Alex Fraioli's farewell message

It was my sophomore year of high school. On a message board I perused regularly, Jeremy Parish had made a post containing a link to "gaming-intelligence.com" - an unnecessarily long URL to be sure, though my interest was piqued after seeing who was involved in this project and what their aims were. I watched with awe and admiration as the site launched soon afterward and began ballooning in popularity, drastically altering my perception of what gaming journalism was and how it could be made interesting.

If you had told such a young and inexperienced boy at that time that he would find a place within this organization over three years later, he would've laughed and gone about his business. I followed the site and its staff religiously, relishing in every amusing feature, every witty pull text, every well-written and thought-out review. The Gaming Intelligence Agency actually made me proud to be a gamer, to be a part of this community. To be able to give back to this community is an honor.

The people I've met and worked with during my five month stint with the Agency are more than I ever could've hoped for. More than coworkers, they are friends, and nothing surpasses the feeling of a friend telling you that he or she likes a particular news story or p/review. With the help of these friends (and a strict peer-editing system) I've also been able to work on enhancing my own style and composition. Better to be corrected by a friend than a venomous English professor.

While I am dismayed that I could not offer more time than I have to the GIA, I am honored to have been able to do what I could. The work I've done, the experience I've gained, and the friends I have made; these things have helped mold the last five months of my life as well as the months yet to come. As I and other members of the staff move on to other things, it will be impossible for us to forget the shining precedent and milestone set by the GIA, its contributors, and its supporters. Thank you all.

- Alex Fraioli

 
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