Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! Today is a day of rest, a day of reflection, and a day of giving thanks. In this day and age, there is so much to be thankful for that it's hard to know where to begin. So we decided to have all the staff members of Gamervision take a few minutes to tell you what each of us is most thankful for in 2008. Feel free to share your blessings with us.

Stay safe everyone and have a great holiday!

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Sean:

Where do I begin? At the risk of sounding corny or cheesy, I feel so blessed this year that it might take just shy of all day to list the many things I'm thankful for. I am thankful for my health, I'm thankful for my family, I'm thankful for my cats, I'm thankful for my wife. I'm thankful that my 360 Elite hasn't red ringed, and I'm thankful that I'm finally able to play LittleBigPlanet on my PS3. I'm thankful that I bought the noise-canceling headphones so I can play survival horror without giving the Mrs. nightmares.

This year, though, I am most thankful for the community on Gamervision. As a kid, it was really hard for me to make friends. Now, I have a website where I can literally say I have made hundreds of the best friends I've ever known. You guys are all so awesome, so funny, so much fun to be around that I don't know what I'd do without you. 

Now I have to go eat lots of food!

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Sarah:

There is a lot to be thankful for as far as gaming goes this Thanksgiving, so I’m not even sure where to start. First of all, I’m thankful for cheap retro games, because I have some sort of compulsion to collect them and I can’t seem to stop. I’m thankful for review copies of highly anticipated games that come really early, so that I can play potential games of the year sooner. I’m thankful for the zombie apocalypse, for bringing gamers together in unexpected ways. I’m thankful that almost every game I bought this year has been fantastic, and that 2008 is shaping up to be an even better year for games than 2007, something I never would have thought was possible.

Most of all, much like last year, I am very thankful for Gamervision, not only for paying me to be creative and play video games, but for giving me opportunities that I never would have had otherwise. I have made some awesome friendships in the 13 months I’ve been here, and I love my job like I never thought was possible. I know that sounds horribly cheesy, but it’s true.

Oh, and I’m also thankful for Maniac Mansion.

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Chris:

First off, there's turkey.  It goes with stuffing, gravy, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, cornbread, regular bread, green beans, more turkey, cheese, mayo, mustard, bacon, and pretty much whatever else you can throw on a plate, so I'm certalnly thankful for that.  As far as gaming goes, I am thankful that the following series' are being continued: Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Strider, Skate, and Beyond Good and Evil.  Publishers remaining dedicated to quality projects like these fills me with hope for the future of the gaming industry.  I'm also thankful for the plethora of awesome titles that have been released in the past few months, because it has not only provided me with hours of play time, but also a back-stock of games that will last me until at least April.

On a more serious note, one of the things I'm most thankful for is that in 146 years, America has gone from considering African Americans property to electing one as our president.  Whether you support Mr. Obama or not, all Americans should be proud of how far this nation has progressed in terms of civil rights.  We're certainly not perfect, but we're getting closer.

Happy turkey day, everyone!

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Nikkita:

There is so much to be thankful for, day to day, but this year has been especially good to me. I'm grateful for working in an industry that requires us to push the envelope. I'm thankful for the opportunity to attend PAX and rub elbows with some of the most sincere and genuine people an industry has to offer. That's right, I mean you guys, the gamers. I'm thankful to be a spectator of a form of media that is continuously growing in power and signifigance. And most of all, I'm thankful to experience all of this alongside a group of some of the most funny, unique and caring people, the Gamervisioneers.

On an even more personal note, I'm grateful for the food on my table and the bed I sleep in at night. I'm thankful for my good health and that of my family and friends. Most of all, I'm thankful for all of the encouragement and support I've received by literally, everyone, for my work on the Dairy and furthering my education in film and production. There's something to be said for endless support, telling you to follow your heart.

Thank you everyone and everything.

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Mike:

I will keep this simple. Left4Dead is the only thing I am thankful for. Well, pipe bombs in Left4Dead to be more specific. Nothing compliments a turkey drumstick like red mist.

