Gamestyle The Latest

Mostly this blog is about whisky and Scottish life, but before whisky there was Gamestyle. I wanted to say a few words about this fantastic independent gaming site that I have spent over a decade involved with because within the last 24 hours the site has been hacked. That fateful day when I waded into an forum argument to help out a cockney geezer (who’s site was being savaged in a forum for a gaming magazine that has so long departed) seemed like the right thing to do. That encounter was the start of something new and exciting.

Now I don’t know the reason for this attack, or why someone from Russia would pick out a site that so many individuals have contributed their time (free of charge) to for so long. Yes, it’s not the first time GS has been hacked, I can remember at least 3 other occasions over its eventful history and various incarnations. There’s never been a good time to be faced with such a dilemma or the thought of rebuilding and these attacks have always come when the site was on the rise, or in this case readying to bounce back.

Previous attacks may have blunted us, and I do recall one that led to us existing as a forum for a while before a new version was released. That particular time was very unfortunate as we were going great guns and had a great team. Each time the site returned. The last attack was several years ago and cost us most of the early retro material that Dean, Gareth and other forerunners had provided. Some snippets existed and I restored these in the new version and so the site continued to evolve.

This latest attack is almost terminal. The person or group responsible has not only devastated the home server but also destroyed another server where the site was regularly backed up. Why? I’m not sure, I cannot explain such behaviour in people and I’m not a man of violence but I do believe you will reap what you sow.

What is good is seeing many who have assisted GS over the years appearing again and voicing their support during this difficult period. What is the future of GS? At the moment that is open for debate and we’re talking. What remains of the site are those words across our PC’s and old devices, these scattered remnants may just remain that. At least I have a lot of great memories of my time involved with Gamestyle and meeting so many great people. That is one thing no hacker can remove.

All good things must come to an end. GS may end as 2012 closes out, what 2013 brings? Well, who knows it’s bounced back before but this time it would be a clean slate. I’ll post more when decisions are made and thoughts collected. For now just remember the good times.