Jeff M Answers Your Questions

Earlier this week, I invited the Game Informer community to ask me questions about whatever their hearts desired. Reader inquiries ran the gamut from serious questions about the state of video game journalism, to even more serious questions about pizza. Here are all the answers I could muster.

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for their submissions; from the questions that made me stop and think to the ones that made me laugh out loud, I had a lot of fun answering as many of them as I could. Please note that some questions have been edited for the sake of clarity and brevity.

Game Informer/Industry-Related Questions:

How did you start out in gaming journalism/working at GI? – Numerous readers
I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in English composition, and landed an internship at GI shortly thereafter. Ultimately, my path into the industry was the same as most editors: I went to school, did a lot of independent writing and some freelance work, and built up a portfolio of writing samples. If you're interested in writing about video games, don't wait until some is paying you to do it – create a blog and start posting. Shameless Plug: We've got a great community for it!

How stressful/demanding is your job at GI? – BRAV0 F1VE
Things always get busy towards the end of the month, when we're trying to finish and proof the magazine while also continuing to post online content. The job involves a lot more writing than it does playing games, but the most stressful assignments (usually longer pieces for the magazine) are also the most rewarding ones.

What are some of your favorite times/most stressful times working at GI? – Qdgyu
Some of my favorite times at GI have involved working with indie developers on previews and features, because the coverage means a lot to them and you have the opportunity to introduce your readers to a game they've likely never heard of. Big industry events like E3 are the most stressful aspect of the job, but the GI staff is good at pulling together and working as a team.

What is the chain of command like at GI? Who do you work with the most day-to-day, and what are your usual methods for pitching a story to Andy McNamara? – Tim Gruver
We all work with each other regularly – whenever someone has a story that needs proofing, they usually just stroll through the bullpen and look for someone who is free. Every story gets read at least three times (considerably more for print), so people are always discussing articles/ideas/games/etc. As for pitching stories: Everyone attends the issue meetings, so you're not pitching a story to just Andy per se, but the entire editorial team.

Do you think that GI and game journalism at large do a good-enough job separating rumor/speculation from statements provided by an actual developer/publisher/console manufacturer? – Joseph
This is something we've discussed a lot recently, and the reason we instituted clear Rumor and Report tags for news that we can't verify ourselves. The system isn't perfect; it still requires us to judge which sites/sources we deem trustworthy, and we might be wrong when we make those calls. However, it does give our readers a clear indication to take the reported story with a grain of salt, and we are continually reevaluating which sources we consider credible. I don't think anyone strives to just be "good enough" – we want to be the best, and we won't stop trying to improve our coverage.

There was an initiative started last year to recognize excellence in video game journalism by soliciting nominations for articles from various authors and having a panel vote on winners. What are your thoughts on video game journalism awards? – Saint
Just what we need, our own Peabody Awards! Seriously though, the positive feedback I occasionally get from readers means a lot more to me than an award ever would. If you really want to recognize quality writing, share the articles you enjoy with your friends or write the author an email. Any writer who needs more than that should rethink his or her priorities.

 In your opinion, who has the best beard at the GI office? – aidanrinku
I see we've come to the hard-hitting questions. That would definitely be Jeff Cork – not only is his facial hair incredibly thick, but it's straight enough that he can grow one of those pointy-chin beards like those guys who have goat legs. Or Satan.

What was it like winning the Super Replay Showdown despite being the underdog in every round according to the Facebook group? – OcarinaOfHeel
The Super Replay Showdown was actually a lot of fun. I was worried about having to host an entire Super Replay, but it seemed to go over well with the Replay community, so all-in-all I consider it a success.

What is the stupidest thing you have seen Dan do at the office? – firedude3663
Pffttt – more like what isn't the stupidest thing I've seen Dan do at the office...

Coming Up Next: Readers ask about next-gen gaming and the big three console makers...

Next-Gen Gaming And Console Makers:

What is your opinion on next-gen consoles from a personal viewpoint? Do you feel as if social integration is an advancement or determent to the future of gaming? – Drop Dead
I'm really excited for the next-gen consoles, and can't wait for them to get here. I'm optimistic that the more powerful hardware will give us genuinely better game experiences, and not just better graphics. In terms of social integration: I don't want games to tweet my progress or post things on my Facebook, but coming up with more ways to connect and interact with my friends on my console – like Xbox Live did this generation – is definitely a welcome addition.

What can the GIO community look forward to from GI in the next console generation? Do you see how you approach reporting and reviews changing with some of the new features offered by Xbox One or the PS4? – Picker of nits
Great question! I think we'll probably see some new forms of coverage, in the same way that we've evolved our approach this generation to accommodate downloadable and mobile games. I'm particularly excited about the ability to record and stream gameplay with the new consoles – hopefully it will allow us to come up with some interesting features and community events!

