Welcome to Wrestling Gamers United Newsletter #320
1) Cover your ass, then kiss mine 2) Link of the Week 3) Question of the Week
1) Cover your ass, then kiss mine **********************************
Y'know, some days it's a real challenge to put yourself in another person's shoes and empathize with their life situation. When you're an entrepreneur trying to do something like I am here with PWX you take a lot of shit because you hang your ass out there on the line for everyone and anyone to witness. I can deal with the ones that find glee in my public mistakes when I make them. It bothered me at first but it doesn't anymore. I'd much rather be the guy taking risks and eating the criticism than the guy sitting back watching everyone else and waiting for them to fail. You know the type. They're so scared of never reaching their dreams that they only feel good about themselves when everyone else around takes a beating. If you're from a small town you definitely know what I'm talking about if you leave for a big city college instead of staying where you are and getting a job at the mill like everyone else. Instead of being happy for your decision you start sensing their resentment. Oh, so now you're the big shot who thinks he's better than everyone else and isn't content to grow old at a truck stop drinking coffee and complaining? Fast forward about 15 years and I'd rather spend my energy trying to get a game made than bitching about all the other games like I used to.
No, I'm talking about another kind of soul but one that isn't completely unrelated to the former. This person will not only avoid putting their ass on the line like it's some kind of contagious Steven King novel plague (by the way, read Cell for zombie goodness), they will keep their ass so far from the line that they can't even see the line without the help of Google maps,a laser pointer, and a boot to the head. And they are so full of fear you can almost see it scurrying back and forth behind their eyes. They are so deeply identified with their title, position, and status in their own little microcosm of an existence that even the slightest most innocuous chance of losing an inch of ground sends them into a mortal panic. When these types of people cross my path (and too many have) it's like trying to reason with a three year old who's afraid of the dark and can't sleep without their security blanket. They will no sooner step out of their comfort zone than I would step into a cage against Kimbo Slice. Fear of failing is the number one character trait you can't have as an entrepreneur. Insisting on covering your own ass ahead of the project's greater good is a damn close second. Not so long ago I didn't know these kinds of people existed but now I can spot them a mile the way and I try to keep as far away from them as possible. But even when I'm forced to deal with them for one reason or another I do my best to appreciate the opportunity to learn how to co-exist with them, give them whatever they think they need, and move on.
Maybe I'm just getting old but I can't hate people like this despite the frustration they can cause me. I feel sorry for them. Not because I think I'm better than them, but because I'm clearly happier and more fulfilled than they are. At the very least, I'm far less fearful than they are. I don't wake up each day wondering if that one decision with my name on it will end my career. In the course of making PWX a reality I have ruined my personal credit rating, taken on massive debt, and made a globally public spectacle of my efforts to keep damn big promises to wrestling gamers. I'd rather that than collecting a paycheck for covering my ass better than the next guy.
I'll live your life the only way that brings me happiness. Chasing your dreams can never bring you any more hardship than you can handle. Covering your ass and identifying only with your job title will bring you more fear and sleepless nights than you can ever hope to live for long before you end up cured up in a ball on your bathroom floor.
"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Despite the heartbreaking performance of the North American Fire Pro Returns release there is still a very vibrant online community working hard to promote it's sexiness. You have probably stumbled upon the Fire Pro Club but you may not know of another sweet online resource. Allow me to introduce you:
http://www.fireprozomg.com/
3) Question of the Week ************************
One of our trusted advisers is of the opinion that free games that let you buy item upgrades only work if you can play online and show off your upgrade items to everyone else. Do you agree or disagree?