New Writers! New Event!

One of my favorite types of moment at the Castle is when we can finally reveal fun stuff we have been working on behind-the-scenes for a while. The recent release of the Android app was one example, and there will be more to come (even relatively soon), but I am excited to say that today is one of those days we get to reveal some shiny new developments.

New Writers

We are delighted to be introducing a few new faces around the Castle, beginning next week.

Joey Davidson is a dapper fellow who loves games writing. Do you remember that first anonymous baddie you oh-so-casually killed on level 1-1 of your favorite old-school platformer, and did not bother giving further consideration to as you mindlessly murdered the next few thousand you encountered as well? That guy had a family, had a life, had dreams and passions, and you ruined it all. Okay, Joey may not go that deep, but in his new weekly column Bad Guys Anonymous, he wants to peel back the layers on in-game enemies you otherwise may never have given a second thought to.

Joe Martin is actually an artist by trade, who whips up fantastic comics-style work as among his primary samples. So, uh, why would we give him a weekly written column? Maybe it is his clever jokes, or the way he oozes charisma in general. But I would place my bet on his pitch: The voice of a “crotchety old gamer,” providing personal slice-of-life reflections, offering his distinctive perspective on everything from current issues in the gaming scene to retro gems that seem to be overlooked nowadays.

Peter Skerritt is one of the smartest, most insightful gaming personalities on the web right now. His analyst angle is like no other, and we are happy to borrow his pen for a mini-series run on one of his passions: Pinball games. Trust me, readers, when I say that he will not be providing ordinary reviews, but in-depth coverage of the NES pinball titles like you have never seen before. I have taken a sneak peek at his work and can hardly wait to see it shared with you.

On a broader note, with the success of our first guest article (an amazing feature on Kineticism and Violence in Games), you can expect more one-shot special-guest editions like that to come in the future. Cool.

In fact, I am glad to announce that Jason Lamb, our resident PC expert and podcast co-host, has been internally promoted to an Editor position; in part because he is fantastic, but also to better facilitate more content on the site. We expect great things from him. Correction: We demand it.

 

New Event

Long-time 1MC fans and followers may remember that, last August, we founded a new gaming holiday called Review A Bad Game Day, with its own snazzy website and everything. It was a blast to criticize crappy games as a community, and over 100 people (!) contributed reviews on their respective outlets in order to take part. You can still go read those take-downs if you want, as many have. When the dust cleared, we filed RABGD in our Great Success folder. Speaking of which, you may want to pencil in August 8th on your calendars for 2013, too.

In fact, we had so much fun, and were so encouraged by seeing so many gamers come together for a common purpose, that we wanted to do something beyond just repeating the same experience again (but we’ll do that, too!). We wanted to do another event, but with a crazy twist: What if we focused on the positive? What if, instead of swimming together in one giant communal pool of venom and spite, we took a dip into the cool waters of the classics? What if we handed out trophies instead of turds? As healthy as it can be to bash the trash, what if we came together in a more positive light, to praise those digital endeavors that helped shape us as human beings, or were just-plain awesome?

Introducing, you guessed it: Review A Great Game Day.

 

 

Mark your calendars for April 8th, 2013, and go to the official ReviewAGreatGameDay.com website to sign up for the email update when the full functionality goes live. You have one month to prepare yourself for a face-meltingly wonderful new gaming holiday.

Now, not to hop off the Gleeful Smile Train and go into Official Rules Mode, but I do need to mention one thing: This event is going to work a bit differently from what we did last year for RABGD.

Here is what is going to go down: Rather than count on everyone publishing their reviews all on the same day, people who pledge their participation can write and post your review online, on your own site or wherever else you can, any time between now and April 8th. Concerned about whether it has to be retro, or what everyone will think of your opinion? Do not worry — the point is to celebrate a game you love. Pick one of your favorites and write a grand tribute. This is purely a positive, affirming event.

Whether or not you publicize your review right away is up to you. But what happens next is neat: You will be able to submit the URL to your review, along with a chunk of preview text, to the RAGGD site. Then, on April 8th, all the reviews will be revealed in one massive heartfelt lovefest, as gamers around the world explode in the overload of FondnessSauce NostalgiaBombs.

So, want to participate in Review A Great Game Day? Then, by golly, go to the website and sign up for the email that will tell you when submissions are open. Then pick an old favorite and review it! This should be fun, right? Yes, yes it should be. Enjoy.