A Most Agreeable Pastime turns five in June and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built here. I’m lucky to have an incredibly talented co-author on whoms coat tails I have so joyously ridden on for half of a decade. For every post I’ve written I’ve certainly become a better writer, due in no small part to the excellent benchmark Lucius has set in his writing. I’ve always found time to contribute to this incredible place we’ve built even when life continues to change at an incredibly rapid pace and with it my priorities.

It’s been a while coming but it’s time for me to take a step back. This isn’t goodbye but it’s certainly farewell.

Well, for the next year at least.

It probably won’t come as surprise to some of you that I’m writing this. In fact in March last year I wrote a post titled “Is This The End?“.  Reflecting on my honeymoon way back in September I wrote on how video games had begun to take a back seat. That has only intensified in recent months. I’ve found video games have become a device to write about other things – like my love for cricket or cars – sometimes even drawing a very long bow to write about Korean musicians.

Video games have indeed become a less important part of my life and I feel like my writing has really reflected that. In fact one of my favourite posts, a thinly veiled tribute to Richie Benaud, has almost nothing to do with video games. It also happens to be one of my favourite things I’ve written on here. That speaks volumes.

But it’s not just changing tastes.  My work has also increasingly encroached on my spare time, and as anyone in the research field knows, it’s all too easy to find yourself throwing your all into writing what seems like that career-defining paper.  Add on to that the fact that I’ve slowly but surely developed an interest in Korean economics and politics and I haven’t got much more ‘pontification’ capacity. I’m even planning on writing a book about it, something I wouldn’t have even contemplated 12 months ago.

Basically, life happens and things change. And if i’ve learnt anything it’s best to not resist change.

In short it’s been a long time coming.

This certainly feels like goodbye. Even if it’s not forever.