JamesRansom-wiley
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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.
