I’m not usually one to talk about myself at length, so I guess ill cover the basics first; Hi, Im Matt, a games journalist who has been working in this industry for just over three years. I’ve written for BigBossBattle, Keengamer, Thinkygames, and Warp Door, and in that time, I learned that despite my troubles at school, I’m pretty good at this whole writing thing. I’m also autistic and really like video games, but that second part is probably pretty obvious.
Since I was young, I’ve always been creative, having dabbled in music, acting, art, and everything in between. I’ve always found it easier to express myself in some artistic way, and video games both inspired my creativity and helped to understand myself and others around me. Now, I’m in the privileged position to talk and express my love and admiration for a passion I have had all my life and one that, to this day, continues to inspire and comfort me.
The Beginning of the Journey
As you might expect, my love for gaming started at a young age, largely thanks to my older brother. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting at the end of his bed with the Nintendo 64, watching him pull the Master Sword from the stone in Ocarina of Time, or doing some crazy backflip diving jump in Super Mario 64. Little did I know that these moments would become some of the most important in my life.
Even at a young age, I wanted to play and experience what games had to offer. I’d borrow and play my brother’s Nintendo games (albeit not very well) and instantly be absorbed into their worlds. I particularly became attached to The Legend of Zelda series. Since those early days of exploring Hyrule Fields and defeating Ganon for the first time, I’ve continued to love the series, which still holds a special place in my heart. Hell, I’ve gotten multiple Zelda tattoos to show for it!
The Zelda series also spawned my love of adventure and RPGs. Any game where I can explore a world, meet exciting characters, and craft my journey – I’m all in. Just wind me up and watch me go, and ill get lost for hours and love every second of it. Plus, it was and still is the perfect excuse to escape for a kid who wasn’t (and still isn’t) super social and was bullied a lot.
As I’ve grown older, that sense of wonder, love, and appreciation for gaming has only grown with me. Now, I will – and do – play anything. Got a life sim where I can raise dragons on a farm? Sure, I’ll try that. Got some platforming that needs to be done? I’m there. You got it; I’ll play it. I just love playing games, simple as that.
The Plot Twist
This is the part where you’d expect me to say I always wanted to be a games journalist or I’ve always loved writing. Spoiler alert, that’s not the case. Instead, my path into the industry happened thanks to a mixture of existential crisis, a dash of luck, and newfound passion.
Unlike many of my friends or peers, I didn’t head to university (that’s college for you Americans) until I was a little old, partly due to bad experiences in education and a lack of direction. Instead, I worked for the NHS for a few years, which, while rewarding in some ways, never truly captured my attention. One day that came to a head as I sat around with nothing to do and realized I needed something more in life. Fast forward a few months, and I was off to Canterbury Christ Chruch University to study Games Design.
It was during my studies that I met Jupiter Hadley, a guest speaker who spoke about their journey in games journalism, which piqued my interest. A few months later, I got in contact and was gracefully taken under her wing, and with her partner Dann, I was given my first crack at games journalism.
From there, I became hooked and have continued to pursue any opportunities I can to learn, grow, play, and talk about gaming as much as possible.
What’s The Endgame?
I’ve been writing now for just over three years, and I still feel like I have so much more I want to learn and do in this industry, and as I carve my path through, I hope I can continue to do so and find joy in what I do.
I have always had an enormous passion for creativity, whether that’s my own or other people’s. I want to see what people can create, how they do it, and why they do it, and I believe that being creative and expressing yourself in this way is truly one of the best ways to live and experience life. This industry is filled with people who have beautiful minds and ideas, and I intend to learn about them, their work, and their creative process however I can.
Beyond all that, though, I want to hopefully represent and showcase what someone with autism is really like. A lot of my youth was spent unsure or confused about the kind of person I was. I was isolated, bullied, and struggled with people. But despite that, I found refuge in video games, creative people, and ideas, and I have since been able to find myself and deal with my demons thanks to them and by getting to express my creativity in this industry. I hope that by doing so, talking about it openly, and continuing to do so, I can inspire and encourage someone else out there like me to do the same. Be yourself, people. You are fantastic as you are.
To put it simply, I want to express my creativity, and I want to help inspire, showcase, and celebrate creativity and the unique minds of the gaming industry however I can, as well as enjoy playing some dope games with dope people, like the incredible team here at Gamepur. It’s a dope job I am incredibly thankful for, and I intend to do what I can to show my gratitude and passion for it every day.