Do you think that Nintendo is going to last? I mean, I never really want to see them stop making games, but compared to all the insanely deep games of today coming out for 360 and PS3, I feel like Nintendo's been a little lacking. – Fufilment
I don't think Nintendo is going anywhere. Gamers have been prophesizing the company's doom for generations, but it seems like its systems always find an audience. Worst case scenario: Nintendo goes the way of Sega and creates a wealth third-party titles for other systems.

Hangtime, during the Sony E3 2013 Video Recap, you didn't say much compared to Mike and Matt. I am really interested in hearing more about your opinion. What are some of the things that you like or dislike about Sony's conference or PS4? – MARIO NARDI
I think Sony did a remarkable job of identifying the aspects of the Xbox One that people were upset about and presenting the PS4 as a more gamer-friendly alternative based on those perceived weaknesses; the fact that MS has made numerous changes to the Xbox One since E3 shows how effective Sony's strategy has been.

As for the PS4: I'm happy with the new controller (finally, real triggers!), and hopeful that Sony has improved PSN's social functionalities. My only complaint is I'm not all that excited for Sony's exclusives thus far; I'm looking forward to Infamous Second Son, and Killzone: Shadow Fall looks promising, but I'm still waiting to be impressed by the other announced titles. That said, Sony has an excellent indie lineup, and I can't wait to see what the company's first-party developers like Naughty Dog and Media Molecule are working on. 

Do you believe that Nintendo gets fair coverage on GI in comparison to Microsoft and Sony? – Tim Gruver
Yes, I do. We cover every Wii U and 3DS game we can, and love being impressed by Nintendo's offerings – which we occasionally are. However, Nintendo's platforms simply don't have the third-party support that other platforms have, which is why it might seem like we focus on Xbox 360 or PS3 more. If Nintendo released more games, they would get more coverage.

Why is most of the gaming press so biased against Microsoft now they've hit the top? – Bloody Bladel
I don't think the press is biased against Microsoft, and I don't think anyone is dissatisfied with Microsoft because of the company's past success. Consumers responded negatively to the reveal of the Xbox One because they didn't like some of its proposed features and policies, and because Microsoft did a poor job explaining and justifying its decisions. The gaming press reported those problems – it didn't create them.

What do you think of the Vita? Please answer in the form of a question about pizza. – BrokenWing
Ha! Let's see...Is a pizza that tastes great but is expensive and light on toppings really worth buying?

Coming Up Next: Readers ask for favorites and things get personal...

Playing Favorites:

What is your favorite game of this generation? – Numerous readers
That's a tough one. Skyrim is up there, as is The Last of Us. Maybe I'll cheat and say the Mass Effect trilogy as a whole? Ask me again in September – my answer might change around then.

What is your favorite game of all time? – Numerous readers
That's an even tougher question. It's impossible to remove nostalgia from the occasion, but it's probably either The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or Super Metroid.

 Kimberley Wallace had an article on favorite game endings and I was wondering what is your favorite ending to any video game that you have played and why? – Toothdecay
Well, when I was a kid the ending to Super Metroid made me cry. However – and I might just be saying this because it's fresh in my mind – I really liked Naughty Dog's understated and nuanced approach to the ending of The Last of Us. I know I'll get hate mail for this, but I also still love Mass Effect 3's ending. What can I say? I'm a sucker for open-ended conclusions!

Are there any games you like that are either underrated or not a lot of people are fans of? – LADodgersFan
I've always been a huge fan of the Hitman series (while fully acknowledging its flaws), which I know puts me in the minority. Hitman: Absolution reviewed and sold reasonably well, so maybe it got the credit it deserved, but I still think its disguise mechanic and mix of stealth and action is great.

 Are there any sci-fi games that you really like, but probably flew under most people's radar? – Wahman
There have been a couple of indie games. FTL is a fun strategy game, and Xenominer is a sci-fi themed voxel game. I've also been keeping an eye on Blockade Runner, which is another Minecraft-style game that lets you create your own ships.

I'm a pretty big zombie game nerd myself, so I was wondering, what is your favorite zombie-related game of all time? – jellybanana99
Depends on what I'm in the mood for. The Last of Us is probably the best all-around, but I think the Left 4 Dead series is the best FPS, and Dead Island is the best open-world zombie game.

Getting Personal:

Where did the nickname "Hang Time" come from, and do you like it? – Numerous readers
Dan referred to me as Hang Time in some stupid video, probably a Replay. I can only assume he chose Hang Time because of my incredible jumping abilities. As far as nicknames go, I guess it could be worse.

