I have been a writer for nearly 40 years and for the past 28 years of so I have concentrated primarily on the video game world, writing articles and regular columns, editing magazines, founding Prima Publishing’s strategy guide imprint and running it as creative director for its first six years, and also contributing to various games both as a writer and as a design consultant. I also spent a lot of time playing flamenco and classical guitar, studied fiction with Theodore Sturgeon, and currently practice the Chinese martial art taijiquan. 

My most recent project covers Microsoft’s gaming history, from DOS to Xbox, in two volumes. These books took several years to write and are based in large part on interviews with 93 people who were directly involved in various parts of the story. Combined, Game of X v.1: Xbox and Game of X v.2: The Long Road to Xbox number more than 800 pages and include many original photos and documents ranging from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. 

Game of X not only examines the historical events, but also the ever-changing culture at Microsoft as well as the technology that enabled both Windows games and Xbox to work. One of the most interesting aspects of v.2 are the stories of the Developer Relations Group, a unique team of highly trained, technological operatives who supported developers who used the Windows platform while simultaneously using Art of War tactics to sabotage Microsoft’s competitors. And still more interesting is when a small group of those operatives turned their skills and techniques inward to effect radical change within the company itself. 

Lots of great stories, insights never before published, a colorful cast of characters, and a good dose of crazy from time to time. 

Anyway, it’s nice to be here.