TheGameguru

Gameguru is one of the more interesting members of the GWJ community with his shady and mysterious "insider knowledge" and dire predictions of the downfall of gaming. When not stirring discussion in the forums and saving us all he seems to be on the prowl for the "next big thing" in technology and gaming. If only he realized that GWJ is and always will be the key to big business success.

From left to right the above picture shows his niece, his wife, Guru in the middle and his brother on the end.

Who the devil are you?

IÂ'm a 33 year old married Greek American currently living in suburbia. I grew up in the mean streets of Philadelphia struggling before I finally got my shot for the title against George Foreman (no wait that was Joe Frazier) IÂ've been married for soon to be 3 yearsÂ"… before that I was a heavy womanizer or a male ho as my wife will say.

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

During the day I work for a family owned Venture Capital firm based in Bala Cynwyd, PA. As the only Technology Analyst I have a very loose job description. I make sure some of our larger investments are staying on the up and up on the IT side and I work with their IT departments making sure the company(s) are progressing the way we want them to be. I also sit in meetings and go over potential investments technologies to determine if they have value, merit, etc. I play games, I play with all sorts of technologies to keep the Partners informed of whats out there. I hunt the internet looking for leads, small companies with good ideas, I talk on the phone a bunch, I create powerpoint presentation on trends, technologies. In short I keep very busy during the week and I travel 3 days out of the 5.

When youÂ're not working or gaming, what do you do with your time?

With what little free time I have usually I spend it with my wife doing things around the house. WeÂ're still trying to furnish the house but thatÂ's a huge chore in itself as either what we really like is way to expensive or what we can actually afford looks like crap. During Football season IÂ'm glued to the TV all day Sunday and during the offseason I wander like a lost child. So Sundays in the offseason become visiting days where we go visit friends or they come visit us. We ride our bikes a lot in the Summer when I can no longer stomach visiting. And of course my wife will complain that I spend too much time tinkering with PCÂ's and all sorts of other gadgets.

How about family? Do you have any kids?

No kidsÂ"…gahh! Not yet.. that would effectively put a nail in the coffin of my fading youth. I got married for heavens sake! What more do you people want from me!? But seriouslyÂ"…wife has to finish school and get her career on track.

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

Wolfenstein:Enemy Territory. ItÂ's ironic considering as many games that I paid for in the last year not one of them came close to consuming as much as my time as the free ET did. I usually play a few hours a night and can never seem to get enough. It combines fast action FPS with teamplay and classes! So just about everything I crave in an online FPS. Not since Tribes has a Online FPS held my attention so long. With the source code released I look forward to even more ET action in the next year.

Which game are you looking forward to most?

Doom 3. You always have to have faith that Id will come up with at least a couple really amazing and tense moments.

What is your fondest gaming memory?

It would be tough to pick just oneÂ"…since there are so many. I will cheat and pick two. The first time playing through Ultima IV and stopping for a second and realizing that the game is Â"watchingÂ" what I do and the outcome depends on more than just simple plain as day goals. It was both very eerie and invigorating at the same time. And like so many the night I downloaded the Doom shareware from my local BBS and quite coincidently played it for the first time in a dark room. That was an amazing experience.

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

IÂ've played games since the day they were invented basically. IÂ've owned just about every possible platform that games have been released on. IÂ'll never outgrow them because its so ingrained in my nature that I wouldnÂ't be me without (as my wife puts it) Â"his toysÂ" Sure over the years I have less time to dedicate to playing videogames but I love the escapism and the art. IÂ'll be doing this until they put me under.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our hard-hitting questions!

Comments

Another joins the profile countdown, good interview!

Photoshop time

I think I found Matt Lauer!! Oh wait, that's GameGuru...

I was hoping to see something a little more glamorous, like a room full of techie stuff. Plasma monitors hanging on the wall connected to super computers, home theatre systems, black leather couches and the like. Where's that gamers paradise? I need something to dream about...

hubbinsd wrote:

I think I found Matt Lauer!! Oh wait, that's GameGuru...

hehe, good one.

I'll do a picture of my home office...

Its still getting a few pieces added...

Then I'll do one of the movie room when thats finished..

so much work...and so little time.

I'm concerned at how normal looking you all are. It's killing my superiority complex!

If it makes you feel better, maybe you should play with Photoshop even more. Maybe GG would look better as an Oompa-Loompa.

Elysium wrote:

I'm concerned at how normal looking you all are. It's killing my superiority complex!

Look, I found Elysium's secret home page! And he says we're making him feel normal...

[edit] oh, I guess that's not what he said at all.

I'm really liking these columns! I have to wonder though, if you keep going at this rate, you'll run out of people to interview soon, then Elysium will have to make up more personalities!

I'm really liking these columns! I have to wonder though, if you keep going at this rate, you'll run out of people to interview soon, then Elysium will have to make up more personalities!

Oh, we'll only be doing one... maybe two a week tops so don't worry too much Elysium #24!

Yet another excellent profile. Looking forward to the next one! And Elysium, LOVE your secret home page...

hubbinsd wrote:

Look, I found Elysium's secret home page! And he says we're making him feel normal...

Shaggy and Peter Pan? That must have been one heck of a gypsy curse.

Certis wrote:
I'm really liking these columns! I have to wonder though, if you keep going at this rate, you'll run out of people to interview soon, then Elysium will have to make up more personalities!

Oh, we'll only be doing one... maybe two a week tops so don't worry too much Elysium #24!

Gotcha boss

I didn't know about Matt Lauer until I read this thread, but after some googling I fully agree that they resemble each other.

Matt Lauer used to have full gorgeous hair, but, when I saw him hosting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade last fall he had gotten it all chopped off! Oh, Matt Lauer, how dost thee fare without thine hair?

My question is when are we going to see Rat Boy's profile? Or Ral's?

Rat's and Ral's will be a dual interview -

So why haven't you outgrown games?

Rat: Because I'm still a kid at heart and believe in exercising my creative side, I like being taken out of reality for a little bit.

Ral: You mean because you're an immature democrat that refuses to live in the real world with terrorists.

Rat: No, I mean I would rather leave my seeking out and attacking other nations to my RTS's. I limit the injustices of "good" groups taking over "bad" group's land, gold and oil to video games like humans attacking orcs in Warcraft III.

Ral: You don't see the danger in leaving the orcs alone? The humans had reliable intelligence via their shamans that the orcs were planning a raid to take out the base. It was a defensive strike. It was the same scenario in Warcraft II and you didn't mind it then, just because that was your king. Now that the king is from my side of the village, it's suddenly a problem?

I think Rat actually IS the ghost of Walter Matthau

Look, I found Elysium's secret home page! And he says we're making him feel normal...

Wow...just...wow.

-magus