Author Topic: Jesus, I'm Old (Read 10532 times)

Justin Nation · « **on:** January 20, 2009, 08:09:13 PM »

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blogArt.cfm?artid=17560

To whom it may concern,

Welcome to my auspicious return to "the scene". If you're unfamiliar with me look in the Editorial section back to the dawn of time and you'll find some inane ramblings. You may also find some ancient reviews of mine perhaps (I still giggle over the fun I had lambasting BMX XXX) if you turn the filters to GC and REALLY OLD. If you've been on the scene long enough to remember me, yes, I am still as much of a self-righteous, long-winded and opinionated blowhard as ever... just now my chronological age has begun to sneak up on the geezerly "get off my lawn" opinions I had way back when.

Forgive me if I may be a bit disoriented, but things have changed a wee bit since I last contributed in any meaningful way to a site. The web is a bit of a different place now, as anyone with a web connection can post their thoughts to a blog (complete with free hosting, mind you)... somewhat posing a watered-down threat to "reputable sites" in the same way that scene sites were stealing from pay sites way back when. Shoot, in the day we paid for that hosting and we needed to broker our own deals for ads if we wanted to avoid putting a dent in our pocketbooks, and we fought an uphill battle to garner industry connections and get invites to events or evaluation games.

Danged whipper-snappers these days don't know how easy they have it! We didn't have the TwitterBook or FaceSpace! We worked boards diligently on other sites trying to get nibbles through cross-links or we'd work to grease the palms of other sites with promises of linking back to them or whatever we could think of to suck someone in. We also didn't have nice site back-ends for publishing our content into a database. Oh no! We hand-crafted our HTML and manually made our links and we liked it! Shoot, back at the start it was wild when I coded up a JavaScript powered form that you could type your content into that would then spit out the HTML for people to email me so I could then upload the page via FTP and link it up within the site through the front page and main section pages with much diligence and care! Even when the original DB-backed incarnation of this site made its unholy debut (an effort in learning Cold Fusion and SQL that ultimately contributed to getting me fired from my full-time job) with primitive DB design and god-awful beginner code that was progress somehow... we were pushing the edge of what people did for free on the side.

But no, I'm not bitter how comparatively easy people have it now... someone had to expend blood, sweat, and tears to get the ball rolling. You pay extra to beat the curve and it was a hell of a time back when you could count the truly known sites and people in the scene on your fingers and toes. Now it is certainly simpler to get going but in the end your content has to be that much more remarkable to be heard above the chattering of the crowd. I think I love the Despair.com Demotivator that says it the best: "Blogging: Never Before Have So Many People With So Little To Say Said So Much To So Few". Amen.

I hope to get back to contributing in some capacity, with my advanced age (all of 35... so over the hill!) and two lovely girls (for those who remember, the birth of my first prompted my departure from the scene over 8 years ago) perhaps I have a new perspective to offer as a gamer with kids. If you have ideas for things you'd like to see be sure to let me know. I have as much to blather on about as I ever did, just at some point a real job and family really took away the spark to put it cohesively into print. Perhaps it is time to get the brain out of mothballs and begin pissing people off once more. Now THERE'S a motivator...

RABicle · « **Reply #1 on:** January 20, 2009, 08:28:10 PM »

When are you going to drop the pseudonym?

Justin Nation · « **Reply #2 on:** January 20, 2009, 08:32:35 PM »

Erm, umm, I hate to tell you but that's my actual name.

:

Trust me, in my mind since I've never had any direct ties to anyone or any company in the industry I've never had any reason to want to be someone else. I figure when you go to so much trouble to establish yourself why give the credit to some non-existent pen name.

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #3 on:** January 20, 2009, 08:41:26 PM »

Don't get on my bad side and your return will be pleasant.

Justin Nation · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2009, 08:49:45 PM »

Bah, but being on people's bad sides can sometimes be an effective way to keep them reading. Not to say I'd go out of my way, just people with strong opinions prompt strong reactions and as long as it makes you look, hey, it's a success.

Kairon · « **Reply #5 on:** January 20, 2009, 09:04:00 PM »

Quote from: PGC-Justin on January 20, 2009, 08:49:45 PM

Bah, but being on people's bad sides can sometimes be an effective way to keep them reading.

This is true. Why else does GP make sure to post in EACH and EVERY RFN talkback thread?

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #6 on:** January 20, 2009, 09:12:06 PM »

Quote from: Kairon on January 20, 2009, 09:04:00 PM

Quote from: PGC-Justin on January 20, 2009, 08:49:45 PM
Bah, but being on people's bad sides can sometimes be an effective way to keep them reading.

This is true. Why else does GP make sure to post in EACH and EVERY RFN talkback thread?

My goal is to get on everyone's bad side at least once. Two times would be extra special!

DAaaMan64 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 20, 2009, 09:42:38 PM »

Welcome back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111!!!!!11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!!!1!!

MegaByte · « **Reply #8 on:** January 20, 2009, 10:54:21 PM »

Quote from: PGC-Justin on January 20, 2009, 08:09:13 PM

Shoot, in the day we paid for that hosting and we needed to broker our own deals for ads if we wanted to avoid putting a dent in our pocketbooks, and we fought an uphill battle to garner industry connections and get invites to events or evaluation games.

Well, some things haven't changed.

