Our Team

Arthur Damian is a full-time Transfer Specialist at CUNY School of Professional Studies, working in the Office of Academic Advisement. At 38 years old, Arthur has a BA in English and loves to read and write. Videogames have been an important part of his life since he was 5, from the Nintendo Entertainment System all the way up to the Nintendo Switch. His favorite system is the Super Nintendo, and his favorite games are Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Silent Hill 2, Resident Evil 4, Super Metroid, and Rocket Knight Adventures, among many others. When he isn't working or reading up on games, Arthur enjoys drumming in Rock Band 4, adding countless titles to his backlog due to constant sales, and spiraling down various YouTube holes. Arthur has a vast knowledge of games, movies, and music, and he is always looking for ways to use it in real-life applications. An avid reader of gaming blogs, Arthur likes to keep up to date on all the happenings of the gaming world and has his own blog on Destructoid's community forums. He was an author at Destructoid's sister site, Nintendo Enthusiast, and now writes for The Escapist. Arthur currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Kristen Spencer currently toils the days away as the Media Director for a local non-profit, serving as graphic designer, media planner, copywriter, webmaster and the go-to girl for any tech related issues, which means she spends at least 10 minutes of any given day turning things off and on again. But the written word is her true passion. Not the sweaty kind of passion. She has 10+ years of experience reporting for various newspapers, magazines and websites, including The Florida Times Union, Folio Weekly, The St. John’s Record, Ponte Vedra Lifestyle Magazine, CountGameula and ThatVideoGameBlog.

And yeah, okay, maybe it's a little sweaty.

When she's not working hard for the money, so hard for it honey, she's restoring her vintage Honda motorcycle, building her street photography portfolio, and playing story-centric video games. Kristen was raised on the Sega Genesis, but had a thing for Mario on the side, which psychologists believe to be the root of her current console fidelity issues. Thankfully, her PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii are perfectly content in this polyamorous relationship. Meanwhile, the Ouya watches through the window, its tears mixed with the rain.

She and her twin sister, Lauren, both graduated from Florida State University with matching BA’s in English Literature, to compliment their matching DNA .

Cody Shults has a PhD in neuroscience and is working in medical communications. He has been writing for TVGB since 2012, but has been playing video games since he was 3 years old. Apart from writing about video games and science, he also enjoys reading and writing/playing music.

His favorite games of all time include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and The Witcher 3.

Andrew Burrage is a Florida native now living in Chicago, IL. Whether it involves pen and paper, boards, or PCs and consoles, Andrew likes to geek out with all kinds of games. As with many kids growing up in the 80s, his first dealings with video games started with an NES and a funny little Italian plumber. He has been hooked ever since and tries to get his hands on the latest and greatest whenever he can. Andrew prefers role-playing and strategy, and is a huge fan of puzzle and platform games. Any game with an engrossing narrative is sure to pique his interest; Bioshock Infinite and Mass Effect currently top his favorites.

Aside from gaming, Andrew loves to watch movies and has recently taken up building computers for fun. He enjoys reading science fiction and fantasy novels, and is an avid Game of Thrones fan (both the books and television show). Andrew has a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Florida and is now trying to earn his PhD in virology. Andrew can be reached at @aburrage on Twitter.

On the cutting edge of early 90's technology, Jake entered the world of gaming through edutainment titles like The Oregon Train and Number Munchers. His first true video games were Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Aladdin for the Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive) and he was hooked immediately. The very concept of playing games on the TV excited him, let alone such exciting ones.

As a child at the start of the 3D revolution, he only wanted one thing: a Playstation. But it was too expensive, so he decided on the Nintendo 64. That Nintendo 64 kid in the famous video? It isn't him, but it's a pretty good representation of his reaction on that birthday.

Constant trips to Blockbuster in the cold Chicago winter to rent Super Mario 64 were common until the game became easier to find. Then one day, reading Nintendo Power, he saw news of a game called Zelda. Nintendo was making a 3D Zelda game, and though he had no idea what that meant, he knew he had to get this game that people kept talking about.

