It's regrettable that my third blog post will be my last as a member of the VideoGamer team; I had such big plans for this thing. So it goes.

But yes, next Friday will be my last day on the VideoGamer.com payroll, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share the news. I've only been on board for a year and a half or so, but it feels like much longer. Since I joined, I've seen things and met people I could only dream of two years ago. I don't want to shatter the illusion of how 'cool' I am by being all soppy and cheesy, but this is absolutely true.

Last year - my first as a games journalist - I was able to attend E3, gamescom and Tokyo Game Show. I've interviewed Warren Spector, Michel Ancel and Cliff Bleszinski, amongst others. I've been escorted around a Nintendo booth by Charles Martinet, exchanged business cards with Shinji Mikami and interviewed the creators of my favourite games (read: Final Fantasy). I've sat down in a secluded area of Tokyo for a traditional Japanese dinner with Team Ninja, I've watched Ken Block throw his car around Battersea Powerstation, and I've force-fed a Pikachu beer.

While the collective voice of games journalists is laced with cynicism, sarcasm and a host of other traits that emerge on a daily basis on Twitter, the job's a good 'n, and being paid to offer your opinions on a medium you're so passionate about is a great way to spend your time.

It was never my intention to boast (although you do have a right to hate me after reading all of the above), but I find it necessary to highlight how lucky I've been – and to thank VG for the opportunity. Despite my two hour commute every morning, there's honestly not been a single day that I've got up and dreaded the thought of going into work. I probably won't tell them to their faces (it's likely I'll hate them all soon anyway, knowing what Martin has in store for my last day), but Tom, James, Neon, Martin, Emily and Pearson (and the office B shmucks, Chris, Joey, Andy and Adam) are a fantastic bunch of people to work with, and general office life is about as much fun as you can imagine from a room full of twenty-something gamers.

I'm excited to see where things go for the site - they're a talented bunch, here - and I'll of course still be lurking on the forums on a regular basis. Hopefully I'll still be welcome on the podcast in the future, too, if they'll have me, so this is far from the last you'll hear from me.

And thank YOU. If you've ever read an article of mine, liked it, hated it, offered feedback in any way – thanks. I never take the time to thank you guys when you make such comments, but I really do appreciate it. It takes a long time to grow the confidence to throw your raw, unfiltered opinions out there to the world, and you guys made that job much easier.

As I commit all this to a written form, it strikes me as strange that I'd want to do something else with my life, but an opportunity presented itself and it's time to move on. For those interested, I'm still staying in the industry, but am hopping the fence to the development side of things. I'm going to be working in Guildford as the community manager for doublesix games - being actively involved in the process of bringing a game to fruition, which is exciting. So, yeah, keep an eye on things over there.

I've been far more serious with this post than I originally intended, so with any luck Pearson will follow this post up with a blog on cats, or farts, or farting cats or something. Sort it out Pearson.