How I came to learn everything I know today

I find it fascinating - almost mind-blowing - thinking about the genesis of my knowledge in computers.

When I was younger, I was fascinated by Habbo Hotel (yes, you read correctly. Habbo Hotel!) I loved the idea of going online and meeting new people.

One day, the server for Habbo Hotel went down and I was really looking forward to playing, so I browsed Google for online chat 2D/3D services where I could control an avatar on the screen and I came across Active Worlds (AW) (a 3D chat-build program consisting of different "worlds" where you can meet people and build structures from simple prefabricated objects.)

AW literally look my life; I would play for weeks, even months, on end. I was truly amazed by what I could do in it. There was even a leading RPG world named Mutation (where players had to complete quests to obtain crystals which you would place on the altar in order to reach the boss and fight him with other players) which, for a while, was the only world I would enter.

During my time in AW, I met a man who went by the alias Pineriver. He was the owner of an static-image-based TV station in AW that was powered by rotating images on a timer written in PHP. For a trial run, he let me record a news segment for his station. I seemingly did rather well, since he hired me. Pineriver is probably the man responsible for me knowing the majority of things I know now. He taught me how to use After Effects for video editing and he taught me PHP. He taught me some pretty neat tips and tricks for Windows.

I also met a Dutch person (whose alias I won't mention because it's actually his real name), who taught me Visual Basic. He taught me how to write bots using the AW SDK, and how to make them interact with real users in-world. Making my own projects in VB, I learned the fundamentals of GUI design and networking. From there I went on to learn C#, and to this day, C++.

It's funny to think that there's some form of chain reaction that controls my entire life. One small mishap led to me learning as much as I can about computers. I've sampled everything: Video editing, web design, application development, you name it. But the one thing that stole my heart above all else was Games programming. Actually creating your own material; watching people be amazed at what you made. Making normal programs is not really an achievement, since it's just some buttons on a window controlling some actions - but if you can develop a full 3D game, be it on your own or with a group, that's an achievement. The time it takes to create something that big shows your true dedication to it. The sense of pride you get knowing that that top selling #1 title was your idea, your creation.

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen is how I came to learn everything I know today. Beautiful, isn't it?

TL;DR: If Habbo Hotel didn't go down that one day, I wouldn't know what I know now. I wouldn't be where I am now. I wouldn't be here writing this, expressing my fascination in games and programming.