Spooktober. (AKA 'Am I a nerd yet?')

Hallowe'en in my favourite time of year.

I love the idea behind it, of trying to ward off the evil spirits, and I love that it's an excuse to dress up. I love how it's a given that you're supposed to watch scary films and talk about horror like you don't at any other time of year.

And yet, I feel like it's being killed a bit by the spirit of Christmas. Already, people are excited for December, my local charity shop already had a tree in the window whereas the newsagents next door is advertising horror make-up, capes, fangs, glow in the dark wands that look awesome.

It's like, people obviously don't care enough, so they just brush over it in their haste to get to the other stuff. But honestly, Christmas isn't such a big thing for me. I'm psyched about the Doctor Who special, which has been a big part of my day since 2005. But that's always my highlight. Maybe it's just that my family isn't the most hospitable thing I know at the moment, and I've always been more comfortable in fiction.

Every year, right about now, I start a Doctor Who book called Forever Autumn. According to this image, there's an audiobook, too. I can't work out how long I've held this tradition, but the book's been out around seven years, and I'm not sure if I owned it that long. I'd estimate every year for four or five years, I have read this in preparation for Hallowe'en. No real reason, just that the Doctor is perfect in this, and the plot is sufficiently spooky enough. I have a nice habit of not quite remembering it each time, too.

Moony doesn't want me focusing on my bedoom moving until she shows up here, so we can sort it out together. I'm slightly apprehensive, because we fear change. But it allows me to play around on various indie computer games in my free time rather than fussing over my room, whenever I'm not doing coursework.

I found a post on tumblr about RPG horrror games, such as the somewhat infamous Ib. I've always been a secondary gamer, so to speak, choosing to watch others rather than try out for myself. Although I have a few nice memories of playing Doom '95 and Half-Life 2. I want to try out Doom again, to freak out over the pixellated creatures from my nightmares that I've never actually faced before, because I was always a sissy and played with the safety setting on until one fateful day when I left the room and my big changed the settings, so when I returned and a monster started snarling at me, I screamed. And I haven't dealt with them since.

In honesty, I didn't expect to enjoy the games half as much as I am. I've never actually completed a game on my own before. I can't even promise I've got through a Pokemon game before because the constant training got repetitive for me and I probably just abandoned everyone. I don't have that kind of patience.

I don't think it's possible not to love Garry after playing this.

But Ib really had a strong affect on me. Not just because Garry is the kindest, most awkward guy I've ever found in a game before, but because it's a wonderful concept, the music is fantastic, and while it's a little tense in places, the humour makes up for it.

There are seven different endings, too, so that's a nice reason to go back a few times. I really liked this game.

I guess over time, I'll work through the list. Me and my best friend got through Misao today at school, and I've watched Ivan play some way through Mad Father a few times. Misao was fucking disturbing at the end, but pretty damn good.

So I've finally made the last step. I have glasses and I play video games all the time. Stereotypical nerdom, here I come.