This is probably something I should have done a long time ago and for anyone left in the lurch, I apologise. I don’t know why it has taken me this long to do it but I guess it’s justified my choice in the first place. Let me explain.

I’ve spent the last two and a bit years of my life constantly updating a site called Nidzumi. Me and a couple of friends started it while in college but I still couldn’t tell you exactly why but I’ll do my best. I wrote a few articles for a site called MSXBOX-World and the more I got involved, the more I wanted to do. I kept pushing for new features and content but I was frequently rejected. Hindsight tells me that they weren’t just being tough for toughs sake, it’s actually difficult keeping the basics of a site running before you can run off doing podcasts and columns. I didn’t know that and left to start my own site

Admittedly none of us could write at that point – I still probably can’t now – but that didn’t matter so much, we had fun doing it. The truth is, we were just doing it for fun, at this point I had no idea about review copies or perks like that. I still remember my first review copy, Euro 2008. I was chuffed, like we had made it or something, I didn’t know that my 360 would keel over and destroy the disk but that didn’t really matter.

As the friends moved on, Nidzumi was solely left to me. Again, with hindsight I would have scoured the net for staff to keep the site constantly updated but I didn’t. I reviewed every game, wrote every article and edited everything as well.

Really, it wasn’t until late last year that I started to get some new talent on board. The problem is that by that point I was already burnt out, I just didn’t know it yet. I mean if you want to turn something you love into a chore, open a website about it and try to run it by yourself day after day. Chore is probably too strong of a word, if it was really a chore I wouldn’t have done it for two years but you get the idea.

At the risk of sounding like an awards speech, I would like to thank everyone who wrote for the site at one point or another. Daniel Lipscombe, Ewan Aiton, Jen Allen, Steven Wright, Matthew Maharaj, everyone who signed up originally, everyone who wrote features towards the end and anyone else I’m probably forgetting. Oh, and I’d like to thank god, I’m not religious or anything but I think it’s the law to mention him in your award speech.

I guess I should get onto what eventually happened to the place. Well after my last birthday I decided that focusing on my Graphic Design course would probably be more helpful. For those who don’t know I also study Graphic Design down in Falmouth. Now Graphic Design isn’t your normal type of do a bit of reading every now and then degree, you have to constantly be thinking and working on projects. I’m not saying that a Design degree is harder, but if you want to do well it’s constant work, and I want to do well.

So that’s why I sold Nidzumi.

I have no idea what’s happening with it now. I don’t know who would buy a site and then not use it, but that is what’s happened to it. I wanted to still write for it in some capacity but that’s looking less and less likely with every day the site is inactive. It’s a shame, but surprisingly I’m not so hung up on it.

The past few months have allowed me to make so much progress at Uni, have more free-time to cook recipes on BBC Good Food and for the first time in nearly three years, play a game for what it is. Not that I’ve been able to play a game like a normal person yet, I’m still doing the odd freelance job.

So that’s it really. Thanks for reading this long and overdue post that could have been summed up in one sentence; Nidzumi was a fun couple of years but I’ve sold it now.

Any questions?

*UPDATE* I’ve had a few e-mails asking where their articles have disappeared to. While I’m not sure how long I should have waited before restoring a mirror of the site, the four months and no response gives little indication of anything happening soon. So why not visit Nidzumi with all the spelling and grammar mistakes you remember at http://nidzumi.blogizzle.co.uk/