Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-24187738-20151214152123/@comment-27408387-20151216105439

My last semester in college has been hard. On the verge of independence and responsibility, in addition to my own perfectionist ways, I cried more than I've ever cried before in frustration and dread.

Going into this semester I was fervently playing Touken Ranbu. As I told my classmate of my obsession with the sword boys, she brought up Love Live! School Idol Festival. "I never thought I'd get into it," she said. I shared the sentiment, having heard of the franchise but never thinking it could peak my interest. Curious, I downloaded the app on a whim, and was instantly hooked. It tapped into my love for collectibles, and the challenge of the gameplay was addicting.

Like with most app games, SIF offered easily obtainable goals that eased the burden of my perceived failure in larger ambitions. I didn't care about the idols at first, in fact the idol genre is one of my least favorites. But gradually the girls grew on me, I developed favorites, and I started to care about the story. It's still not my main motivation to play, and I don't really plan on watching the anime (those CG models they use in the dance numbers kill me, I cannot bear to watch them) but I enjoy the songs immensely, and the cards made me realize how much I like cards in general, and inspired me to pursue my own project of designing collectible playing cards (as in a poker deck).

So Love Live!, specifically SIF, got me through the end of my senior year, and gave me a direction for my art (besides fanart, fufu). That is how it changed my life, and for that I am grateful.