We did it: we’ve stuck with it for twelve months and it’s now time to celebrate our first birthday! The past year has been full of ups and downs, beginnings and endings, and laughter and tears; but we’ve had an an absolutely amazing time through it all and wouldn’t change it for the world.
Before we make an announcement, we’ll start off we usually do by saying a huge thank you to everyone who has ever heard of, looked at or followed our site. We appreciate your support more than you know: we’ve now managed to hit views from 41 countries across the world and 619 followers – that’s over a hundred more than last month! Take a look at our dedicated Big-Up page and make sure we’ve mentioned you on there; if we haven’t, please let us know so we can put that right for you.
As hinted at above, the past year has been an eventful one for us. If you’d told us back in January 2013 that we’d have a blog, live through some of the fantastic experiences we’ve been fortunate enough to have, and make some truly special friends on top of it all, we’d never have believed you! In true 1001-Up.com style we’ve made a little video we’d love to share with you all as our way of saying a great big thank you – and to also announce an exciting change for the site…
(If you’re unable to view this, click here for an alternative version.)
So there you have it: Ben, also known as The Dad, Gentleman Geek and Kevin from The Mental Attic have kindly agreed to become a part of the team. Not only are they both extremely talented writers, with opinions and humour to match, but they’re also very good friends; they’re some of the people who have made this past year one that we’ll always remember. You’ll be seeing them around the site more often from today so please make them feel welcome!
There are a few important dates coming up for the new team, the first being the Gameblast event for SpecialEffect. Regular readers will know all about this charity by now but for anyone who doesn’t, they’re a fantastic organisation devoted to helping those with disabilities enjoy video games. On 22 February 2014 our team – Gamely Giving – will be gaming for twenty-four hours to raise as much money for SpecialEffect as possible, and hopefully we’ll be able to give you guys a few laughs along the way too. To find out how we’re planning to do this, take a look at our Just Giving page and follow the links given in the updates.
Show Gamely Giving some love!
Next up is this year’s Rezzed expo. From 28 March 2014 we’ll be spending three days at the NEC in Birmingham getting to grips with the latest indie titles and trying to get as many developers as possible to reveal their secrets! We’re planning to bring you even more coverage than we did in 2013 and will aim to keep you updated every day. If you’re going to the event yourself, drop us an email or let us know in the comments below and we’ll meet you up there for some games and a beer.
The next date is one that’s a little closer, today in fact. We’re not talking about our birthday here but about Time To Talk Day. As part of a national campaign, Time to Change – Britain’s biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination – want to get more people talking about mental health than ever before. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference to someone who’s going through a tough time, like having a chat over a cuppa, sending a text or inviting someone out; so today everyone is being encouraged to do just that. We’re planning to do our part here and if you’d like to get involved yourself, take a look at the website.
We’re planning to do our bit for today’s Time to Talk Day.
In celebration of our birthday, we’re looking to do a full day of streaming on 08 February 2014. Please accept this as your formal invitation to join us for fun and frolics on the 1001Up Twitch channel from 10:00 GMT onwards. Feel free to also take a look at our Steam libraries and let us know the games you want to see us play – but please don’t suggest Slender: The Arrival for Kim again because her heart probably won’t be able to take it a second time.
Once again thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. Getting as far as we have just wouldn’t have been possible without you guys and your support means more to us than we can explain. We’ve met so many amazing and talented people over the past year – bloggers, readers, contributors, developers and friends – and every single one of them will always be special to 1001-Up.com.
Big love to all our readers and followers from the 1001-Up.com team.
As we’re prone to do in our more whimsical moments we’ll leave you with a quote by Neil Gaiman, one of our favourite authors: “People think dreams aren’t real just because they aren’t made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and hopes.”
Thank you for making our dreams come true – Craig, Kim, Phil, Ben and Kevin from 1001-Up.com ☆
