What was your first job as a journalist?
Reviewer at a small Dubai-based website Youth Arabia.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. Back in college for a project where I typed letters for other people.
How is social media changing news?
For the worse, mostly. People engage with headlines far more often than they do with stories.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lois Lane. Easy answer but who else can it be?
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To allow the audience to take a peek behind the spaces I cover, let them get a look at how things work under the hood.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
in 2018 was hilarious, when people were convinced the puddles in Marvel's Spider-Man was part of some PlayStation-wide conspiracy.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
via email, or text. Anything other than a phone call.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
WordPress, Adobe Photoshop and Premiere, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter. I hate that I love it.
Who do you wish followed you?
Greg Miller.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did. I was the editor.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Probably my review of God of War, 2018.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Forget out hot takes, find your perspective. That's the only thing that's truly unique. Nobody's experience is universal, nobody can say what you have to say the way you can.
When's the best time to pitch you?
I work across global time zones, so there is no such thing.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Pretty much any time I'm asked to interview the creators of a game I'm interested in. There's nothing quite like listen to artists talk about their work.
What's your favorite drink?
Coke. Wine. Rarely at the same time.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Somewhere in the mountains, probably with my Nintendo Switch.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Kirk Hamilton's review of Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of my favourite things ever. Heather Alexandra's piece "Games Criticism Is A Kindness" is another piece I consider required reading.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That we're paid off or otherwise bribed by game publishers for good reviews.
