Welcome to Side Quest

Hello you!

I’m Megan. (But you can call me Megs, or Meg.) I’m a freelance writer specialising in gaming and pop culture.

I started Side Quest in 2022, when the idea came to me in a sudden rush (while I was trying to cook dinner and entertain my children, as is the way with these things). I had a pretty hefty existential crisis during the pandemic; two years later, having left a religious structure that supported me throughout my entire adult life, I wasn’t really sure what the point of anything was anymore. I used to be certain about everything, and then I wasn’t.

And so I started Side Quest to search for meaning in the things that I love: mostly video games, but also books and pop culture. I wanted to lose myself in stories of all kinds, and try to figure out something about humanity and why we communicate the way that we do.

I might not be 100% sure why we exist or what the point of everything is, but I do believe in the power of storytelling in whatever form it takes. Maybe for now, that’s enough.

'There's simply no way to understand the human world without stories. They fill our newspapers, our law courts, our sporting arenas, our government debating chambers, our school playgrounds, our computer games, the lyrics to our songs, our private thoughts and public conversations and our waking and sleeping dreams. Stories are everywhere. Stories are us.' - Will Storr, The Science of Storytelling

So this is a newsletter about stories: both enjoying them, and creating them. I write about games, books, and music, and what these things say about the human heart. These can range from anything from an ode to Clay from Animal Crossing and the power of comfort gaming, to wondering how the Olsen twins are doing and thinking about getting old, and the representation of abuse in indie games. It’s personal, but with a ton of recommendations for things that have resonated with me that might click with you, too.

I also write about writing. I'm an aspiring fiction writer, and this creative process takes up a lot of my time (and brain power). Once a month I'll drop an update in your inbox about how things are going, and the things I'm learning about storytelling along the way.

I’m hoping to build up a group of like-minded people to discuss the things we hang onto in a chaotic, fractured world. Let’s just chat about the stuff we like in great, nerdy detail, and hopefully build up the kind of community that makes the hard stuff easier to deal with.

If that’s the kind of thing you’re into, I’d love for you to come along with me.

Where to Start

There are a lot of posts to catch up on. If you want to get a feel for what I'm into, try one of my yearly roundups. Or, if you want something more personal, try Getting Smooshy at the Clip-n-Climb.

Find Me On The Internet!

You can find me on BlueSky, the only social media platform I currently trust.

PS. Thank you so much to Daniel for the logo! You can find his incredible writing on his website/newsletter, Tiers in Rain.

Want to Support Me?

If you've enjoyed my writing and you'd like to express it in some way, leave me a comment on my posts. I love comments. But you can also leave me a tip if you like: I'll probably use it to actually buy coffee. Either that, or nice pens.