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.

So basically, this is a newsletter about games and books and pop culture: what they say about life and the human heart, and what they mean to me. Every Sunday morning, rather than delivering a sermon, I’ll drop a little personal story into your inbox: from an ode to Clay from Animal Crossing and the power of comfort gaming, to wondering what 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’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.

Creative Stuff

Human-told stories are more important than ever. I could go on about AI forever (But I won’t because I’ve already done it here). Finding the time to make stuff when you’re a boring adult is hard work. I have kids, I have a job, and I find myself feeling really unmotivated a lot of the time.

But I do want to write more stories and I want to be really open about the process. Partly because I always post online anyway and don’t know the meaning of privacy, but also because I think it’s useful to people. I’ll post (less often) about trying to make stuff when you have a busy life.

I’m also offering the option of a paid subscription. Paid subscribers will get bonus content about writing and freelancing. You’ll also get a bit of encouragement/community chat about what we’re all currently working on, which is always nice.

Being a freelancer is really tough, so if you do want to throw a few quid my way, I’d be hugely grateful. But my regular content on Side Quest is free.

Find Me On The Internet!

You can find me on BlueSky and TikTok.

PS. Thank you so much to Daniel for the logo! You can check out his newsletter, Hard Reset, which has some incredible posts about gaming, music, and digital culture. Or if cyberpunk is your thing, you can visit his website, Cyberpunkery.