King of Twitch · « **Reply #9 on:** January 21, 2009, 01:00:05 AM »

i'LL make sure He gets the message

S-U-P-E-R · « **Reply #10 on:** January 21, 2009, 01:31:17 AM »

Justin Nation OWNS

As an April Fool's prank, he once successfully fooled readers of numerous websites into believing Nintendo was putting out some kind of N64 controller pak that put out smells. I'm not kidding

TheYoungerPlumber · « **Reply #11 on:** January 21, 2009, 03:42:20 AM »

Hooray! See, I figure if I stick around long enough, our name will be Planet N2100 and a cybernetic Louie the Cat will be Director.

EDIT: By the way, I consider Justin to be a kindred spirit for this site--we both pounded away at databases and code to bring Frankenstein monsters to life. NWR's code and DB design isn't the greatest, but by golly it works. ...Well, most of the time. So I give MegaByte thanks for putting up with the aggregation of crap code we've spewed over the years.

MysticGohan · « **Reply #12 on:** January 21, 2009, 04:19:22 AM »

So, did'ja missed me? heh

Justin Nation · « **Reply #13 on:** January 21, 2009, 05:26:45 AM »

Yeah baby, the Stinky Pak rules! We even tied in the weird Earthbound scratch-and-sniff campaign to try to eek out that extra ounce of creativity. Kudos primarily to the other big sites for playing along, it was the power of everyone sticking to the same story (though I remember some other ones going a step further and adding their own angles which deepened it even more) that made it work.

As for the site... damn folks, when I got back in to see how much behind the scenes is still similar. Aaagh, I couldn't even imagine. Bubble gum and duct tape. This place was my chance to learn both Cold Fusion and SQL... I didn't know a thing about diong them right. Oh well, it stays alive and at least aesthetically it's been made nicer.

But c'mon folks, some flavor of what you'd be interested in getting an angle on...

Tanookisuit · « **Reply #14 on:** January 21, 2009, 06:32:57 AM »

Welcome back! I'm knocking on 30's door myself, and it will be nice to read what a now-elderly Justin Nation has to say.

RABicle · « **Reply #15 on:** January 21, 2009, 09:03:10 AM »

Quote from: PGC-Justin on January 20, 2009, 08:32:35 PM

Erm, umm, I hate to tell you but that's my actual name. :

Trust me, in my mind since I've never had any direct ties to anyone or any company in the industry I've never had any reason to want to be someone else. I figure when you go to so much trouble to establish yourself why give the credit to some non-existent pen name.

Oh. I was thinking of Rick Powers.

Jonnyboy117 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 21, 2009, 12:23:09 PM »

Welcome back, JNation! I still have that awesome PGC shirt that your wife made for us one E3.

As for future blog ideas, how about a humorous Then/Now list of comparisons? Also, you could write about games that you play with your little girls.

Justin Nation · « **Reply #17 on:** January 21, 2009, 12:49:57 PM »

Ah, yeah, that was a cool project to get our logo down to 2 or 3 colors and look right once it got converted in her embroidery software. Ah, old stuff. As for the ideas, taken into consideration. I definitely would like to write about them individually but yeah, family play would be worth touching on as well. Advantage of the shorter blog form no doubt, doesn't have to be full-on essays.

Rize · « **Reply #18 on:** January 21, 2009, 10:10:16 PM »

Yep, welcome back. I hopped on board at the veeery end of the PN2k days. I tried to quit last year but Windy wouldn't let me. Guess I better start writing some blogs.

NWR_Karl · « **Reply #19 on:** January 21, 2009, 10:40:34 PM »

True story: In my first ever staff meeting, somebody (I don't remember who) asked what "Justin's involvement with the site was going to be these days," and Jonny said something to the effect of, "Got promoted. No time for us lowly internet drones."

This site is like the Italian mafia. You try to break free, and it just pulls you back in...

ShyGuy · « **Reply #20 on:** January 21, 2009, 11:21:52 PM »

Is that Karl threatening to come back?

Caliban · « **Reply #21 on:** January 22, 2009, 12:01:18 AM »

To Justin Nation: Did you recently write to Peer Schneider on facebook, or something?

NWR_Lindy · « **Reply #22 on:** January 22, 2009, 01:20:29 AM »

I can't think of another Nintendo enthusiast site from which a writer could literally have taken an 8 year hiatus, come back, and have the site still be around (and even still have some of the same people on staff, for crying out loud).

Justin Nation · « **Reply #23 on:** January 22, 2009, 05:25:36 AM »

Quote from: Caliban on January 22, 2009, 12:01:18 AM

To Justin Nation: Did you recently write to Peer Schneider on facebook, or something?

Yeah, and he gave me a quote from the IGN offices about the context of how my name has been invoked there before that cracked me up!

Justin Nation · « **Reply #24 on:** January 22, 2009, 05:28:07 AM »

Quote from: Lindy on January 22, 2009, 01:20:29 AM

I can't think of another Nintendo enthusiast site from which a writer could literally have taken an 8 year hiatus, come back, and have the site still be around (and even still have some of the same people on staff, for crying out loud).

Yeah, lord don't you people have lives/jobs?!?!?

Once the sh!t hits the fan at work once more I'm sure I'll need to pull back some once again or whatever but once you get the bug to share your thoughts and annoy people... tough to give it up in a lot of ways.

News:

Author Topic: Jesus, I'm Old (Read 10532 times)