How much joy do you get out of writing Feedback responses? Do you have a favorite out of all of your sassy replies? – Devin McLean
Writing Feedback is a lot of fun. Feedback is one of the few venues where you can be completely serious one moment, and goofy the next – which fits my personality nicely. I don't have a favorite reply, but I always enjoy challenging false assumptions or calling someone out for bad behavior. I also love siding with responsible parents, and the inevitable complaints we receive for it from upset kids.

What was your first gaming console, and your favorite game on that console? – pAc0tAc019
My first console was an old Bally Astrocade that my parents had received as a wedding gift. It was made by Midway and had these strange pistol-grip controllers that had a joystick on the top. Most of the games were variations on Pong, but the best game for it was The Incredible Wizard, followed by Gunfight.

How tall are you? – attackcobra
Apparently Reiner said I was 5'1" during the Ninja Gaiden Super Replay, and I guess I agreed with him while not paying attention. I wasn't actually sure how tall I was, so I measured myself last night to set the record straight – I'm 5'7", which is good enough for me.

How long did you live in Higashi Hiroshima, Japan? Are you fluent in Japanese? What's your favorite story from living in Japan? – TheLaughinManFL
I lived in Japan for a year while I was in college, and sadly wasn't even close to being fluent in Japanese (and have only gotten worse since I moved back home). My favorite memory is probably a homestay I did in a small city called Mihara. We went to an elementary school, and the students had planned an entire day of activities and presentations for us. At the end of the day I went home with one of the families, and we played Mario Party after dinner and watched a dubbed version of Predator on television while we drank beer (the dad and I, that is – not the children).

Do you plan on getting a gaming PC anytime soon? – Andrew Marcos
Given the impending releases of next-gen consoles, probably not. Unless Valve finally gets its act together and releases a Steam Box...

I also can be horrible at gaming despite 30+ years of experience. What's your most embarrassing moment? – shootist2600
On two different occasions I've had playable demos of puzzle games at E3 where I've totally blown it and felt like an idiot. E3 isn't exactly the ideal setting for playing games that require a lot of thought, and by the end of the show I'm lucky if I can figure out how to open my hotel door. I must not have been the only one who had trouble focusing, because both developers politely walked me through my troubles without seeming too surprised (then again, maybe I just look like an idiot too).

How do you like to spend your free time outside of playing games? – Bryan Timm
I hang out with family and friends, watch terrible horror movies, and do boring grown-up things like exercising, cooking, and gardening (which is currently limited to some raspberry bushes, because if it doesn't result in me having delicious fruit to eat, I'm not interested).

Have you ever been to Italy? – Adrian
I haven't, but it's on my to-do list. In addition to visiting the town where my ancestors came from, I plan on stopping by Game Informer Italy and demanding that they move my name up the masthead.

Coming Up Next: More questions about games, and some tantalizing hypotheticals...

Game Time:

What is the worst game you have ever reviewed at GI? – Timothy Repasky
That would be Kung Fu Rider. My review headline was titled "Less Fun Than A Kung Fu Kick To The Groin," which I'm still quite fond of.

Did you play Mass Effect as Male or Female Shepard? – RadiantChaos
Male Shepard, and from what I've heard I really missed out. I think for my next big RPG I'll play as a female character.

What video game of 2013 do you think has a big shot of being game of the year? – Amaihana
I think it will come down to The Last of Us and GTA V, and unless something goes majorly wrong with GTA V, I think it's going to be a really hard decision.

What is the hardest game you have beaten? How does it stack up against Ninja Gaiden? – dork jedi
That would probably be Spelunky, due to its randomized levels and permadeath. I died 499 times before I beat it, and that was using warps. Playing the game from the beginning to end on one life remains the most nerve-wracking gaming experience of my life – Ninja Gaiden seems downright forgiving in comparison.  

What's your favorite water-cooler moment of 2013 so far? – sirraklov
The opening of The Last of Us was discussed in the office a lot. I thought it did a great job of establishing the characters and their motivations, while also introducing you to the world and gameplay.  

I like open-world games too, and was wondering if you have seen the steps that developers have taken to make their experiences occur within an open-world setting? What do you think this means for the gaming industry? – John Marston
A lot of developers are adopting open-world formats for their games, and I couldn't be more excited. Open-world games are fun because they provide players with more freedom and personal agency. I'm glad developers are recognizing that desire and trying to accommodate their fans.

Hypothetically Speaking:

Would you play an open-world Call of Duty game? – Buddy Acker
I sure would – I'd love to play an open-world military shooter that places a greater emphasis on strategy and tactics than just shuffling players from one shooting gallery to the next.

