wizard.of.aaz

I spent my childhood cycling through different hobbies, interests, and friendships, but the one constant tie throughout all eras together was my love for video games.

I grew up in a competitive environment in Stone Mountain with two older siblings setting high expectations for me. I was challenged in academics, swimming, and even Mario Kart. My brother always rushed to choose Yoshi, my sister with Rosalina, which left me with Funky Kong. We stuck close by these characters, reserving them for each other as if they were sacred family heirlooms.

Once I entered my teen years and my siblings grew out of video games, I bought my own Xbox One with the Eid Al-Fitr money that I got from my Nani. I finally succumbed to the pressure at school and downloaded Fortnite (no regrets). I tend to be obsessive once I find something I’m good at, and Fortnite is a prime example of that. Throughout my middle school years, the harsh quarantine, I had Fortnite to cope with the isolation. Not to say that I was a loner; my friends would always join games in the middle of online classes, camera off or on.

Along with finding new friendships and new activities in high school, I bought my own PC, which I told my mom was for school work (totally). I started individualizing in high school, finding my own personality and sense of self. If I was to choose one video game to define this era, I would say Red Dead Redemption 2. The game focuses on the outlaw Arthur Morgan as he faces adversity and fights to save his honor as the Wild West is fading away. The story resonated with me, especially on my first playthrough in my freshman year. It might seem crazy to say, but I learned to not take time for granted and not everyone will understand you initially, which is totally fine. I still have this struggle, as at times I may not know who I even am. If I am “Uh-suhd” at home, “Uh-SOD” at school, or “Aazam” to administrators, it would be difficult to juggle these different identities all at the same time.

I ended up at the University of Georgia majoring in Biological Engineering. The same analytical mindset to min-max a video game was used to figure out the optimal strategy that I would use to break down math problems to kids at Mathnasium. While I did love the idea of math, I saw the only path of applying this to a job would be through engineering (also my dad’s career choice as a chemical engineer had some weight in this conversation). I could use GTA V to exaggerate this new era of my life of being one of uttermost freedom and free will. While I am obviously not violent, the jump in free will that one could experience playing Grand Theft Auto V is how I could hyperbolize this new experience for me in a new city.