be staff again but I guess it's all long gone now. Thanks for everything Kres. :')
Next, HellKnight. I don't know if he is here anymore but he was probably my best friend here. We've exchanged steady messages over the years and till now I've never really gotten to know him. It's a shame really. If any of you are in touch with him, tell him hunter612 says hi.
SiyaenSokol (what the hell man, what did you do to your old username?!) you were the guy who introduced me to Starcraft II. I don't play it anymore (in fact I don't game anymore at all) but thanks for introducing me to an awesome game and being an awesome friend.
Looks like Wowerine is gone too. He was a great friend and a funny guy. :)
Herodotus, I never really got to know you but now I wish I had. You're one of the biggest pillars of the SI community. Thanks for posting the 'On This Day In History' threads every single day. I'm pretty sure if you compile all the posts, you can publish a book now. :)
I never really got to know a lot of people here. Perhaps I came off as a lame guy or maybe I just didn't fit. But I'm very glad to have known the people I knew here and I'll always cherish the memories.
Haha, this reminds me, if any of you look at all the messages I've sent you, you'll literally see a boy growing up into a man (a man-child perhaps?). So many, many years here, it brings tears to my eyes. It seemed like yesterday that I was sending my first message to Kres about something nonsensical in the broken English I had back then.
I've been addicted to the internet for so long but it has worn off now. I no longer feel the impulsive need to come online. It is a small victory for me in a battle fought over many years. As a result, I have steadily reduced my online footprint until, right now, only my SI account, an email ID, a messenger and a forum ID remain.
I've retired from gaming. The urge is gone. It looks like I've changed. Now I can only fondly think of gaming. I'm like, "Nah. We've played enough for one lifetime", when I think of installing a new game. I've stopped following the gaming news as well.
With that in mind, I've come to say goodbye to you all. I've come to say goodbye to SI. This is my walk into the sunset; my walk into another lifetime. Hunter612's ashes float away. It makes me feel melancholic. After all these many, many years, I've not even changed my display picture here.
I'll check the account tomorrow for the last time. If any of you wish to keep in touch with me, please send me your e-mail ID's and I'll add you. Kres, if you're reading this, and if you can, please close my account on Monday.
I will miss you all and SI very dearly. This was not an easy decision but to move on completely I must do it. I hope you understand the chagrin I'm going through and remember that even small things are very special.
Goodbye StrategyInformer.
