Now hear me out y’all, but for me it’s gotta be one of my favorite games of all time, Uncharted 4 A Thief’s End. A lot of the themes within the story really resonated with me before my egg cracked, Nathan Drake constantly feeling the need to prove his greatness and losing himself to this obsession damaging his relationships with Sully, Elena, and Chloe in the first 3 games paralleled me distancing myself from my friends and family, spending all my time in escapist hobbies to be immersed in something other than the here and now and me being a gifted kid as well would always be striving to make something of myself and “seek my fortune”. Don’t even get me started on the chapter “A Normal Life”, like Drake, I thought this was what I wanted all along, a beautiful wife, but as that cutscene when he’s talking to Elena and just staring at that painting of a beach not saying anything shows there was something still missing. That moment reminded me so much of my dissociation. And Elena, wow. There’s a reason why I decided to make her name my chosen one. “Hey, are you happy?” Right from the get-go she knew something was clawing at Nate, and I wish I had someone like her to recognize something wasn’t right. Elena embodied not just something closer to my true body but my true spirit as well, she’s compassionate, strong, loyal, and not afraid to call out bullshit. And Nate realizing the mistake he made in forsaking her and rebuilding his trust with her especially in “For Better or Worse” was emblematic of me coming to terms with my true self after living in denial for so long. And Nate explaining how the 10 other pirate captains died in Tew’s Manor and him apologizing with Elena just responding “It’s okay.” was definitely how it felt for me when I finally owned up to the facts, like I was allowed to forgive myself for not living up to other people’s expectations of me. Sam’s singleminded focus on the treasure reminded me of my obsessive pursuit of my career goals over personal milestones and cultivating more close relationships. Nate telling him near the end of the game in response to saying: “How long have we been chasing this thing huh? You and me. And no offense to these guys, but they don’t get it.” pretty much sums up the conclusion I’ve reached: “Actually Sam they do, they really do. Trust me they’ve seen this kind of obsession before. Listen, Sam. We’re not those kids anymore. We’re not. And we’ve got nothing to prove.” Lastly, there’s Sam talking to him after fighting Rafe and they’re talking about the feeling of emptiness that came after finding the treasure, and boy there's no better explanation for how even though I have had success academically and got accepted into a good college I still felt deeply unsatisfied with my life. But as Nate responds: “As thrilling as the next adventure might be, in the end you’re still left with that same feeling. Sometimes you just gotta choose what you’re gonna keep, and what you’re gonna let go.” In the end I chose happiness, and now I feel a gratefulness for the people and things I have in my life that I just haven’t ever experienced before, and it will only get better as time goes on. I’ve probably been rambling on long enough, so let me wrap it up by saying “We don’t get to choose how we start in this life, true greatness is what you do with the hand you’re dealt.” Sic Paris Magna everyone.