A set up article like, well most, it's a "What's in my bag?" I'm going to break down the contents of my gaming bag, where you can pick some of this stuff up, and why it is important to think out and plan a gaming bag.

First, here's an overview picture of the contents that are in my gaming bag. The only thing that isn't pictured here is a little "stack" container that makes up a mini med kit. I pack that the day before a big day/weekend of gaming and don't always have it in the bag.

Now that we have the contents, let's take a look at each component and talk about why it was selected, and virtually pack this bag up. Starting with the bag, it is a Waterfly Sling Bag Crossbody Backpack. Now, I have tried every backpack, bag, case that you could imagine, and let me tell you, this one is PERFECT. It is spacious enough to carry quite a bit, but not big enough for me to over pack and be responsible for way more than I intended.  It forces me to think about what I want to bring, but at the same time carry everything quite eloquently. Easy access to all the pockets that my big mitts can get into no problem. I cropped the picture, but it does even have a water bottle pocket on the side. Carries nice on the shoulders and back, and overall an 11/10.

We're going to pack the main compartment now, and inside the main compartment, there is a tablet pocket. Perfect for our digital life pad. Pick your favorite one, the important thing to note about the digital life pad is is saves you paper and lasts pretty much forever.  Also in the tablet pocket, we'll toss our microfiber cloth and playmat (folded up, it's old and beat up, not my prized possession by any means). The microfiber cloth is there to clean my phone screen, clean my glasses, and otherwise, just kinda be there for a multitude of things. Everyone should have a playmat, you can put it in a tube and clip it to the outside of the bag if you want. 

Still in the main compartment, but now we're in the meat of the bag is our pencil pouch and our decks. Completely extra, I have a Quiver Bolt Case. The bolt does two things for me. The first is it keeps my decks from banging around in the bag and potentially making a mess. The more important reason is to reinforce the philosophy of consciously deciding what it is I want to bring and be able to easily manage it amongst the chaos of a large event. My bolt carries THREE commander decks. Well, technically two commander decks and my Cubelet. Without the Bolt, you'll be able to carry 3-4 decks easily.

The pencil pouch is single handedly the most important piece that should go in everyone's bag if it isn't there already. This one is a Sooez Wide-Opening Pencil Case and I'm in absolute love with it. It holds:

• Handful of pencils, pens, markers (both dry erase and permanent)
• Dice, and shit ton of them
• TWO PACKS of InfiniTokens

The reason to have a pencil pouch, and particularly this one is that it is fairly compact for packing, but opens up and sits very nicely at the table. You're able to share with friends if you need to or have it in your play area with little to no obstruction. Never be without a pen/dice/ability to make tokens ever again.

Finishing up the bag, there are two smaller zippered pockets, each having some great hidden pockets for an emergency cash hiding spot or a place to keep your keys. In the front most pocket, a powerbank and cable for my phone that never leaves this bag.  I never have to worry about forgetting my cable at an event and then not be able to charge my phone at home, or vice versa. Both the cable and powerbank are from Anker, and they are the best in the business when it comes to this stuff. Holds a great charge and quickly refills my phone.

That's the bag packed up (aside from some snacks that we certainly do not try to sneak into the convention area) for Magic: The Gathering. This is also my game bag if I'm headed over to a buddy's house for board games or video games. It easily holds a couple smaller box games, which is what I'm kinda known for amongst friends, and it carries my Nintendo Switch with ease. I haven't, but I could easily pack the dock and accessories to the Switch in this bag.

Tell me, what do you think? Anything major I'm missing in my bag? What's in your bag? Let me know on Twitter! Pictures of your set up would be awesome to see! 

When I think about my relationship with board games, I'm immediately teleported back to when I was a kid spending the weekend with my grandma and grandpa. We'd play outside all day, then in the evening after dinner, we'd run to the closet to where the board games were stored and would pull out one to play together.

Like most people, my introduction into board games was through games like Monopoly, Risk, Uno, and card games with a standard deck of cards. I'm from the Michigan, so learning Euchre was quickly a vital part of my gaming life. Honestly, this was pretty much it for the longest time. Whatever games my grandparents had, that's what I learned to play. We had a few extra games in my house. Apples to Apples, Disney Trivial Pursuit, and classics like Backgammon, Chess, and Checkers. My home was a video game household.

It stayed that way for a very long time, went through college and played cards, learned Magic: The Gathering just after college and was deeply (and still am) attached to that TCG. It would bring me to the local game shop almost daily, and one fateful weekend, a few friends showed up with board games. These weren't games like Monopoly. They looked complicated, strategic, and fun. I had an opportunity to sit down and learn Ticket to Ride, and while I lost pretty badly, it ignited a spark that has now grown to a flame that can not be extinguished.

From that day on, I knew board games was going to be a part of my life. I've grown quite a personal collection of games over the last 8 years, and have no plans on stopping. I've introduced my friends and family to games. I play routinely with friends where I live, and I'm constantly learning and thinking about board games. My favorite part is how much more creative, yet strategic, I have become in recent years. It is certainly a skill that I've learned to leverage in my professional life.

Big thank you to board games, for being an excellent outlet and escape from reality.

I pretty much have to thank video games for a lot, heck...everything. How I think, how I communicate, and how I execute my every day life can be drawn back to my relationship with video games. It's my first love and we go way back.

I've been gaming my whole life. I was fortunate to be in a house where video games were enjoyed and celebrated by everyone.  Heck, my parents met and their first couple of dates revolved around staying up all night to watch Gauntlet II and Bubble Bobble crash on my dad's NES. It comes to no surprise that some of my favorite memories growing up revolve around video games.

Now, I'm going to tell you right now, I'm a console gamer. Always have. Always will be. My personal collection of consoles goes all the way back to the Nintendo 64 and I've made the jump between Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. I love them all and didn't play favorites growing up. I just wanted to play the best games and whatever system allowed for that, I  had to have it.

Friends I made in high school and college all revolved around the hottest game. Whether that was the latest copy of Madden, to Halo 3, to Guitar Hero and Rock Band, it was easy to find me down the hall in the dorms or hanging out at a friends apartment gaming the night away. Video games have the catalyst for some of my best relationships.

Professionally, I'm not a gamer, but how I think, analyze, and problem solve all revolves around my experience with video games. I lived through the cheat code era of video games, an a lot of my brain power looks at the problem before me and seeks out the "cheat code" that will make the solution as easy as possible. This often creates very efficient, although somewhat lazy, creative solutions that often make my coworkers look at me with the wildest eyes.

Now in days, I use videogames as my release from the world. Find myself in games that allow me to just escape and vibe. As video game design gets more and more realistic, I find myself looking for the simpler games that have a fun story. I'm a big old Nintendo kid now, and it makes me happy.