Now for my sappy serious piece. As a 32 year Thanksgiving veteran, this year has been one of my hardest. Through it all, my friends and family have supported me in ways I couldn't have dreamed of. I am thankful for my job at Gamervision, not just because times are tough, but because it is possibly the greatest job in the history jobs.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Coop:

Ah, thankful, good word. I’m thankful for a lot of stuff, like family, relationships and health. I’m happy that I work at Gamervision because I love this industry, and I’m thankful to be nearly finished my education, so I can wave around a diploma as a sign that I spent a lot of money to be forced to reread the same twelve short stories over and over again. The largest thing I’m thankful for, in terms of gaming, is that I have friends that will play different games with me, which I believe is the true purpose of gaming in general. Being able to blow through the co-op in Left4Dead with people I love (or, in some cases, simply deal with) is something to be happy about, and the fact that the job I’m in, the friends I have, and the life I am living allows that is something to be very thankful about.
 
Since we’re making personal notes as well, I’m very thankful for my parents, especially my father, who doesn’t complain about anything, even when he should, and my mother for putting up with that. My sister for trying to not drive me crazy, and my grandparents for allowing me to live a hectic, college-student life without making me feel guilty for it. Also, I’m thankful for FemJesse, who puts up with most of the foolishness in my life and lets it all slide. Thank you, all of you.

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Tim:

What?!? Thanksgiving already?!?  I feel like I just polished off the leftovers from last Thanksgiving.  But maybe that has less to do with nostalgia and more to do with my questionable eating habits...

Aside from my cast-iron stomach, I am thankful for so many things this year.  The first of which is games with multiple save files.  I am a perfectionist gamer and when I think I could have done that dungeon, or that encounter, or that NPC conversation better, or with less ammo, or for more XP, I can just take a step back and try again.  It's like every game becomes Braid.

The second thing I'm thankful for is Braid.  That game was so simple and beautiful, and at the same time so brain-blisteringly difficult.  Finally beating it (without looking up any of the solutions) was easily the most rewarding gaming experience of my post-college life.

And finally I'm thankful for my job here at Gamervision.  It is so much better than anyone else's job...ever.  My 10 year old self couldn't even imagine a gig this sweet.  I make movies, and play video games with the 15 coolest kids in the tri-state area.  Also, for some reason, they hand me a check every other week.  It's nuts!

And for that last one I apologize, because it must make your thanksgiving seem pretty crappy all of a sudden.  Sorry about that.  Go have some pie.  You'll feel better, I promise.

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Paul:

I'm mostly thankful for Twix bars, but that's because I just ate one and it was delicious and my short term memory is convincing me it was the greatest thing I've ever eaten. I'm sure that will be surpassed by the numerous turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce sammiches I will create over the next two weeks.

I'm thankful for the 8-bajillion good games that came out this year, but also angry about corporate policies that require all of those games to come out within a six week period. I'm thankful for Fallout 3 because I've waited far too long to see a Deathclaw and a Centuar in three dimensions (they are as horrifying as I could have imagined). I am thankful that after tomorrow I can watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on repeat and that will be considered a totally valid way of passing my time until Santa Claus brings me mad lootz.

Let me get some sappiness out of the way – I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to critique, discuss, and generally enjoy the hobby of electronic entertainment with the crew here at Gamervision. Even though you guys make fun of my inherent Italian-ness, ya'll cool. Also – relatively good health, family, friends, and a nice pair of peanut butter pants.

Also, I'm thankful that over the next few weeks I will have the opportunity to virtually survive the zombie apocalypse with you the GV community. Hopefully through all this simulation we will become fully prepared for the inevitable real-life scenario. Than our dream of a paradise video-game island can come true, complete with IRL tower-defense against masses of zombie hordes. 

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Joe:

I guess I'm going to get a little cheesy here, but I am incredibly thankful for my friends and family. Without them, Left4Dead would be so lonely.

I am also thankful for everyone on the site who has made Gamervision what it is and continues to be. Thank you to everyone who has helped contribute to the community. 

Sorry this is so short, but it's Wednesday night and everyone has left to get drinks. I think I'm going to stop talking about my friends and go join them. Happy Thanksgiving!

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00.19:

Mostly I'm thankful that I won't have to get up at 5AM to work a retail job thanks to Gamervision. You don't realize how nice it is to sleep in until you finally have the opportunity.

I'm thankful for my co-host of All Sorts of Sports, Mike, without whom the show wouldn't be anywhere near as funny or entertaining. Of course, I'm also thankful for you guys in the community giving us your highlights, because without you (and editor/director/cameraman Tim) we would have no reason to do the show.

Of course I'm thankful for family and friends, even though that goes without saying. And I'm thankful for all you guys out there reading this. We may not always get along, or agree, but at least we all know that Coop is both a hater and a fanboy of all things all the time.