Sep 032011
 

Part two of Geekzine UK’s Q & A with the Sarcastic Gamer UK podcast crew is Yamster, otherwise known as Jon Brady by day. (Part one with Captain Average is here)

Now if you’re a gamer like myself and my geeky pals here at Geekzine UK, then you should have heard of the U.S based video gaming website Sarcastic Gamer (and if you haven’t then shame on you and click that link RIGHT NOW!) Sarcastic Gamer has a great community and is an excellent site for reviews, opinion, sarcasm, forums and most of all great podcasts.

It’s not all Stateside though and good ol’ Blighty has it’s own podcast crew: Sarcastic Gamer UK. Hosted by Captain Average, Mighty Mutt and Yamster they bring their own reviews, opinions, discussion and good ol’ sterling British humour to our podcasty devices and let’s face it, Brits know how to do sarcasm better then anyone.

Coming up on October 15th is Sarcastic Gamer’s Extra Life charity event aimed at raising money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals through a sponsored 24 hour video gaming marathon. If you’d like to sponsor a gamer or even participate in this exciting event then go over to the Extra Life website.

Jon is doing 2 x 12 hour Rockband drumming stints for this event – PHEW!

You can sponsor Yamster’s Extra-Life efforts by going here.

[editor note – Despite popular opinion we’re not perfect here at Geekzine UK and Jon was very gracious when I accidently spelt his last name wrong in the interview questions aswell – note to self – ALWAYS check 4 times]

Who is Jon Brody[sic] – ?
Not sure, but I can tell you who Jon Brady is. He’s a twentysomething games blogger from Glasgow, writing for SarcasticGamer.com and being “the Scottish one” on the iTunes-featured Sarcastic Gamer UK podcast.

Why ‘Yamster’?

It was originally “Youlikeyams?”, a name I used on an Internet community around 8 years ago, itself a quote from an episode of the web series Weebl and Bob. When it came to choosing a name to write under for Sarcastic Gamer I was told to cut it, thus “Yamster” was born.

How old are you?
Far too young.

Where are you from?
I was born in Dundee but have been Glasgow-bred for as long as I can remember.

What’s your day job?

I’m a sales assistant in a toy shop by day. Which is great, since I’m a manchild.

How did you get involved with Sarcastic Gamer and the UK Podcast?

Writing for the site came about as an accident. The Sarcastic Gamer forums became another internet hangout a few years ago and the forum software included a blogging facility: I wrote and wrote on it, just because I could, and got a message from one of the site staff asking if I wanted to come on board.

As for the podcast, CapnAverage, MightyMutt and I started indepdently podcasting on what we called “On Her Majesty’s Sarcastic Service”, and it featured a lot of the things that remain in SGUK today: the Great British Debate, news, acting like idiots. It proved so popular that SG saw fit to capture us before we did a runner and set up shop elsewhere. And the rest, as they say, is history.

So you play Video Games (d’uh…)?
Occasionally. Life is hugely busy right now, meaning I barely have time to game unless it’s for review or for discussing on the podcast. I look forward to the hopeful blip of free time I’ll get next March, or somewhere equally far off as that.

What systems do you have?
I game at home solely on my PS3, save for some indie Steam titles on my Mac and some Robotek on my Android. It keeps things affordable, owning only one dedicated system.

Favourite system of all time?

The PS3 has had some stunning first-party and exclusive titles: MotorStorm, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted, you know the ones. The power to properly engage the player has only really come along with this generation: I’m never huge on saying graphics make everything better, but they really did. That, and the Move is okay in small doses…

Favourite Game of all time?

Never ask me that, as there’s far too many for a variety of different reasons.

What are you playing at the moment?

Sinking my teeth into Deus Ex: Human Revolution. A stealth playthrough, complimented by some pre-order bonus firepower, is my current choice.

Do you have a favourite book?

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson.

What are you reading at the moment?

Games Brief Unplugged Volume 2, a collection of articles from the Games Brief website by games business genius Nicholas Lovell. It explores things like why APB failed, how free-to-play games will change the current business, things like that. Hugely interesting and it’s eye-opening in terms of what goes on behind the scenes of everything we play.

Comics? Or Graphic Novels?

Nada.

Manga?

Nope.

Do you roll dice?

Monopoly, I guess?

Do you trade cards?

Business cards?

Ambitions?

Keep sticking at what I do in the hope that one day I can start to live off of writing about games. It’s a difficult thing to try and do but I can only hope that by sticking at it, perseverance will pay off.

What’s next in life for you?

I honestly don’t know. I could walk outside and get reduced to smush by a bus for all I know. I tend to live one day at a time and, as cliché as that sounds, it’s worked out pretty well for me so far.

Sarcastic Gamer UK Podcast available through iTunes or RSS feed – go have a listen