Joystiq blogger bio: James Ransom-Wiley
I've split my working hours blogging about games with a full-time job for a nonsectarian Buddhist foundation since July 2004. I care deeply about both matters, games and Buddhism, which are sometimes, but not always, at odds ...
Does disregarding the bodhisattva's way of life within a virtual world affect the worlds without? How about following it? Even so, if a single human life is so precious, should fleeting moments be spent playing video games? Is there merit to be generated? These, my friends, are questions worth asking.
Nearly 2,500 posts later, I suppose it's time for a proper introduction:
First game experience: ColecoVision -- my older brother's set. I used to play around with Tarzan, mashing the 5-button to initiate the monkey-man's signature cry (sorta sounded like this). Other than that, I was too young to understand the goal -- if there was one.
Games that changed me: Rampage (Arcade), Super Mario Bros. (NES), The Legend of Zelda (NES), Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES), Shufflepuck Café (Macintosh), Ninja Gaiden (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade), King's Quest V (MS-DOS), Battletoads (NES), Street Fighter II (Arcade/SNES), F-Zero (SNES), Madden 92 (SNES), Wolfenstein 3-D (MS-DOS), DOOM (MS-DOS), NBA Jam (Arcade/SNES), GoldenEye (N64), Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation), Tekken 3 (PlayStation), Halo (Xbox), Vice City (PC), Guitar Hero (PlayStation 2), Brain Age (DS).
Potential sources of bias and conflicts of interest: (1) Nintendo (NES) was one of my first loves (lost after N64) -- but rediscovered with DS; (2) so, I saw Sega as the 'other guy,' and later Sony -- though I owned Genesis and PlayStation, and I own PlayStation 2 and PSP; (3) I quit gaming between the ages of 18–20, until a friend showed me Halo -- Xbox is the reason I'm back to playing games today; (4) I'm suspicious of consolidation, sequels, and mainstream "hits"; (5) and I root for the underdogs, the indie guys & gals; (6) especially if an "innovative" risk is involved.
Why I'm blogging about games: I needed to supplement my income, so I responded to a Craigslist ad for a writing position on a developing video game website. I submitted three samples in the style of some site called 'Engadget.' Five weeks later I got a response. I was hired and began blogging for Joystiq alongside Ben Zackheim. Some 26 months later, Joystiq has grown beyond my expectations, and while I continue to work on expanding my writing beyond the scope of games, I find myself drawn to this medium, particularly its relationship with popular culture and its potential to tell good stories. 'Holla.
