Daniel Johnson

co-founder, writer, editor

email: danielprimed@gmail.com

skype: DanielPrimed

twitter: @danielprimed

website: http://danielprimed.com

Hi there. I'm Daniel. I'm the author of Game Design Companion: A Critical Analysis of Wario Land 4 and the Adventures in Game Analysis bookazine series (coming soon!). My writing is underpinned by the belief that only through clear language and analysis can we understand games and thereby be able to properly articulate the feelings we have for them. I've always been interested in language, debating, analysis, and video games, so writing ties these passions together and really speaks to who I am as a person.

I think what we've put together here is probably the apotheosis of games criticism: a team of enthusiastic and talented individuals co-authoring and co-editing a presentation that interprets a game from many perspectives over a diverse range of media, while simultaneously sourcing existing conversations and soliciting additions. This project wouldn't have been possible without clear language and examples anchoring our group conversations over Starseed Pilgrim. I hope that this last part is evident throughout the site. Enjoy ^_^

Ryan Roth

email: ryan@rawroth.com, ryan@dualryan.com

twitter: @DualRyan

website: www.dualryan.com

Ryan's relationship with games began with an Atari 2600, waking up at 6am, before school to play Asteroids and Missile Command. Soon after, he got a few other consoles. While playing and finishing Kirby's Dream Land or Link's Awakening over and over he would jam out the 8-bit tracks on his family's upright piano. Ryan has worked in all sorts of sound environments, from broadcast TV and audio post-production, but mainly video games. He works closely with developers and also extends his expertise with implementation and dynamic sound integration - sound design is much more engaging and interactive than just an asset list synchronized to game events!

 I hope that composition and sound design can be more thought of as a dynamic element that works within the medium that accentuates and adds to gameplay instead of just being a bleakly attempted afterthought. Looking at the works of David Kanaga and others that embrace and have a high understanding of the gameplay and mechanics happening behind the scenes, I feel like this idea of sound as a dynamic and interesting part of the game experience is already happening - I hope it can continue along this path.

Chris Wagar

video editor

email: Evilagram@yahoo.com

twitter: @aGrimVale

website: http://www.gatheryourparty.com/author/chris-wagar/

I'm Chris, known online as Evilagram. I tend to like games that present an interesting analytical challenge and a strong dexterity component, like Fighting Games, Brawlers, Shooters, and other action games. I study a lot of games in detail and like to write about them in my free time for Gather Your Party and for fun. I like sharing the information I've gathered and trying to figure out the specifics about how games tick. I want to help develop a new critical approach to games, set games free from old media ideology while connecting them with effective old media methodology, and do what I can to influence the creation of great new games.

I hope site visitors get a glimpse into ways a game can be examined, even a small unassuming game like Starseed Pilgrim. If more people look at games more analytically, then collectively people will be more capable of voicing what they want out of games or how they want games to change. More precise criticism is a necessary step in creating critique that leads to improvement. Enabling people to think more critically is an important part of building a framework that produces better games.

Jared Hester

web design consultant

website: https://plus.google.com/+JaredHester