Whenever you start up a new game of Final Fantasy VIII, you begin your journey in the infirmary. There's a very cool cutscene before that, of course! But the infirmary is where you start to inhabit Squall for the first time.

Because of that, the infirmary seems like an appropriate place to talk about how I first came to play Final Fantasy VIII, and why this game is so important to me.

While we're talking about the game as a whole, let's also discuss my thoughts on the Final Fantasy VIII remaster.

• I might head clockwise to the quad instead.
• Actually, I think I'll head back into the corridors or the entrance hall.