From the moment he received the golden cartridge from his grandmother (who happens to be named Zelda), it was clear: Ocarina of Time was and still is his favorite video game ever.

Unlike the stereotypical Nintendo fan, though, his taste in games is varied. He splits his time between the likes of Skylanders, Forza, Destiny, Pokemon, and Kingdom Hearts. He is a proponent of many failed consoles, having spent countless hours with the Game.com, Neo Geo Pocket, N-Gage, Dreamcast, and even the Virtual Boy.

One step into his Chicago apartment shows his devotion, from the Master Sword on the wall to the Portal Gun on the shelf. An avid player of both video and tabletop games, he hopes to prove that not all accountants are boring.

Hailing from Southport England, Alex started his gaming career in the late 80s on a Commodore 64. Since that time he's either owned or played on virtually every console released. Alex happens to be one of that rare breed of gamers just as happy and comfortable in front of a PC screen as a PS4 and has a massively diverse and eclectic love of genres.

We also think something may have snapped somewhere along the line as topping his favourite things to do in a game is getting killed. Rogue likes and games that make death not only a really good thing to do but mandatory are at the top of his love list.

When not glued to a screen as a gamer Alex is glued to the screen as a DJ, so picking the right gaming playlist is almost as important to him as actually playing the game. Evidently getting murdered to the right soundtrack is what all the kids are doing these days.

For 20 consecutive years, since his parents put a Nintendo Entertainment System in his hands (because who else could hook it up to the box?), Derek Bartnett has been in training for a career in gaming. His geek obsession with staying on top of the latest news and gaming trends can only be topped by his extensive knowledge in all things technology, movies and television. Derek is what you would call a classic early adopter. He requires all of the latest gadgets and gaming hardware, as soon as they become available, or he might just pass away.


Derek had an appreciation for video games as a child, but did not became a hardcore gamer until his thirteenth birthday when he was gifted with Golden Eye for Nintendo 64. Derek turned what is a 12 hour single player campaign into 350 hours over countless nights playing multiplayer with friends. Derek requires as many games as possible, across all platforms, in all formats. He's an advocate of all genres, but action adventure games have a special place in his heart, such as Dark Souls and God of War.

Derek is a graduate of Hofstra University class 2009 with a bachelors degree in Political Science. Derek currently resides in New York City, and is always in search for friends to game online with. PSN: Dseed, Xbox Live: Dseed86

Albert is a trophy hunter with a ravenous appetite for role-playing games with breathtaking storylines. He also has a penchant for adventure games with innovative mechanics.


When he is not trying to earn feats on his PlayStation consoles, he may be playing some games on the PC or iOS.

David is a native of Denver, CO who grew up at a time when the video game craze was just getting a foothold in the consciousness of people all over America. His earliest exposure to video games was in the arcades that sprung up in the early eighties and he has been in love with them ever since. He can remember going over to friends’ houses and playing games on the Odyssey, Intellivision, ColecoVision and the Atari 2600. It wouldn’t be until 1985 when his mother would get him his own console: the original Nintendo with Super Mario Bros. and Mike Tyson’s Punch Out. He was even one of the first kids in his school to receive the early issues of Nintendo Power Magazine and used the tips and tricks he found within to "up his gamer cred."

David has owned almost every gaming console since the original NES in one form or another except for maybe two or three and continues to collect consoles and game software to this day. At current he has and original NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega Dreamcast, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One S, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch, DSi Lite, DSi XL, 3DS XL, PSP, and a Playstation Vita as well as a plethora of video game software to go along with each console. The next consoles he plans to purchase is the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X.

When he is not playing video games (he likes all kinds), David is building his real estate business or spending time with his family. He also enjoys cuddling up with a nice, thick Stephen King novel. He is a Realtor in Denver specializing in helping first-time buyers find their first home. In addition, he spends several hours a day hitting his favorite video game web sites to see what is new and exciting with his favorite hobby.

