The Struggle is Real

~ controllerstruggle

Hello Everyone!

My name is Jeff Vandenbossche and I would like to welcome you to ControllerStruggle. I have been playing games for as long as I can remember. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of being at my Grandma’s house and spending the whole time in my Uncle Terry’s room playing “The Empire Strikes Back” on his Atari 2600. Or, how about sitting on the floor of my living room listening to Paula Abdul’s “Straight up” and playing Super Mario Bros. 2. I didn’t even know being a gamer was a thing. I just knew that I loved to play games and I still do.

Now I am in my mid 30’s  I have a wife, three kids, two dogs, a job and I’m pursuing a degree.  Let me preface this by saying that spending time with my family is something I want to do. I don’t see it as something I have to do. That being said, there are other activities and hobbies that I have and balancing those things can be very difficult. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have other hobbies, because when I’m doing the things I have to do, such as homework, I can feel those things pulling at me and it can be frustrating. I mean, Fry Cry 4 has just finished downloading and I still have 2000 words to write on some stupid paper and the freaking dog is scratching at the door to go out for the 20th time.

So, with all of that going on, I have decided I am going to start writing. I still love to play games, it’s just that the way I play them and when I play them has changed. I love to talk about games, but as some of you may know, when you’re at this stage in your life, maintaining and making friendships is hard work. I’m hoping that this will be a way for me to reach out to like-minded people and give me an avenue to discuss some of the things that make me happy.

The purpose ControllerStruggle is to talk about the games I am playing, share my thoughts on gaming news as it breaks, and discuss with others what its like being a gamer and an adult. Readers can also expect original video content such as weekly children’s game/app reviews with one or more of my kids. There may even be some non-gaming related items in regards to music, TV and movies.

Enjoy!

8 thoughts on “The Struggle is Real”

  1. Welcome Jeff
    Thanks for sharing! I too have passion for games, I am a 34 yr old student with a family that I love to spend time with. I feel the pull from dragon age inquisition at times. My love for games has also lead me to write about how to help up and coming generations use gaming skills in the real world while enjoying life. Games are now part of our world of entertainment and those of us who love them have a hard time “growing out of them”. Why not put those skill to use in future gaming adventures and teach our children.
    I look forward to more thoughts and ideas about gaming.
    Sarah

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    1. Thank you Sarah! I agree that gaming can help develop skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, resource management, etc. I love that my kids enjoy gaming as it gives us another thing to bond over. Best of luck with what you are doing. I look forward to reading your thoughts as well!

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  2. Bam! You are brave! I wont even get FarCry4 yet…the temptation is too much. I am 39 years young and am about 8-9 weeks into dadhood.

    The wife and i play and have played a little lotro most nights for the last 4-5 years. Just got Shadows of Mordor on my PS4 and it is grrrrreat! I am into the latest CoD: Advanced Warfare a little too. Kerbal Space Program is great too. Games have changed as well as the way that i play them. Gone…or at least rare is the day i can sit for an 8+ hour uniterrupted session of Dragon Warrior or Ultima 3…anyway. Thanks for the write and i look forward to more reading.

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    2. Thanks for the lind words. I look forward to hearing about your adventures in fatherhood! But yeah, I still havent played past the prologue in Far Cry. Ive been playing Persona q on my 3ds and its great. I also loved Shadow of Mordor. I still havent finished it. Thats kind of the way my gaming life works. I put as much time as i can into a game., but i still have that desire to try and play as many games as possible. I love being a dad, its amazing especially as my kids are getting a bit older and we can share this hobby. I hope you are enjoying your new lot in life. Its a crazy big change but thats all it is. Just a change. Good luck man!

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