So today I start my blog, I think, and the first topic to be discussed is my personal preference in gaming! So, what do I like in a game? Strategy? Adventure? Action? Chance? Well, yes to all of these, but above and beyond these aspects of the game, I like the story, or more accurately, I like being in the story. That’s why games like chess and checkers and other more simple games, while entertaining, aren’t my favorite, because there isn’t a real story involved. Instead, I like games like dungeons and dragons, call of Cthulhu, and other table top rpgs that have a focus more on the story than anything else, because the story helps me stay involved and focused on the game, and makes it truly engaging for me. This preference extends beyond table top games and into video games as well, driving games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and other story driven rpgs to the top of my favorites list, the games I come back to over and over again. Video games, and games in general, are more than just a form of entertainment, though they are indeed entertaining. They are a form of art, a medium through which we may express ourselves and the dreams and visions that would otherwise be trapped in our minds. When video games were first introduced it was assumed that it was a fad that would quickly die, but instead it grew and prospered, with new stories and new ideas rising from this form of media time and time again. Had a television series or movie tried to tell the story of Mass Effect, would it have succeeded? Or was it the ability to be involved in the story that made it so successful? Would a book series about the Halo universe have been as successful as it is now without the games paving the way? Video games open a new avenue of story telling that many from the past could only dream of, and i for one can not wait to see what new stories may soon come!

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This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.