Welcome to the Bitmobber Twitterview!

A Twitterview is an interview done over Twitter.  Each Twitterview consists of various questions aimed at one of the Members of the Bitmob Community.

You may have noticed I am not Lance. I'm filling in for him on some of these Twitterviews as his new job is out to destroy his online persona. Andrew worked out best for me to do because he always seems to be on early in the morning when I am.

Andrew has been lurking around Bitmob forever, swooping in to post some sort of insightful/ridiculous article, and then vanishing into the Canadian night. According to his Meet the Mob, he hunts for shipwrecks as his day job, which is a sentence so awesome that I want to high five someone right now. Alright, I high fived one of the cats.

Now, on with the Twitterview!

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Tell us a bit about yourself.

I live on the isle of Newfoundland, I work for a scuba resort for cold water diving, and I convince my boss to let me go shipwreck hunting.

What is your earliest gaming memory?

The next door neighbor brought back an NES for us from Boston in the 80s. His son showed me how to get to the warp in SMB 1-2 which I tried to show my dad in turn, and failed again and again until my dad walked out of the room.

What got you interested in writing about video games?

Nothing in particular. I love writing, always have. Video games is just a subject I understand, thereby attracting my pen (or keystrokes).

Who are some of your favorite video game writers?

Shawn Elliott, Robert Ashley, Jeremy Parish (when he is not wordy), Aaron Thomas, Jeremy "Norm" Scott, but my favorite was Luke Smith.

How did you find out about Bitmob, and what do you like/dislike about the site?

Kept my eye on it, especially after the 1upocalypse. I submitted an article, it got put in a spotlight, and I've been hooked ever since. I like the use of real names, I like the group sourcing for articles, and I like how the editors treat everyone like bonafide writers. I think the site could improve how the members connect, because we have all been doing that outside the site. I think the site could be a launch pad for writers, where editors could get in there, find members and pick writers suitable for their needs. I also think that if editors could somehow get the audience to focus on smaller articles... it would make my day easier reading-wise.

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Community Questions:

Jon Shults - What are your best and worst shipwreck hunting stories?

Worst: Being stuck on a boat all day without doing work, because I forgot to pack a 9 volt battery.

Best: Not finding, but doing side scan of the Bell Island wrecks, known wrecks that we have been diving for years: http://is.gd/4H8Hc

Also Best: finding a catalina seaplane with only a depth sounder in Battle Harbour, Labrador.

Travis McReynolds - Your Meet the Mob said you've only ever played one PS2 game. What was it?

Alex - If it isn't Shadow of the Colossus, I'm ending this interview right now and waiting for you to go play that.

Final Fantasy X. I borrowed my friend's PS2 for a month. My dad owns one and plays it all the time, albeit mostly fishing and golf games. With PS3 backwards compatibility yanked, I may never play it, as that will be the next console I buy.

Hmm, that's a pretty good answer I suppose. But if they release that Ico/SotC bundle for PS3, I demand you buy and play it.

Agreed. But only if I can be even more pretentious about it than fans already are.

Jon Shults (and also Schwarzenegger) - Who is your daddy, and what does he do?

My father is a cardiologist in St. John's, Newfoundland. He enjoys moose hunting, poker, European soccer, the NFL, and science fiction.

Daniel Feit - Does it bother you that Canadians are under-represented in games? At least from a cultural and spelling perspective.

They are not. Almost 300 Canadians appear in two games every year. NHL and the NHL 2K series. Also, with the advent of Halo's recharge system, Universal Health Care is in most FPSes. I think we're good to go.

Daniel Feit - Have you ever eaten an ostrich or it's eggs? If so, should I try it? It looks really good.

No. I have a severe allergy to eggs. My wife is afraid of ostriches, emus, llamas, basically anything with a long neck that isn't a giraffe.

Jazz English - Do you believe in the Ostragon (an ostrich + a dragon)?

Since modern paleontological theory espouses that modern birds evolved from small dinosaurs and dragons are mythological creatures probably inspired by China's massive amount of dinosaur fossils, I would argue that an ostrich is a dragon, and that an Ostragon is redundant in the extreme. So: No. No, I don't.

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Alright, done with Lance's standard questions until the end, and done with the community section, now onto my questions. Be prepared, for they are tough.

You're always looking for a unique angle when writing about games. Do you think there's a place for "normal" game writing, or would you do away with it completely?

Reviews and previews? There is a place, because there is an audience. I do wish people weren't interested in it though. I also think people should aspire to do more than that. Writing a falsely objective review is a poor career goal. And finally, there are so many more interesting stories in video games than how good a single game is.

You just got a gig writing reviews for Armchair Empire. Given what you just said, if they want straight-forward reviews, could you handle doing that?

I've told Mr. Simmer, who runs the site, that I will explore new ways to write reviews that is informative, entertaining and insightful doing my best to steer away from convention. I will enjoy the challenge.

So, you hunt for treasure under the sea. Ever think your life is just one big water level?

Well, Endless Ocean was actually pretty good with scuba diving, albeit cramming a lot of stuff into a small bit of real estate and that was one big water level. But I was an artisan baker for a short period, so maybe add a Cooking Mama mini-game.

What's your favorite joke from middle school involving your name? Did anyone ever ask you if the 'J' stood for Jerkoff?

"The man turned to the crowd And drew His cock out of his pants". I made it up myself. Also, I can't name my future son Harrison.

I called you out on Pixel Revolt to answer the community question and you didn't. What should you have to do as a result? Shave your head, maybe punch yourself in the groin?

I will change my baby's diaper and put in a 12 hour day at work. Let the punishment fit the crime!

Which of your posts is your favorite, and which other Bitmobber's posts do you enjoy most?

My Dreamcast Palindromes article is my favorite. Constraints are good, and that was the most constraining article I ever approached. I love Aaron Thomas. His piece on Uncharted 2 made me weepy. I also like that guy who draws. Mike, I think (Mike Minotti). Indeed, give him a job. I also like J. Cosmo, Cronk-Young, and not cause you're doing this and Lance's comments are nuts. The guy's like a tightly wound spring. Love it.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I hope to be running a Shipwreck Museum in Newfoundland. We have over 10,000 shipwrecks. I'd like to see a single museum take that on.

Thanks a lot Andrew. Since Lance is usually much more excited when he says that I guess I will be too. Thanks a lot Andrew!!!

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Selected Biography:

Why Game? An Anthropological, Sociological, Psychological Approach

Mii: The Musical

The Grinch That Stole Christmas Marketshare