His Gamertag and PSN ID is: BigDave300. Send him a friend invite!
David received his Bachelor of Science in Web Design & Multimedia in 2010 from Westwood College and his license in real estate in 2019.

No one ever told Ken that the joy of gaming that he experienced as a kid was supposed to dissipate once he reached adulthood. He continues to enjoy every gaming title with the open-mindedness of a 10-year-old trekking on his first Gameboy Color Pokemon journey. Some of Ken’s personal favorites include Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Link to the Past, Final Fantasy XII and Kingdom Hearts II amongst many other titles.

When he isn’t gaming, whenever that may be, Ken enjoys partaking in craft beers, trying out new foods/ restaurants, and simply writing for the sake of writing. He is also a huge pro-wrestling fan, and watches a variety of television and anime series. Ken’s love of music almost matches his love of gaming. He favors indie, alternative and electronic sounds. Ken currently resides in Washington, D.C.

Garett is a full time English student at Wright State University with a deep passion for gaming. He has been playing video games for as long as he can remember and that’s not even hyperbole.

Literally, his first memory is playing Super Mario Bros. on an old NES his parents bought for him when he was 4 years old.

From that point on, Garett strived to play as many games on as many different systems as possible. One of his favorite things to do was to start conversations based on games he’s played as well as offer critiques. When this hobby merged with his heavy interest in writing he started posting opinions to several different websites. Now you can find Garett writing on That VideoGame Blog or recording videos for YouTube about games that he feels particularly strong about.

Jon is a father to two amazing little girls and husband to a wonderful wife who is incredibly tolerant of his love of video games. He earned a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and manages a clinic in Northern New Jersey.

Jon has enjoyed playing games since childhood and plans to introduce his girls to gaming as soon as possible (starting with the classics.)

For Jon, playing games has always been a way for him to unplug and recharge. His favorite games of all time include Chrono trigger, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario Galaxy, Breath of the Wild, Stardew Valley, Batman Arkham City, Red Dead Redemption and Marvel’s Spider-Man.

Jon’s other hobbies include spending time with his family, traveling, dining out, cooking, stand-up paddle boarding and spending time at the beach. He is also a craft beer enthusiast!

From Keyboard and Mouse to a controller in hand, if you are looking for Luke he’s probably hidden somewhere with a screen lighting up his face.

Currently located in Southport, England, Luke always had a craving for technology and games. As a teenager he would arrange good old LAN parties and host tournaments for his fellow gamers, occasionally adventuring outside with his camera to show them all what the “Real World” looked like.

From Rogue-like games & RPG’s to torture himself with (and believe me we have seen how many times he died to the first boss on Elden Ring) to running daft Pistol builds on FPS shooters just to annoy other players, He is always playing something to keep his gaming goblins happy.

Luke has a wide range of games but will always run and hide when it comes to a Horror genre.

Growing up with strict parents meant video games were off-limits, but that didn't stop Madeleine from playing Pokémon Stadium 2 at her neighbor's house. Madeleine quickly discovered her love for video games and finally purchased her first one, The Sims 3, at the age of 15 (without her parents' permission).

As an adult, Madeleine still loves The Sims 3 but is also a fan of action-adventure and role-playing games. Some of her favorites include Assassin's Creed, Grand Theft Auto, and Skyrim. She and her husband even built their own gaming computer in 2019.

Madeleine is a full-time technical writer for a software company in Chicago. When she's not gaming you can find her baking, weight training, or watching Netflix with her husband and cats.

Gilad had been gaming for years (and we do mean years). Being nearly 40 years old Gilad had managed to play nearly anything from the old Atari 80 consoles to the latest gaming consoles.

Gilad is a technology "freak", always online and always reading and writing news. His real passion (also a kind of toy) is RC 3D Helicopters.

His favorite all times game? Well Siera's king quest's series :-)

Dane started off gaming at the tender age of 3 with the first Atari console. His favorite video game genres are turn-based RPGs (can I get a shout out for Tactics Ogre?) and fighting games.

Dane also attends EVO every year. He hopes to one day get into the top-64 there.