2022 has been a weird year. So many people have suffered, so many tech bros have done stupid things, and everything feels like it’s falling apart.
With that in mind, this year’s edition of this end-of-year thing I do is a bit more personal than it’s been in the past. I hope it’s still something nice to read, and there’s also a few slices of Good Content at the end of it.
Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, have a great 2023.
A new job
I started this year at a job I had grown to hate. It was my first full-time job out of university, started a couple of weeks before I moved into my own place with my own partner, and it taught me a lot. A pandemic, a poorly-executed shift to remote working, and a few mental health lapses later, I either I left or I wasn’t going to make it through another year in one piece. It was time to join the great resignation and take a leap of faith.
I joined Monzo in May, and I haven’t looked back. Even though the place I’ve worked from hasn’t changed between two jobs, it really feels like I’m somewhere else; I’m valued, I’m trusted to do my work properly, and I’m respected. I’m part of Britain’s best bank, yes, but I’m also part of a place that wants to better understand things like the impact ADHD can have on your finances. It’s a place where everyone is focussed on doing their absolute best for the people who bank with us and their peers.
Most importantly, though, it feels like I’ve built proper friendships. At my old job I always felt like my colleagues weren’t people I’d hang out with; here, I’ve done karaoke, played bingo, and played absurd party games with proper work friends.
Leaving my old job was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I’m so excited to see what 2023 brings to the table.
Proper live events
Britain’s return to “normal” — and really, as a country we’re stretching the definition of “normal” to new extremes every week — meant this was the first proper cultural year we’ve had since Covid first took root, and I got to do a lot.
Between a Swedish Twink’s takes on Cats (which I covered for Good Screen earlier in the year) and a week’s break in Cardiff to meet some colleagues, I saw the incredible Stewart Lee, danced to Everything Everything and Rina Sawayma, took in the atmosphere of the Commonwealth Games, and caught Manchester United Women’s Nikita Parris score a hell of a goal against Leicester City — in person.
I love being in the comfort of my home as much as anyone, but I’m so glad I got to get out of Leicester and see some stuff. I don’t think I’m ever going to take going out for granted again.
Steam Deck
I’ve been meaning to write a piece on what it’s really like to use the Steam Deck since I got it in my hands — and I promise that’s going to be part of a future Good Screen post, when I feel like I’ve got something really interesting to say.
What I’ll say here, though, is that the Steam Deck is unlike any PC I’ve ever used — and unlike any console I’ve used either. No other handheld let me play Elden Ring in an ancient church. No other console let me get hacker-level access with a button press. No other PC has ever felt this fun or friendly to use.
The Deck has ruined the Switch — which, as others have said, is now clearly in need of a successor — for me, because I know my games can look better and run smoother on a thing I can also take with me. But it’s made me fall in love with the flexibility of the PC as a platform, and it’s made me fall in love with some of my all-time favourite games again.
Gay Church
I’ve talked a lot about St Nick’s here on Good Screen, so I don’t want to repeat myself too much. But I want to make one thing really clear: I didn’t feel like I was part of a proper community until I came to St Nick’s. The people behind the great door took me under their wing, they listened to me, they cared for me, and they made me feel like one of their own.
To you, that incredible community, I want to say that I have loved every minute spent with every one of you, and I’m so glad to call so many of you my friends. Thank you so much for this year.
Markus
I love you so much, and I’m so proud of how far you’ve come this year. It’s not always been a perfect year, and we’ve gone through some really difficult stuff, but I couldn’t have done it with anyone else. I’m so excited to see what the year ahead brings us.
Good Screen’s Good Content of 2022
Albums: Maybe In Another Life… (Easy Life), Crash (Charli XCX), Hold The Girl (Rina Sawayama), RENAISSANCE (Beyoncé), Raw Data Feel (Everything Everything), Hideous Bastard (Oliver Sim), NO THANK YOU (Little Simz), The Overload (Yard Act), When The Lights Go (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs), Wet Leg (Wet Leg)
TV: Severance (Apple TV+), This Is Going To Hurt (BBC), What We Do In The Shadows (FX/Disney+), Heartstopper (Netflix), and a pair of nods to Call My Agent! and Ted Lasso, both of which didn’t release this year but were comfort food in show form
Games: Elden Ring, Trombone Champ, Splatoon 3, my second playthrough of Disco Elysium, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition1
Films: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Bones and All, CODA, Turning Red
Finally, a special thank you, as ever, to all the people who were there for me this year. Dad, Jan, Markus, Cory, Oscar, Meg, Freddie, James, Mia, Jay, Mel, Karen, Manuela, Carys, Reece, Jaz, Luke, Tracey, Aamy, Karl, Callum, Lewis, Kyle, Jack, Erin — I have almost definitely missed people, but thank you all so much for making 2022 the best year I’ve had in years.
These last two didn’t come out this year, I know, but I’ve been underwhelmed by the big games and haven’t had time to play much else. Also, they’re all still really good.