For Dom

Dom Santiago

I'm fond of saying that sharing is caring, and that's not just a saying, it's something I live by.  Truthfully, I probably share way too much, and this blog is going to serve as a fine example of my generous spirit.  You see, I'm a gamer and I'm a big Gears of War fan.  

Now, typically I spend a lot more time on multi-player than in campaign mode, which is why I had yet to conquer the story on Gears of War 3 until this week.  Yes, I know, those of you who don't play video games now think I'm a nerd, and those of you who do play video games think I'm far enough behind on this one to lose valuable nerd points.  It's that kind of world.  Anyway, I finally beat Gears of War 3, and (SPOILER ALERT: If--by some miracle--you are also a Gears fan but you have yet to beat the third game, here there be spoilers) I'm not ashamed to admit (though perhaps I should be) that Dom's death hit me pretty hard.

Kris was in the room at the time, and I think she found the whole thing quite amusing, but Dom was a crucial character I had spent a lot of quality time with over the years.  Seriously, I can't tell you how many times I've actually spoken to this guy.  

Example A: "Dom, you son of a bitch, revive me.  Now!"

Example B: "Dom, you son of a bitch, stop walking around me and revive me.  Now!"

Example C: "Dom, you son of a bitch, are you blind or what?  Your feet are in my face and I'm lying here bleeding to death.  Revive me.  Now!"

Yeah, there isn't a lot of variety there, but we've had other meaningful exchanges too.  Like:

Example D: "Dom, you son of a bitch, feel free to chip in and shoot some of these bastards.  Now!"

Anyway, Dom gave his life to save me and the team and the game did a fantastic job of turning a sappy scene in a bloodthirsty video game into a genuine moment.  It was almost like watching the end of Rocky II.  Almost, I didn't cry.  Wow.  Sharing is caring, right?  I'm definitely not writing this blog to achieve cool points, but in all seriousness, it was easily one of the most emotional experiences I've had while playing a video game.  It was potent enough that I felt the need to get on my blog and give Dom a shout-out.  For the record, Gears of War 3 was the best game in the series, and the Gears series is (in my humble opinion) the best thing happening in the world of video games these days aside from the glory that is Madden.  

Nice job, Epic Games!