About Yer Bud
My background
Thanks for showing interest in my community and my channel on Twitch. My name is Darren and most people call me Bud. I am 55+ years old and have been playing electronic games since Colecovision's Pong. I enjoy sharing my gaming experiences with others and hope that you enjoy my streams and commentary. Additionally, I host a few servers as well and love meeting new people in games. I mostly play RPG's or Survival type games like ARK, the Fallout series, No Man's Sky, Elder Scrolls Games, SCUM, Conan Exiles and for a change in scenery shooters like COD.
I wanted to create a community where people could get together and play games or just hang out and chat. I was a Recreation Major in College and have a BA in Recreation Therapy. I truly believe that much of our core values system and social beliefs are portrayed in how we play, whether alone or with others. At Bud's Village, we're passionate about gaming and dedicated to creating a unique platform. We aim to foster a community where everyone can share their love for games. Welcome Buds!
How I got started in gaming communities
I started in gaming as an 8-year-old boy walking into a hobby shop and discovered the Dungeons & Dragons paper and dice classic role playing game. At the same time, handheld electronic puzzle challenge games appeared in toy stores that offered colored lights that needed arranging under timed conditions. A few years later, my family bought one of the first PC's ever mass-produced, an Apple II. That basic computer changed my life. Years later I concluded my degree in Therapeutic Recreation as I felt driven to help individuals challenged connecting to playtime activities. As cyberspace developed, I witnessed the sprawling complexities of online gaming and the evolution of video game communities to help support their connectivity to the games. I saw the need sometime during my experience with Lord of the Rings Online, the need to integrate text, video, and voice communication for facilitating group activities and fostering common purpose. Since then, the evolution of Social media and Streaming platforms has tied it all together, bringing us Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitch.
My favorite platforms for video games
Gaming platforms are a vital component of our community system. Assuring that there is cross-play connectivity and common compatibility for group play is as important as it gets for a community focused on working together for a common goal. Getting the latest updates on game releases and industry trends is also important at Bud's Village. I spend a lot of time reading news sections to keep you informed about everything gaming. Some platforms are better at this than others, and some are good for specific game genres or individual games themselves. I have found Steam Games and XBOX Live two outstanding platforms for offering a huge variety of video games to choose from. They also successfully integrate many social features such as match making, screenshot and video clip sharing, game achievements, personal friends lists, voice communication systems, and loads of other useful tools and assets. The real value I feel in both platforms is the unique method each of the two platforms organizes and stores your games, along with a robust online secure system for purchasing your favorite titles.