After a Summer hiatus, the “We are gamers” series is back with a bang! Today’s guest is not only a hardcore (retro) gamer I look up to, but he is also someone who strives to set examples and wants to have an impact on everything he does. Before I interviewed him, I enjoyed his videos and admired his gaming skills, now I genuinely like him as a human being, because he thinks DIFFERENT (read to believe)! It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you TheBrownPlayer:
(Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that – at no additional cost to you – if you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission. For more info, please check my affiliate disclosure page.)
1. Welcome TheBrownPlayer and a big “thank you” for accepting my invitation to be interviewed for the blog. For starters, please introduce yourself to RGL’s readers.
I’m a native Southern California (USA) boy who grew up in a pretty bad neighborhood in the 1980’s. Began playing video games when I was six years old. With the exception of many such retro games that virtually have no ending (e.g., Pac Man) I have beaten 99% of all of the games that I have ever put a significant amount of time into. (Yes, there is one game that has eluded me and it haunts me ‘til this day.)
I have prided myself on never giving up on a game and always ensuring that I beat it at all costs. Now in my 40’s I consider myself somewhat of a sage in the video game world because I learned the art and mastered the skill of gaming back when both were ridiculously difficult to achieve. When the combination of trial and error, frustration, patience and sometimes a little luck were the only ways to beat a game. However, I’m very blessed to have grown up during that era because it ultimately led to once impeccable hand-eye coordination, speed, skill and confidence. I am the last of a vanishing breed.
I’m also a father to a 2.5-year-old girl, work full time as a data analyst, love watching what we consider the major sports, gambling on those sports, working out and riding my motorcycle when the weather permits. I’m also a geek that loves to learn about apps and computer software that can benefit my lifestyle in some shape or form.
2. What was the first video game you ever played?
Probably Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 or something on the ColecoVision.
3. What about the first gaming system you ever owned?
Nintendo (NES)
4. Were you an arcade gamer? If you were, what about your favorite titles back in the 80s / 90s?
Indeed, I was. I didn’t hit the arcade scene until 1990 when Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was all the rage. But some of my personal favorites were fighting games from the Street Fighter Alpha, Mortal Kombat, Samurai Shodown, King of Fighters and Marvel vs Capcom series. I gravitated towards fighting games because when I was 15 years old, I had a great friend/teacher who enabled me to play those types of games at a very high level at his house after school on almost a daily basis.
5. I am going to name a few video game genres: please tell me your favorite retro title for each of them:
A) Adventure
When you say a picture is worth a thousand words…
The Legend of Zelda
B) Platform
Mega Man 2
C) Puzzle Games
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
D) Role-playing games
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
E) Racing Games
Super Mario Kart
F) Sports Games
Super Dodge Ball (NES)
G) Shoot ‘Em Up/Run and Gun
Star Fox / Contra
H) Any other games whose genre I did not mention?
These games I feel deserve honorable mentions and they span various genres. But for now, I’ll lump them into one “genre” that I can best describe as ‘Not So Retro Games with a Retro Games Look’: Cuphead / Towerfall Dark World
6. While growing up, what gaming system did you have the most fun with? Are you still a regular gamer?
Because consoles have been released over different periods of time, I feel that every console is representative of a different phase in my life. So, I’ve had different levels of fun with each based upon what was going on in my personal life, the kinds of games that were available to me, their gameplay styles, levels of difficulty and what my brain could process amidst those criteria.
Although games and consoles have evolved over time, I’m sure there were some games that were 8-bit that I preferred over 64-bit based upon re-playability. I’ve had tremendous amounts of fun with every console that I have ever owned as each one stimulated my mind in a different way.
I’m a part-time gamer at best as I work full-time and parent when I’m not working. I’m also very selective about the games I play and a game REALLY has to grab me in order for me to consider setting aside the time and dedication to not only play it but also finish it.
If such a game also hooks me then I dedicate even more time to play it at a high enough level that I want to showcase my skills in it. Cuphead was the last game to do that to me and if you check out the Cuphead videos on my YouTube channel you’ll see the proof is in the pudding!
7. What is your relationship with the online gaming world? Do you play online with your friends/family members/random gamers?
Sadly, I do not have a relationship with the online gaming world. I ONCE played one three round match of Street Fighter IV back in the late 2000’s and that was it. It just didn’t give me that itch that begged to be scratched.
8. What are your finest memories related to video games?
Back in the 1980’s if you didn’t buy or already possess a specific video game the only other alternative to playing a different one was to rent it at a video store. I recall walking to the local video store many times three blocks away from my childhood home and renting a game for an entire weekend for approximately $2.25.
Other fond memories were going to the arcades and/or friends’ houses after school to play games; trading games, reading the latest video game magazines or talking about who had progressed in what game. Moments like these would take place during lunch periods throughout grade school.
It was also an unwritten rule that whatever you borrowed you had to honor the lender’s terms and conditions pertaining to the game. We were only kids but that’s how we learned and gained trust, honor and respect for one another, which forged various types of relationships. Some personal and some strictly business.
9. What prompted you to start a YouTube channel?
TheBrownPlayer’s YouTube channel
Back around 2008 I discovered that there was finally a platform to showcase some of my greatest gaming accomplishments. In it I noticed that others had already been doing the same, showcasing their own video gameplay so I thought I’d do the same. I feel that we sometimes want others to see some of our own greatness so I gathered all of my old VHS tapes where I had recorded most of my gaming, taught myself how to digitize and edit them using various software and just started uploading.
10. What is the goal of TheBrownPlayer?
To continue to grow all of my platforms where my gameplay is on display (e.g., YouTube, Instagram, Twitter) in hopes to attract more attention to my YouTube channel and TheBrownPlayer name as a whole.
I’d also like for people to contribute to my Patreon (web address below) so that I may invest in my platforms to make them on par with other more professional productions. I want to establish TheBrownPlayer name as a brand known for various gameplays, segments and series across multiple genres the likes of which not many have seen nor done.
11. Last but not least: any future plans or secret wishes?
I plan on creating a series of videos within my YouTube channel where I review/critique my own past gameplay. I’m going to reach out to other gamers and see if I can do the same to their gameplay.
I WISH I could package my gameplay (namely those games which I’ve beaten) and license it to media companies for mass distribution, similar to how a production company licenses a series to a streaming platform.
I also wish a celebrity would endorse me by giving TheBrownPlayer a shout-out or recommend checking out my channel during a widely distributed interview. Pipe dream I know but a dream nonetheless.
Below are links by which you can support and/or view my work:
PATREON:
https://www.patreon.com/TheBrownPlayer
YOUTUBE:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBrownPlayer
INSTAGRAM:
https://www.instagram.com/thebrownplayer
TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/TheBrownPlayer
Thank you!
