It Begins

Currently playing:
Metal Gear Solid (Playstation 1, or "PSX"), Uncharted (PS3), Rock Band 2 (360), flower (Playstation Network, or "PSN"), flOw (PSN), Killzone 2 (PS3)
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Welcome to Running Man Gaming! This has been something I've wanted to do for quite a while and am finally getting around to it. I figure if we're going to discuss one of my favorite hobbies/pastimes (gaming, duh), I should probably be a good host and tell you a little bit about my bad self.

Who the heck are you and why should I care?
My name is Tony and I currently live in Tennessee. I'm in my mid-20s and have been a gamer since I was about four or five years old. I remember being sick with the chicken pox at that age and Dad bringing home the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) bundle that came with a Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge and the old orange gun and having a blast with that system. The first game I actually got for that system (a Christmas gift) was Metroid. From that point on, I've been hooked.

I've wrestled bears and fought centaurs, so I figure whatever I have to say is pretty important.... wait, what?

What systems do you own/have you owned?
I currently own a Xbox 360 as well as a Playstation 3. I also own a Nintendo 64 and a Playstation 2 (the giant cinder-block sized first issue version). That PS2 died a couple of years ago, but I'm looking at getting another one so I can play several PS2 games I never got a chance to when I was still on that console (and the recent price cut down to $99.99 definitely helps that wish). I've owned the NES (died late 1990s), the Sega Genesis (sold it when I got my N64), and the punch-you-in-the-face painfully frustrating Sega 32X. That thing was a piece of CRAP.

What are your favorite genres?
First person shooters (FPS), adventure/action (Zelda and Metroid hold special places in my heart), and sports. I'm a self professed Madden addict, although I haven't played my Madden NFL 09 copy in several months. That's not because I don't like the game...I actually think it's the best installment in the franchise since Madden 2005. Rather, it's because I'm playing about three seperate games right now, and have a list of approximately ten different titles to play through. Working on my Titans franchise isn't exactly high on my list right now. I've also, thanks to Oblivion, become a fan of the role-playing genre (RPG).

Least favorite genres?
Fighting games, racing, real time strategy (RTS)

Favorite games?
Halo series, Madden franchise, Mega Man series (original, not X series), Sonic the Hedgehog (moment of silence to mourn his falling from grace, i.e. the one hundred thousand crappy games that have come out over the last ten years)

Why "Running Man Gaming?"
I'm a courier and in my spare time at work, I usually read a lot from my favorite gaming sites (see below). I figured that I could better spend that time by also writing about gaming myself. As a courier, I'm on the run (insert Pink Floyd Title of the same name here) more often than not, so that's the title I went with.

Where did your moniker (CptnMayhem) come from?
Old high school nickname. I think it was actually given to me more in jest than anything, but I liked it so much I use it for pretty much anything online nowadays.

Gaming sites to recommend to keep track of the industry?
IGN.com, GameInformer.com, & 1up.com are good sites to read reviews, previews, and general news of what's going on.

GamesIndustry.com, Edge-online.com, and Gamasutra are fantastic sites if you're interested in the actual workings of the gaming industry. These sites feature less material on the actual games (such as reviews and previews) and more on developments in the business that affect those games. These are for those who are looking to get serious in the industry.

What will you post on this blog?
Everything on here will somehow connect to gaming. Whether that be reviews, editorials, or features, I aim to post on here about once a week to start out, and then as I get used to it, hopefully several times a week (perhaps even daily at some point in the future).

I hope to grow this blog into an everyman's destination for views on videogaming. I might even solicit the assistance of some of my gaming friends to write articles for this blog to offer a wider perspective than my own; I don't want to alienate those whose gaming tastes differ from mine. I encourage anyone who may be interested in contributing to shoot me an email (cptmayhem@gmail.com).

And with that, I again welcome you to RMG.

-CptnMayhem