The Grahamtams Timeline
1985-born gamer. my big brother already had NES with tons of amazing games, so I always had access to some of the best of all time. 1st fav game: Bubble Bobble
1992-moved to the country where we couldn't get cable TV or a library card, but I always had games. Got a Game Boy, SNES, and later N64 and PS1. I was extremely into JRPGs and fav Final Fantasy
1998-going online&talking about Square games. Joined my 1st community, SquareGamer. My interest in computers grew, and I got deep into Counter-Strike, EverQuest, and Diablo 2. Discovered a lifetime fav, DanceDanceRevolution. Met friends playing DDR, like Tom
2003-graduated highschool. I had a PS2 and GameCube to play a few titles, but nothing could break the hold EQ had on me for long
2007-graduated college. studied Computer Science just in case. In The Groove 2 machine on campus, like an upgraded DDR. World of Warcraft also released and changed the MMORPG genre forever, making it much more engaging. Sadly, at launch there wasn't much content compared to EQ which had many expansions. I tried going back to EQ, but the playerbase had been decimated by WoW. Tom introduced me to beatmania IIDX, and I got hooked. It was even more intense than DDR with much harder timing, but I could play longer since I was slapping keys vs. moving my feet
2008-met my husband Steve and two cats, MuMu and Safi. We clicked immediately. I taught him how to play fighting games, becoming our favorite genre. We played Champions of Norrath and enjoyed it, but he preferred turn-based games usually. He loved Civilization and Bejeweled 3, specifically the diamond mine mode where he would get a million points daily. We started going to local concerts, or shows, and making lots of friends in the music scene. Steve took pictures, and I filmed. Together we were a staple of the St. Louis music scene and were declared #1 fans by the newspaper, The RiverFront Times, and were even interviewed. We had a beautiful life with wonderful cats, tons of friends, and double income, though I found it difficult to work in an office environment. I returned to console gaming by getting a Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, and PSVita, and checking out the titles I missed over the years, like Dark Souls
2012-introduced to lifelong fav, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Played for hundreds of hours and could not believe how good it was with friends. Also got a PS4. Unfortunately, Steve had a health scare, and we learned that he had a chronic heart condition known as AFib. I quit my job to spend more time with him and started making videos and getting into streaming
2015-moved in with roommates. Steve was mostly healthy but sometimes had to go to the hospital. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate came out, and Generations after that. Other than that, I mostly played free rentals from the library and PS+ slop. I started hunting achievements and trophies to extend the experience, especially with Dark Souls 2
2017-our sweet cat MuMu passed away peacefully in the night, and we had to move again. A brutal time, but Monster Hunter World came out and was incredible. At our new house, we met Zora, AaronBurr, and Chewy who would become our cats. I started streaming more on Twitch and reached affiliate status
2020-found RetroAchievements which changed everything. I could get achievements on games I wanted to play from my childhood, rather than PS+ slop. My PC broke a while ago, so I only had an old laptop to play on. I couldn't stream and play at the same time, so it was time to get a budget PC
2021-had to move again to a city 2 hours away. It hurt to leave St. Louis and our friends behind, but as long as we had each other, Steve and I were happy. I focused on streaming and grinding RA, while Steve focused on his health. He always found a way to pay rent while still making us 3 meals a day. His support helped me beyond belief
2024-we lost our sweet cat Safi. She lived a long life, and enjoyed being with us as much as possible
2025-my greatest fear in life came true. Steve passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. I was devastated, and still am. Despite my grief, I had to relearn how to take care of myself and be on my own for the first time in decades. My mom was able to fly in to help me with everything. After the initial shock, I started looking on the apps and was lucky to find a connection with Ryan 6 hours away. We met halfway and sparks flew. I had to move again only a few months after losing Steve, and my parents helped me get a place back in St. Louis, putting me closer to Ryan but still 4 hours away.
2026-treating my ADHD for the first time in my life, going to therapy, going to local shows again, trying to hold onto my rank on RA, and making time for my long-distance boyfriend. Started driving for $ which is going well as I don't have to deal with terrible bosses or coworkers, but it has its own challenges. Wii launched on RA and I got to play MH Tri for the first time with friends. Goals: a new PC that's good enough to run MH Wilds
