Dear SHELPSHOT:
I am a 38 year old construction worker from Providence, RI. I also dabble in drawing a little, and my secret hope is to one day be hired to design a game pak instruction manual.
Anyway, I grew up reading SHELPSHOT, but this is the first time I've ever written a letter to you. My favorite game paks are Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy!, Mass Effect 1 and 3, and Angry Birds in Space.
Mass Effect is actually the reason I'm writing to you today. I usually work 12 hour days, then go home and play games for a while before going to bed. Around the time the first Mass Effect game came out, my boss moved me to a new construction site with a bunch of workers I didn't really know. No big deal, except that the new foreman made life miserable for all of the workers. He accused us of using drugs on site, even though I definitely tell people not to use drugs (not just for health reasons, but because it lowers your high scores). I was very unhappy, and I found myself feeling very lonely and out of place.
It was satisfying to go home to Mass Effect, exploring unfamiliar planets, and interacting with strange peoples. I wished I was more like Commander Shepherd in real life (except not a lady!)
Then one night, I was playing and I reached a high enough experience score to visit the Local Cluster. There was something about seeing my own little planet amidst the familiar sights of Sol and Luna that touched me deeply. After spending so much time in unfamiliar settings both at my day job and within the gamescape, I was almost moved to tears by something so simultaneously familiar and distant.
While I'm writing, there should be a Mass Effect game where Wrex can be commander of the Normandy. Wrex is the best!
Sincerely,
Gary Thompson
Providence, RI
Thanks for writing Gary! Wrex was unavailable for comment, but we'll make sure he sees your fantastic envelope artwork-- providing he doesn't try to eat it first! We agree, the Mass Effect series is wonderful, but doing drugs can seriously hurt even a professional game player's scores. Here's hoping your coworkers will soon realize that you can't zap all the Reapers if you're zapping your brain with dope. See you in the Local Cluster!
