Fat Ninja

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I’ve been dreaming about making a career out of gaming for as long as I can remember. I got a taste of it when I worked as a writer and, eventually, Editor in Chief at FunXbox. Oh, sure, it didn’t pay, but it felt great to have two of my greatest loves (writing and gaming) coalesce so perfectly. During this time I met a lot of great friends, and it was just a blast to work with like-minded people on something we all truly loved. When FunXbox became Xbox Advanced, things just kind of went downhill. The new owners had some very different ideas about how to run the site, and their efforts to micro-manage a staff of volunteers quickly culminated in a mass exodus of the existing writers’ pool. Most of us went on being nine-to-fivers, working day jobs and dreaming the dream. I still maintained my passion, eventually creating this blog to help channel it. But for one of us, FunXbox proved to be a springboard for a legitimate career in gaming.

My good friend (fellow gamer, fellow English Major, and fellow poet) Fernando Bueno managed to secure a position as an editor with Prima Games. It was really great to see one of us actually living the dream. When Fernando chose to move to Las Vegas, Prima was gracious enough to take him on as an author. Since then, Fernando has written guides for Stubbs the Zombie, Crackdown, Ninja Gaiden Sigma and a number of other games. He’s also been trying to get me a shot at becoming an author for Prima Games. Since 2005 he’s been trying to get my foot in the door, but things just didn’t come together. Between my 9-5 job and Prima’s needs, the right opening wasn’t there.

That is, until this Friday. Fernando had messaged me earlier in the day telling me that he had been trying to get the ball rolling for me on a new project, but he said he didn’t want to get my hopes up so he was going to wait for something a bit more concrete. So you can imagine my surprise when I answered a phone call to find Fernando’s boss asking me if I’d like to try my hand at writing a strategy guide. After managing to still my heart and scoop my jaw up of the floor, I jumped on the opportunity. I’m set to start this week and I’m still absolutely giddy. Of course, I’m also nervous as hell, but I’m really looking forward to getting started. I know that this is something that I can do, and I think it’s something that I will honestly love doing. I’ll try to keep you posted on my general progress, but don’t expect any specifics, as the non-disclosure agreement will keep me in check.

Before I go, I just want to thank Fernando for all that he has done for me. In particular, I’d like to thank him and Prima Games for giving me the chance to live my dream.

PS - To any concerned Yahoo!’s, I am not leaving the big Y!.

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