2020 in Review
What a year. We got an actual pandemic, Cyberpunk finally saw the light of day and Trump left office just as dramatically as he entered it. In other news, I launched a game and this is likely going to be my last year in Iceland.
WÖRK
We did it. We launched Starborne. Honestly, I could’ve done with a little less blood, sweat and tears, but it made launching this game feel that much more cathartic. Humongous kudos to my wonderful colleagues at Solid Clouds who made this happen.
Iceland itself wasn’t as heavily affected as other places and Covid was a bit of an afterthought at the workplace. We also got quite fortunate with the delayed launch of Cyberpunk, and we certainly benefitted from increased spending and play time during the initial months of the pandemic.
LIST OF VARIOUS STUFF OF THE YEAR
Attack on Titan 
This is one wild ride. I found myself enjoying every new season more than the last one and I just love how seamlessly the stakes kept on escalating. I’m really fucking hyped for the ending, not gonna lie.
Mindhunter
I really enjoyed this series despite not usually liking crime shows. The setting and look into the early days of the FBI is fascinating, and the characters have such a wonderful chemistry that it’s really fun to watch them interact with one another.
Xenoblade: Definitive Edition 
I adored this game on the 3DS and I adore it on the Switch. Xenoblade tells such a cohesive narrative that it’s almost on par with Chrono Trigger’s amazing pacing, while the gameplay is one of the few “single-player MMO combat systems” that I really enjoyed.
Mario Kart: Home Circuit
This is a gimmick turned into a mainstream product, meaning it comes from Nintendo. Now, it really just is a gimmick, a really expensive one at that, but damn it if it isn’t a lot of fun.
The Last of Us 2
Now, despite its structural issues and weird pacing, I thought Naughty Dog made a good game. I just really did not find the narrative satisfying at all. It’s funny how my perceived quality of something matters so much less than whether or not I like it.
Alienware M15R3 
Another year, another laptop. I really like the keyboard on this thing and the thermals have been dramatically improved on this iteration of the chassis. The thunderbolt integration is a bit disappointing, but it still runs my entire setup flawlessly.
LG 49WL95C
After years of getting mildly annoyed about the split between my monitors, I finally bit the bullet and splurged on an ultrawide. And my god, does it feel good to work with it. Using powertoys, you can set up multiple snapping zones and maximize the new screen real estate. If you can afford it, I really recommend getting one over using multiple monitors.
Ninebot E22E
I bought myself an electric scooter to have some fun while I was vacationing back home in Switzerland, and it turned out to be my preferred method of transportation period. It’s lightweight, compact, and just so much fun to go somewhere. You can even flash the firmware so it runs at 25km/h and bypass those sensible European regulations.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
In other news, I had 8 weeks of accumulated vacation time which I was finally able to take in the summer. While it felt great to spend so much time away from a PC, I seem to be coming back to this point every damn year meaning it’s probably time to turn a new leaf in my career.
And that’s it from me for 2020. I’m fortunate enough to work in an industry that got away relatively unscathed from the virus, but I realize this year was a much more challenging time for others. Now, I won’t pretend to know you or relate to your circumstances, but I sincerely hope 2021 treats you just a little bit better.
