As I'm sure most of you have seen the press conferences of the big three, it is more than obvious that most of the big-time execs of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo don't really care about video games. The same is true about some of the big-time publishers as well. Don't get me wrong...I think they enjoy their jobs. I'm sure they're fine business leaders. But how many of them could talk to anyone here about why Bioshock's atmosphere was so captivating, or why Braid's ending plot twist was so fantastic, or the newest strategies you've been trying out in COD4? How many of them do you think actually play games for fun?



Remember Peter Moore at E3 in his last year with Microsoft? He apparently didn't think it was important enough for him to make sure he didn't bomb his Rock Band performance by practicing.



Cammie Dunaway is a joke. I know that Nintendo hired her to help them reach the type of "casual" audience that Ms. Dunaway represents, which makes sense, but she tries to talk to the hardcore gamer and it doesn't work.

Now we have Reggie Fils-Aime who thinks that Nintendo will attract the "core" gamer with games like The Conduit and Dead Space: Extraction:

"We think we win over the Halo audience with something like The Conduit, a multiplayer, online, shooting experience, or Dead Space Extraction," he adds. "And you know what? Once those people buy into Wii, they'll go buy Mario Kart or Wii Fit Plus."



Really, Reggie? Are you serious?

Besides President Iwata and Mr. Miyamoto from Nintendo, I think you'd be hard pressed to find an executive business leader of a major company in the video game industry that are true gamers. They are a rare breed, indeed.

So here's the deal...

My name is Mike McLeod, and I'm currently a soon-to-be graduate MBA student from Fresno State. That in no way makes me cool or better than anyone. I only bring it up to talk about one of my goals in my career:

I want to be a different kind of businessman in the video game industry.

The video game industry is devoid of great business leaders who are true gamers. As a result, you have some executives who are great businessmen and women, but don't understand when hardcore gamers react a certain way. We are a peculiar bunch.

I believe I can be that guy that not only has a tremendous business acumen but also is a hardcore gamer just like anyone else on this site.

Unfortunately, I am not in the video game industry at the moment. I'm an entrepreneur, and I haven't launched anything video game related yet...but if things go the way I'm hoping then that should change in the next year.

Anyways, one day my goal will come true. Hopefully, when that day comes no one on Destructoid will refer to me as just another "suit".