Pippa is at long last considering a gaming tattoo. But which one will it be?

I have a rather substantial collection of tattoos.

How does this relate to videogames? Well interestingly one of the questions I get asked most about my tattoos, apart from “did it hurt?”(yes) and “so, how much did it cost?” (if you want something big start saving) is “do you have any videogame tattoos?”

The answer is no. I know it might seem like an odd thing that I haven't had something from the medium that I love so very much etched on to my skin, but there's never been anything, even from games that I would list as part of my top 10, that I really loved enough to get tattooed on me.

I know people in the industry that have console symbols tattooed on them, indicating their fanboy status. I know a developer with a compilation of characters that each indicated a pivotal point in his gaming career. I know other people sporting tattoos of well-known gaming characters that we all love and recognise, but I still haven't felt any desire to have these things tattooed on me.

Until now. Perhaps it's that I've finally reached a point that I realise that what I get tattooed on me doesn't always have to be imbued with quite so much meaning. Maybe it's just an image that I think is kick-ass. Or perhaps it's that I've discovered games that over the years I still return to time and time again.  Actually looking back at that list I think it might be all three. I've gone from not wanting any videogame tattoos, to a list of about three that I would quite like to get done at some stage.

What are they you ask? I'm not telling just yet. If I've taken this long to consider one then I need to mull it over in my head for a little longer before I share that with anyone.

But do you think you can guess? Well, let me help you by telling you what they're not. Pacman, Mario, Kratos? None of these have ever even crossed my mind.

Anyone who has followed me on social media for an extended period of time will know that I am a huge fan of the GTA franchise, even with its gender controversy, and yet that is not a tattoo I'm interested in getting. Not even a little bit. Not the logo, not a character, nothing, so eliminate that from your list right away!

It's difficult because my “favourite” game is often quite fleeting. It's what I'm enjoying now, immersing myself in, but that doesn't mean it will always be that way. Ok, I won't deny that I am considering a Witcher tattoo of some kind, but not the wolf medallion. Every time I do a Google search on this topic, that is the tattoo that pops up the most. Sure it's awesome and looks amazing as a tattoo, but who wants something that everybody else has? Certainly not me. 

Article first appeared in TechSmart 137, Feb 2015, which you can download here.