If you could live in any video game world, which world would that be? Remember, some of these worlds may not contain pizza! – sthomson20
I'd say probably a peaceful and laid-back world like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon. Those games have pizza, right?

If you had the chance to create any game you wanted with unlimited funding and the help of an all-star development team, what would that game be? – LHD6
Easy: An open-world sci-fi action/RPG that lets you design and pilot your own ships, hire a crew (that's susceptible to permadeath, naturally), and then travel to and explore procedurally generated worlds. In case you couldn't tell, I may have thought about this once or twice before.

If you could have BioWare make any of the following, which would you choose: A.) Star Wars KotOR 3 B.) Battlestar Galactica RPG or C.) Star Trek RPG – JohnWrek
Battlestar Galactica RPG, times a thousand! 

Do you watch The Walking Dead? Do you think it could make a good, next-gen, triple-A gaming experience? Like Survival Instinct, but actually good? – Patrick
Absolutely. I think State of Decay would provide a good blueprint, even if it has its flaws. 

What sci-fi title that hasn't been a game do you think has the most potential? I'd go with The Space Vampires (which was adapted to the film Lifeforce). It's essentially sci-fi + zombies! –Tyod
I'm a huge fan of Lifeforce and would definitely play a game based on it. As previously mentioned, I'd also love to play a game in the Battlestar Galactica universe, or Firefly universe.  

Given your experience with playing the bad games so that we don't have to, what amazing feature in a horrible game do you wish would be implemented in an actually good game? – W Anthony Cox
Avatar: The Game was pretty bad, but it had an interesting turn-based strategy meta-game. I've always wished that shooters would add a strategic layer to their gameplay by letting you manage your resources and personnel, and choose which missions and locations you wanted to undertake. Avatar at least tried something along those lines, even though it ended up being pretty bad.

If there were one terrible, horrible thing you could do to Dan with a push of a button and have absolutely no legal repercussions, how long would you push that button, and would you stop once your fingers started to get sore or just work through the pain? – Kanin usage
Ha! A number of readers asked how Dan and I get along, and if I actually want to murder him in real life. I don't. As annoying as he can be, Dan's a good guy (that, or I'm trying to establish an alibi right now – I'll let you be the judge).

Questions From Morons:

What's it like to sit behind a genius? – Ben Hanson
I certainly wouldn't know.

Coming Up Next: The topic you've all been waiting for...

Pizza Questions:

What makes you GI's resident pizza expert? – Several Game Informer editors
Surprisingly, several editors have questioned my pizza expert qualifications since I posted my Ask An Editor feature on Monday. Aside from my Italian heritage and 31 years of pizza-eating experience (yes, I started eating pizza when I was zero years old – deal with it), I was the first to declare myself GI's resident pizza expert. If anyone else felt qualified, you'd think they would have spoken up before now.

Deep dish or thin pizza? – Boyzby
Both pizza types have their time and place, but deep dish has many more times and many more places.

What is your favorite pizza topping? – Gotham's Reckoning
Pepperoni. I'm old-school like that.

Have you ever been to Pizza Luce? – firedude3663
We just ate Pizza Luce last week, courtesy of el Guard Duck.

Do you eat pizza whilst playing video games? – Elgarta
No. Greasy controllers are not cool.

When you make pizza sauce, do you go with San Marzano or with the classic NY style sauce? – Tyod
Pizza sauce is actually the next thing on my "Learn How To Cook" list. If you've got a recipe, email it to me!

Have you ever tried a broccoli and tomato pizza? If not, you should. – AbsoluteDeicide
Yeah. It's alright, but I'm decidedly not a broccoli-on-pizza kind of guy.

How do you feel about pizza chains such as Pizza Hut and Domino's? – tombot7
Chain restaurants are certainly cheap, but if you're looking for quality, you're better off finding a family-owned restaurant. I do consider Little Caesars a guilty pleasure, though.

Which national/global pizza chain is your favorite? – musicalham
I'd say Papa Murphy's is probably my favorite, even if you have to cook it yourself.

Why can't I find Crescent Moon pizza anywhere? – Timothy Repasky
It's only in Minneapolis! Try looking for a place that has Afghani pizza, as that's what Crescent Moon serves.

What do you think about calzones versus pizza? – leatherceltic
I like calzones too, even if they are just folded pizzas. Heck, you could probably serve a pizza stuffed in a shoe and it would still be delicious.

What's the best pizza you've ever had in your life? – Jared Corbett
My favorite pizza place is still Sal's Pizzeria, which was a block away from my apartment when I lived in New York. I go back every time I visit, and I'm still trying to talk Mike into mailing pizzas on a regular basis. Come on, Mike, take one for the team!

Thanks again to everyone who submitted a question!