Hey, listen!

My relationship with video games began casually, by watching my brother play through the Spyro games or by burning a circular mark into my palm while playing Mario Party on the N64. I enjoyed games, but it wasn't until the release of Red Dead Redemption in 2010 that an enjoyment became an obsession and I realized games were a medium that I had to become involved in. I grew up riding horses, and I purchased Red Dead thinking I would use it as a horse riding simulator rather than a true open-world experience. That all changed as from the moment John Marston ‘implored’ Bill Williamson outside Fort Mercer, only to be gruesomely shot by a man he once considered family, I was hooked. Hundreds of hours later, I know those deserts, mountains, swamps, and plains like the back of my hand. 

I attended the University of King’s College and obtained a degree in English and the History of Science and Technology, but it wasn’t until my second degree in journalism that I began to see games writing as an actual possibility. Every time I pitched a story, it was a safe bet it was gaming related. There is something about the people involved in the industry who speak with such a heightened passion when it comes to what they do. Every interview I have had with a game developer has not only been pleasant, but thoroughly engrossing. 

If you happen to sit with me while I play a game, you will notice that I often pause and allow my character to stare blankly at an aspect of the environment like a moss covered brick or an aging newspaper clipping, mumbling, “wow, somebody made that.” I am continually amazed by the creativity that resides in the games industry, and believe it is a true unification of art and technology. I love learning not only about the final products and how they are received, but every aspect behind the scenes that allowed them to come to fruition. Writing about this medium allows for such a diverse range of storytelling opportunities, from literary analysis, to hard news, to technological innovation coverage. 

It seems like a sign that my internship started on the 6th anniversary of Red Dead, as the game that got me involved in the industry will now always share a date with when I first passed through the doors of Game Informer. Some of my best friends were made with controllers in hand, and I don’t know where I would be today if I didn’t happen to find the Red Dead box cover resting on the shelf of a Best Buy particularly tantalizing. There is no place I would rather be, and for the first time when someone asks me what I do, I feel I can officially say ‘games journalist.’