for the first time in my freshman year of high school . It turns out that a lot of math goes into designing the best rides . At a certain point the simple wire frame design process isn ’ t not enough and I was forced to move on to use an equation based designer .
While I was neglecting my schoolwork because of my love of roller coasters , it turns out I was actually learning some useful math . When I started taking calculus two years down the road I had a very small jump on my peers ( If you want to see some of the rides I ended up designing , check out www . youtube . com / user / HCLcoasters ).
After two or three years of designing roller coasters , my interests in simulating rides faded , but my love of roller coasters still lived on . Over the course of my time in the roller coaster simulator community , I was drawn into the wider world of roller coaster enthusiasts . Surprisingly , literally thousands of people were just interested in roller coasters as I was .
“ My secret life as a roller coaster designer and enthusiast kept me going .”
Roller coaster enthusiasts gather online to share stories of their travels across the world , riding as many rides as possible and tracking construction of the next big ride engineering innovation . They ’ re some of the strangest people you ’ ll ever meet but they are absolutely dedicated to their hobby . Some of the most prolific enthusiasts have taken a ride on the majority of the nearly 4,000 roller coasters that have existed at one point or another . I quickly joined their ranks .
I desperately began attempting to convince my parents to let me travel to rack up my roller coaster count and to a certain extent I was successful . As of now , I ’ ve been on over 110 roller coasters , taken a ride on the best wooden ride in the world , the tallest ride in the world , the first roller coaster to break 200 , 300 , and 400 feet , and even managed to get on a ride in Germany .
During the time I became interested RollerCoaster Tycoon I didn ’ t have too much going for me . There are usually a few kids in every grade in middle school who are constantly picked on emotionally and physically ; I was one of those kids . I didn ’ t have many real friends , just three or four at a time . Even when people did want to have me around I never expected to be treated as an equal , I was often just a verbal punching bag . I had no confidence in myself . Because really , who would in that situation ?
RollerCoaster Tycoon was a new world to escape to . The community I found in the simulator community respected me even though I was young by their standards . Behind my keyboard I wasn ’ t judged by anything other than the quality of my creations . As my skill at building imaginary rides and my notoriety in this cyber community grew , so did my confidence . In middle school , my secret life as a roller coaster designer and enthusiast kept me going . When I got to high school , I escaped the toxic environment that made me miserable for years . I finally used my newfound confidence from my secret life to forge friendships in this new environment .
One downside from my now bearable social life was that my hobby and the community that I had once valued so much began to matter less . I didn ’ t need it anymore to just get through the week . By the time I was a junior in high school , roller coasters just weren ’ t as interesting as they once were . I still visit my online stomping grounds to say hello to old friends now and then , but it doesn ’ t feel quite the same . They ’ ve moved on and so have I .
I ’ ll never completely abandon the RollerCoaster Tycoon series though . Around a year ago I booted up RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 for a burst of nostalgia . It turns out the game hasn ’ t aged a bit . I started playing with the intention of spending around an hour building rides but instead I used that entire week to build a massive theme park .
When I say RollerCoaster Tycoon changed my life , I ’ m not exaggerating . I don ’ t think I ’ d be the person I am today without it . It helped me through some of the most difficult times of my life and put me down a path I never thought I ’ d follow .
Some games are good ; they ’ ll take up a few days of your life . Some games are great ; they ’ ll occupy you for a few months . The truly great games , though , will stay with you for years once you ’ ve turned them off for good .