Souldaddy

1 year and 38 weeks later, souldaddy's time has finally come. A wondrous event in a boy's virtual life, the Employee Profile finally puts a face to a name. Or in this case, two faces. One suggest an innocence usually found in happy orphan girls after getting a second bowl of ice cream, or perhaps the finish on a jaunty tap routine. The other shows a side many are familiar with on Xbox Live, home of the vicious killer daddy.

IMAGE(http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/images/souldaddy_1.thumbnail.jpg) IMAGE(http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/images/souldaddy_2.thumbnail.jpg)

Go on, guess which one is real!

Who the devil are you?

I'm souldaddy! I got that name from having spent some 16+ years doing meditation and yoga. Plus it gives the false impression that I am a large, black soul singer and "Love Walrus" was already taken. Few people here know that I also spent 20 years as an independent filmmaker (and I probably think your favorite movie stinks.) I earned a piece of paper with the words "University", "Philosophy" and "Religion" printed on it in flowery letters. Hanging next to it is an Army Officer's commission. I was born in Italy, my mother's family has lived in Eastern Europe for hundreds of years, and my father's family dates back to America since before the Revolutionary War. America is my home, Europe is my heart. My favorite color is blue and I like long walks on the beach.

What are you supposed to be doing during the day when you're reading GWJ?

I work for Apple.

How about family? Kids? Pets? Particularly meaningful inanimate objects?

Sadly, I am divorced. Please don't tie any preconceived notions to my marriage, the end was unique and truly unfortunate considering the rest of it's life. Although a few ladies have tried to fill that opening, I am currently devoting time to managing my vast wealth.

What was your favorite game over the last year or so? Why?

Is there any doubt? I grok Gears of War. The game remains ever-fresh to me, especially when played with goodjers. I secretly believe that I had cancer on Emergence Day and Gears cured it.

Which game are you looking forward to most?

The Crossing (from Arkane and Valve) has time travel, a fascinating setting, and a single player campaign that lets multiplayer gamers fill the spots of each and every AI position. Utopia or Griefers Delight? We shall watch your career with great interest!

What is your fondest gaming memory?

In December of '98 I was coming home from work with 2 new games in my hands - Metal Gear Solid and Zelda: the Ocarina of Time. I remember the day clearly, the sky was light blue and the air was crisp. I found a package at the front door, an order for my first Voodoo 3D accelerator and a copy of Half-Life. Three of the best games ever made and I didn't know which one to open first. In a few hours I was also leaving for a two-week Christmas trip! It was the setup for a letter-mark day.

I played the console games for all of 10 minutes. Check-mark, they're brilliant games, time to pack my clothes. The old gamer's self deception, I decided to install the Voodoo card just to check out the graphics. My very first experience of 800x600 on a 21" monitor with full screen anti-aliasing and colored lights was the opening to Half-Life. I sat still for the entire train ride, the helicopter, the conversation with Barney, the walk through the lab, the experiment and the disaster. Gordon passed out and slowly awoke to those sirens firing off, Black Mesa in ruins around him. I was used to playing Doom and Quake knockoffs. I was stunned.

Definitely the highlight of a long history with games.

Finally, why do you play games at all? Why haven't you outgrown them?

Games have depth but I don't yet know how deep. What will I be playing in 20 years? On this road I'm enjoying the journey and the destination.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our hard hitting questions! Any last words?

More cowbell.

Comments

I sat still for the entire train ride, the helicopter, the conversation with Barney, the walk through the lab, the experiment and the disaster. Gordon passed out and slowly awoke to those sirens firing off, Black Mesa in ruins around him. I was used to playing Doom and Quake knockoffs. I was stunned.

I know exactly what you mean. Every now and then I load up HL1 again and try to recapture that "magic" but nothing compares to the first time.

I think it's the first time I really felt like I was inside a movie, and it was a huge leap from anything we had ever experienced before.

Nice to e-meet ya, souldaddy. Also -

The Crossing (from Arkane and Valve) has time travel, a fascinating setting, and a single player campaign that lets multiplayer gamers fill the spots of each and every AI position. Utopia or Griefers Delight? We shall watch your career with great interest!

Griefer's Delight. It will fall apart just like The Ship. Both outcomes were/are entirely obvious.

shihonage wrote:

Nice to e-meet ya, souldaddy. Also -

The Crossing (from Arkane and Valve) has time travel, a fascinating setting, and a single player campaign that lets multiplayer gamers fill the spots of each and every AI position. Utopia or Griefers Delight? We shall watch your career with great interest!

Griefer's Delight. It will fall apart just like The Ship. Both outcomes were/are entirely obvious.

If you play online with asshats, sure.

Certis wrote:
shihonage wrote:

Nice to e-meet ya, souldaddy. Also -

The Crossing (from Arkane and Valve) has time travel, a fascinating setting, and a single player campaign that lets multiplayer gamers fill the spots of each and every AI position. Utopia or Griefers Delight? We shall watch your career with great interest!

