Topic: Talking Point: Kate Gray Says Goodbye

Heheheh, couldn't resist doing one last NL title.

Anyway, as you may have already seen on Twitter/heard on YouTube/read in the comments, Monday was my last day here at Nintendo Life! And then Nintendo went and announced a Direct, the cheeky buggers.

To answer a few questions:
It was my decision, and extremely amiable! Think of it less like a break up and more like when your friend moves country — it's goodbye for now, but not forever! I'll visit!

Speaking of visiting, I'll be hoping to pop my head in now and again as a freelancer, so you may still see my name on reviews and features in the future I've got my eye on Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, for example...

What comes next for me is not a cut-and-dry new job! I've been freelance for the best part of ten years, so I'll be heading back to the self-employment pastures for at least a little while. I'm working on quite a few projects, which I've been doing in my spare time for some months now, including writing the entirety of Moonstone Island's dialogue (keep an eye out this year!), writing for two other games that I can't talk about yet, doing freelance journalism for places like Lost In Cult, writing for the Minecraft website, and even making my own games (GASP). I actually just signed up for a 13-week game writing course to really polish up my skills.

You might be wanting to know why I left! Well, it was a hard decision, I won't lie. I genuinely loved this job. I've always thought of games journalism as one of those "come on, that can't really exist" jobs, like "biscuit taster" or "ice cream flavour inventor". And yes, it can be hard, just like any job, but the benefits can be wonderful, too, especially when you've got a team as talented, smart, and knowledgeable as the NL editorial team. It's fun getting to spend my working hours writing thousands of words about my favourite games. But I've always wanted to keep pushing myself outside my comfort zone, and like many people in games, I dream about making my own. I've already worked on several, including an Apple Arcade exclusive and a game that was exhibited in a museum, but none of them were really mine in the way I wanted. So, that's one of my aims. I needed more time to devote to my own projects, and now I have it, and it's a bit scary. So... wish me luck

Thank you all for reading and enjoying my work (or for not telling me when you didn't enjoy it, anyway) and I promise this won't be the last you see of me!

You can keep tabs on my adventures at @hownottodraw on Twitter and Instagram for now. Come say hi, I'm nice!

❤❤❤

That's a shame, your puns in the articles were a highlight. So long, and thanks for all the fish!

@KateGray I look forward to reading your features, hope there's a good amount of them. Your articles were filled with charm and humour, and I would have commented on them more if I wasn't more of a forum dweller.
Funny that there was a Direct announced as soon as you left, maybe the big N didn't want to see your predictions?

I wish you luck in making your own game. We share the same dream

Currently I have lack of motivation and my project is on hold.

@TeaCatherine Nintendo are afraid of me, I just know it

@KateGray But, what if we won't.... Let. You. Leave?🤔
(😁-jokes)

I enjoyed you're being at NL, Kate. I'll miss your hosting the live chat for directs and so forth.<3 Good luck! Thanks for saying goodbye. Stay cool!😎

Thank you so much for your contributions to the site @KateGray. Best of luck with your future in game development!

Surely you could sneak into the offices while no-one's looking for the Direct?

Being serious though, thank you so much for your contributions to NLife. Every one of your articles have been filled with such a signature level of charm and wit that makes each of them immediately recognisable as your works, the way you responded to comments (whether that be for questions or just because they're funny) was always entertaining and the topics you covered ranged from the silly to the highly thought-provoking (I read you're anniversary piece for Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations yesterday and god it was such an impactful write-up). It's been a joy to have you around here and I'd be more than glad to support your future endeavours whenever possible. Thanks for everything Kate and hope you visit soon!

Also anyone who also adores Ace Attorney as much as I do is automatically in my good books

@KateGray Best of luck!

I'm quite sad to see you go Kate but I wish you luck with your future endeavors! Your article about eating pokemon was actually the first Nintendolife article that I sent to all my friends and they absolutely loved it 😂

Sad to see you go but I've loved the wit, chaos and occasionally genuine emotion you've brought to the site and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do next

insert evaporating emoji here
Jokes aside, thanks for the articles, puns and back page features. Good luck! (especially with the game making)

@KateGray Also, just noticed your forum signature, let's hope that rumour comes true later.

@KateGray It's a shame you're leaving, the back pages you wrote were really funny, and the features that you wrote are some of the highlights of the site.

@KateGray
I wish you happiness in whatever you decide to do in the future, take care.

Best of luck Kate!

Bon voyage, Kate

@KateGray Best of luck!

@KateGray Wanted to express my own best wishes, your articles always put a smile on my face even when my day could have been better. You'll be missed, sure, but it's the internet; nobody's really gone! I wish you all the best for your future projects, and enjoy the Direct

Ooh, can't wait for Moonstone Island! The Ace Attorney chat with Zion was the perfect sign-off. Best of luck with all your new, exciting projects!