Tag Archives: nerdcore

EGM Nov. 2010 IssuePrint Contributions

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In addition to doing some regular review work in EGMi, I’ve been writing news features for the print edition of EGM lately. This month’s issue has a massive two-page feature spread titled “Through The Lens” that I’m pretty psyched about. Located on pages 12 and 13, the piece focuses on a handful of interesting independent film makers that have created or  are working on documentaries chronicling various aspects of gaming-related culture. The main piece focuses on 2 Player Productions (Reformat The Planet, Penny Arcade: The Series), the nice folks working on Indie Game: The Movie, Dan Lamoureux’s Nerdcore for Life, and the collective project that put together The Demoscene Documentary. There’s also a nod to Get Lamp, for text adventure gaming fans. Unfortunately, space limitations left a cool side-bar I wrote up (sorry Scott S.) on the cutting room floor, but that might see the light of day eventually in a separate piece.

This was a pretty busy issue all around. Beyond the feature, you can find my review write-up of And Yet It Moves (WiiWare) on pg. 76, and my second opinion to Bryan Stratton’s R.U.S.E. review is over on  pg. 75. I have a few pieces headed for the next issue as well as some other stuff I’m working on for the digital edition. Awesome. Over and out.

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Feature: PAX East 2010 – Photo Essay

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“After many successful years on the West Coast, the annual Penny Arcade Expo recently made its East Coast debut in Boston, unleashing a veritable Pandora’s box of gaming nerdery into the Hynes Convention Center that spilled out into the surrounding area for several days of revelry. PAX is the only gaming focused convention of its size that’s accessible to the general public, and PAX East’s clear focus on giving players and fans a means of accessing their wildest geek fantasies over the course of a jam packed weekend assured the approximate 60,000+ attendees would have plenty to do during their stay.”

Check out the full photo feature here at MSN’s Game On.

My Week In Review

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Despite the slower game release schedule this month, it’s been a good week in other ways. Finally landed my first print feature for a major gaming mag. The issue will be out in November-ish.  I’m not going to say much about it yet, so I don’t advertently jinx myself. Needless to say I’m excited, and it’s extremely gratifying to finally be getting some non-digital ink flowing again. Writing for a newspaper is fun, but seeing your work in a glossy mag on the newsstand is very different. There’s a possibility several other print opportunities will solidify in the near future. However, I’m waiting on baited breath to see what happens.  I also recently started doing some casual gaming coverage for Gamezebo, which is a nice change of pace.

Aside from the day-to-day freelance work, there’s a lot of interviewing and research going on behind the scenes in my spare time. I’m making a lot of progress with contacts and info/quote gathering for the book project. Finally got a chance to check out Nerdcore For Life (thanks Dan L.), which is a great film about the geekier (RE: awesome) side of hip-hop. If you’re into that kind of thing, also check out Nerdcore Rising. Anyhow, back to work.

Busy months ahead

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Interviews with nerdcore rappers and other various purveyors of geek music deliciousness continue to progress nicely. Should soon have enough research and interviews completed to be able to tackle the first third of the massive writing project that’s simmering, temporarily code-named “Awesome Geek Music Book You’ll Hopefully Want To Buy” for now.  Starting to dig deeper into video game cover band and chiptune scenes. In the meantime, the desk is cluttered with review copies of games I’m mostly looking forward to playing and a decent list of writing work I need to get cranking on. Full steam ahead!

Feature: Kickin’ It Nerdcore

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mc frontalot

“Even before MC Frontalot coined the term “nerdcore” almost a decade ago to describe his own distinct flavor of hip hop, geeky rappers have busted out rhymes about videogames, AD&D, hacking, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, computer culture and an array of other unabashedly nerdy subjects. As this singular hip hop scene continues to develop and gain momentum, it’s not surprising to find an increasing number of references to videogames and gamer culture woven throughout the lyrics and beats of many rappers who rally under the nerdcore banner.”

A fun feature exploring the connections between nerdcore hip hop and videogames. This piece will eventually be expanded into a chapter in the book I’m working on about the music of geek and gamer culture. Check out the full article at The Escapist here.

Nerdcore, Videogames, and Projects

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Expansive research and interviews for my forthcoming book on the music of geek and gamer culture continues (no solid title yet). I’ve got a variety of related articles in the works, one of which — a piece on the connection between nerdcore hip-hop and gaming — will be featured in an upcoming weekly issue of The Escapist early next month.

Aside from that major project, I’m continuing to churn out reviews, features, and columns on a steady basis (as you’ll see much of it posted here) and occasionally finding time to venture out into the outside world and get a nice blast of pleasant weather. Considering it’s still the slow season in the gaming world, it’s been a moderately busy few months, and I’m hoping to expand the volume of publications I write for in the near future. In any event, figured I’d drop a little text here to break up the article posts. I’ll be doing so off and on as I’ve got interesting stuff to share. Cheers.