Griefer's Delight. It will fall apart just like The Ship. Both outcomes were/are entirely obvious.

If you play online with asshats, sure.

Insist on Gee Double-You Jay every time, folks - for that experience that satisfies!

Certis wrote:
shihonage wrote:

Nice to e-meet ya, souldaddy. Also -

The Crossing (from Arkane and Valve) has time travel, a fascinating setting, and a single player campaign that lets multiplayer gamers fill the spots of each and every AI position. Utopia or Griefers Delight? We shall watch your career with great interest!

Griefer's Delight. It will fall apart just like The Ship. Both outcomes were/are entirely obvious.

If you play online with asshats, sure.

But I thought the equation:

online play + open invitation = infinite asshatery

was a proven theorem?

I've just realized that while the solution to a$$hattery is indeed to play exclusively with GWJers, that probably won't be an option in The Crossing. It already isn't in MMOs, although you can usually just ignore them.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

I've just realized that while the solution to a$$hattery is indeed to play exclusively with GWJers, that probably won't be an option in The Crossing. It already isn't in MMOs, although you can usually just ignore them.

In MMOs I tend to leave all open channels and stick to guild chat which is chalk full of GWJ members. If The Crossing doesn't allow private play of any kind, I won't be playing it online.

Speaking of, how's your sister set up on the man front? Eh? Eh? Remember how cultured and erudite you thought I was at first -- before Gears and Beers? Wanna tell her about that version of Wordsmythe?

The sister just earned her architect's B.A. and is looking at graduate school right now. Boys are on handbag status right now, strictly accessories. She is a sucker for video games, though.

Congrats SD, nice to meet you.

I've wondered (and not because I want to be profiled yet I'm not ready for my debutante ball!) how do you choose who gets to be profiled Certis? Is it activity in the community, actually playing games or sacks of money and illicit sex that gets one the questionaire in their email?

You will always be my favorite large black man, souldaddy.

souldaddy wrote:
Speaking of, how's your sister set up on the man front? Eh? Eh? Remember how cultured and erudite you thought I was at first -- before Gears and Beers? Wanna tell her about that version of Wordsmythe?

The sister just earned her architect's B.A. and is looking at graduate school right now. Boys are on handbag status right now, strictly accessories. She is a sucker for video games, though.

Well suggest her Northwestern, UChicago, UIC, DePaul, Loyola Chicago, and the like, will ya?

I've wondered (and not because I want to be profiled yet I'm not ready for my debutante ball!) how do you choose who gets to be profiled Certis? Is it activity in the community, actually playing games or sacks of money and illicit sex that gets one the questionaire in their email?

Meet me in my office at 10PM, wear something slinky.

Really though, it's random and fairly arbitrary. I just open up a few threads, scan them for names that have been around for a long while and seem to be active playing games and/or posting. From there, I pick a handful, send off the questions and bide my time. I try to keep my own deliberations and judgments out of it, so it's more or less random and fair as to who gets the request.

I still haven't found a photo that does my manpretty justice, hence why there's no profile of me yet. Indeed, my beauty is so awe-inspiring that it might just crash the server.

And SoulDaddy, I'd happily go out with your sister. Just so you know, y'know.

1Dgaf wrote:

manpretty justice

You mean like this guy? *shudder*

Oh no. Dolph tries too hard. I don't like to exercise or shave; think of me as a tubby Wolverine. (But balding.)

karmajay wrote:
KT wrote:

one day the gods of GWJ will say to me, "Krazy. Who the devil are you?" And I will look at them with doe like eyes and tell them, Once I was the man who was the envy of GWJ married guys, now, I am soon to join their misery...

Fixed mate!

I will always be the envy of GWJ, just ask Elysium.
IMAGE(http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/images/IMG_0739.preview.jpg)

I've been here for over 3 years, and I will be here at least another 3.

souldaddy wrote:

Just so everyone isn't wondering what the hell I'm doing in that picture on the left, I was goofin' off with the sister.

Yeah right, you just shopped some random internet girl in. Next time shop more oogaba in.

Nice to meet you.

When are we going to get a profile of the sister?

wordsmythe wrote:

When are we going to get a profile of the sister?

I'll get right on that one, munnie.

I can't believe I let Krazy get to second base with me.

Good to Meet you souldaddy

Great to put a profile with the unholy-gears-of-war-killing-machine. You were one of my first Xbox live contacts from Gamers with Jobs, and you most definitely represented well.

Nice to meetcha!

Elysium wrote:

I can't believe I let Krazy get to second base with me.

I hope you two skipped first base all together.

Johnvanjim wrote:

Great to put a profile with the unholy-gears-of-war-killing-machine. You were one of my first Xbox live contacts from Gamers with Jobs

I fear for whoever can say that about me.

Been gone for a week, so excuse my tardiness.

Well met big daddy of soul! Always been a blast playing with ya on xbox live.

Hook'em horns!