Being a gamer and writer doesn’t happen in isolation-there are many factors and influences that shape one’s passion for videogames and engage in the medium of the written word. I have many influences and passions and I feel I should write this as an extension of the ‘about me’ section-seeing as I’m writing in the first person this should be apparent. From videogame publications and YouTube personalities to the videogames themselves-here are some of my biggest influences in my life as a gamer and writer.
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GAMETRAILERS/EASY ALLIES
Perhaps the heaviest influence on my existence as a writer stems from all the time I watched GameTrailers reviews throughout the mid-late 00s and first half of the 2010s. The narrator Brandon Jones and his iconic authoritative voice has resonated with me because I feel there’s no guff, no hyperbole-just a good clear and concise voice that tells you how it is. Not all of GTs reviews are serious, sometimes there are some genuinely amusing edits and shots that allow what Brandon’s saying to mirror a scene in a videogame-such is the case with GTs Iron Man 2 review where after a largely negative review Tony Stark watches a Russian general expire before his eyes before uttering “well that was the most awful thing ever”. Similarly with GT’s GTA V review they ended it with Michael saying “ I think you just made a sale”, which indeed is indicative of how compelling GTA V is and how much gamers love it. Unfortunately GameTrailers shut its doors in February 2016 but from its ashes came Easy Allies. Headed up by Brandon, Easy Allies consists of 8 (formerly 9) of GameTrailers staff members-and in many ways Easy Allies is a thorough evolution of GameTrailers only this time it's crowd-funded and a whole lot less corporate. The vibes themselves are different with Easy Allies-so much friendlier and more passionate with every member bringing a distinctive flair. Of course I've disagreed with their GOTY choices at times among other trivial things, but these guys personify what videogames should be about-passion, love and respect-the latter two words being their motto that the community has lived and thrived by for five years. I can write about GT/Easy Allies all day but they've been extremely influential to my love of videogames and they continue to be to this very day. |
GAMESMASTER MAGAZINE
A magazine birthed from a popular British videogame-related TV show, GamesMaster magazine had been in my life for about 13 years until the magazine sadly closed up shop in late 2018. GamesMaster's attractive cover, its many witty and quirky pages and its unfettered love for multi-platform videogame coverage has made me a big fan of it over the years. As a matter of fact every time I bought an issue I'd take it home, kiss the cover and sniff that fresh and fine print smell-yeah it's an oddball thing to do but GamesMaster is worthy of that affection. Over the years GamesMaster saw several revisions to its presentation and it became evident it was becoming consumed by corporate means, but when the magazine dazzled in colour and a jokey signature handprint-it was the most likeable videogame magazine for me personally. Me and the GM community mourned its passing but I wish for a revival of some sort-it's a mag too good to stay dead and buried. |
ZERO PUNCTUATION
The summer of 2008 was the first time this animated web-series caught my attention. An British-born Aussie gamer and writer choosing to use his voice at full unstoppable speed, chucking viewers fistfuls of satire, dry humour and as the title suggests-zero punctuation. Well actually the latter isn't quite true, you wouldn't know it with its freight-train-like delivery and the animated sprites so quick you'll have to pause the video several times to catch every juicy morsel of wit. I watched the series religiously every single week from when I started in the summer of 2008 to the beginning of 2012. Yes, I did get a tad drained after all that excessive ZP episode viewing, but in recent times with the Escapist+ membership I've returned to watching Zero Punctuation weekly again and it makes me wonder why I stopped watching in the first place. |
NEWGROUNDS
Another animated humour-centred videogame-related website, Newgrounds has made some of the funniest videogame parodies I've ever seen. Egoraptor in particular garnered most of my attention with his parodies of numerous videogame franchises from Metal Gear Solid, to Gears of War, to GTA IV, Dead Rising, Resident Evil and L.A Noire. The mockery is truly in the spirit of the franchises being mocked and there's so much to laugh at-just choose an Egoraptor video and go and have a belly-laugh. |
JIM STERLING
Although in recent times I've grown tired with the repetitive tendencies of his Jimquisition episodes, Jim deserves a whole heap of credit for bringing a myriad of videogame industry hot topics to the fore and does so with a levity and audacity that is quite liberating. Jim is a passionate man, a big fat passionate man, and he'll make you know it. But he's also a critic who knows what he wants and demands from his videogames. Much like Zero Punctuation, I was glued to The Jimquisition for several years and it's all because he brings the topics people care about into the squared circle of his wrestling ring so he can pummel and suplex them more times than when Brock Lesnar takes his foes to Suplex City. |
VIDEOGAME DUNKEY
The most recent inspiration on this list, Videogame Dunkey posts lots of silly but seriously entertaining videos where he edits together lots of gameplay footage and makes it pop with his gloriously sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek commentary. His videos are plentiful and they always manage to bring a smile to my face. |