Welcome to my game review site! If you like reading my reviews, all credit goes to my better half for encouraging me. If you aren’t a fan, feel free to contact me to let me know what you think.
As a lifelong gamer and occasional amateur author, I enjoy discovering, playing, and writing about games. A new way of life, courtesy of Covid-19, has planted the seeds to make this a real endeavor, and Gaming Critiques & Commentary was launched!
It began on an Atari 800 XL in the mid-80s.
Though this may be through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia, there were some surprisingly good games at that time!
Not too long after this, my parents got a Nintendo Entertainment System. This introduced me to the lengthy role playing Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy series, as well as the punishingly difficult likes of Mega Man, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, and Kid Icarus.
As I got older, I got a part time job building PCs to feed my habit for classic 90’s video games. I hosted a Bulletin Board System for a few years – a precursor digital forum before the Internet became commonplace. A Super Nintendo and Playstation were added to my collection of consoles.
A big factor for getting both of these consoles was the continuation of the U.S. releases of the Final Fantasy series being on one, then the other platform. The rise of video game rentals also made it much easier to play lots of games at a much cheaper price. While I only own a handful of titles, this let me and my friends pick up a game to play far more easily.
Outside of video gaming, I got involved in playing the trading card game, Magic The Gathering. My father was, and still is, into it. Years ago, we both would go down to the local card shop. After a few years of playing I was able to officiate some tournaments for the local shop as well as qualify for (and scrub out horribly) at a couple of Magic Pro Tour events.
To round out my nerdy gamer credentials, I also spent time in the late 90’s and early 2000’s participating in the New England Role Playing Organization’s live action role playing games. Initially as a participant, then later on as staff for a few campaigns. This was an unexpected athletic endeavor that consisted of lots of running around in the woods.
Guided by my gaming habits, I decided to focus on computer science and information systems in college, with the idea that I would one day make video games. Which, as I later learned, was one of the unlikeliest ways to earn a good living doing programming. What amounted to working late into the night on top of my day job, I was able to finish making my first independent game. Published in 2014, the game has a mostly positive rating on STEAM.
So, that’s a bit about me. I hope that you enjoy the articles and feel free to send feedback on what you would like to see more of on the site!
- Harry, GCC