GameInformer Our Staff

The Game Informer Staff

From world exclusive first looks to authoritative reviews, Game Informer is the cultural catalyst that drives dialogue about video gaming on a global scale. With its dynamic mix of hard-hitting news, unique perspectives on pending game releases, and engaging dialogue with industry insiders, the magazine shines a light on the creative outlets that drive the burgeoning interactive entertainment industry and, most importantly, advises gamers on where to spend their hard earned dollars. As professionals and consumers, we play the bad games so you don’t have to.

Andy McNamara
Editor-in-Chief Profile E-mail Editor

One of the original game journalists, Andy McNamara started his career in 1991 writing reviews of NHL Hockey and Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis in the magazine’s premiere issue. Named editor-in-chief in 1994, McNamara turned the quarterly newsletter into the number one monthly video game publication in the world, with over 3.6 Million subscribers and counting. From the humble days of running the ASCII version of Star Trek on a workplace server to years of joyously exploring Atari 2600, ColecoVision, and Intellivision games during the golden age of video games, Andy immersed himself in pixilated adventures right up to the industry crash of 1983. Between ‘83 and ‘85 video games fell off the face of the Earth, but Andy rekindled his love of interactive entertainment when the Nintendo Entertainment System launched the modern era of video games with classics like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. Andy still attributes Metroid as the reason he is involved with video games today. One of the longest standing editors and journalists in the industry, sharing his passion for games with gamers around the world is the reason Andy gets out of bed in the morning. Sure, it¹s around noon, but those are gamer hours.

Andrew Reiner
Executive EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Andrew Reiner has been a staple in the pages of Game Informer since 1995, but his obsession with video games is linked to his earliest childhood memory – being picked up by his mother so that he could view an Asteroids coin-op at a Pizza Hut. From weekly trips to arcades to owning every system that hit the market since the Atari 2600, Andrew has dedicated his life to video games. He chose a career in game journalism over game creation mostly because journalists get a chance to play everything coming out, as opposed to a creator dedicating most days and nights to the same game for years on end. True to his belief, Andrew plays everything, which is evidenced in his ridiculously high Xbox 360 Gamerscore and PS3 trophy count. Andrew works side-by-side with editor-in-chief Andy McNamara each month, giving input on cover decisions and which games should be covered into the magazine. He also manages the editorial staff, and believes that all big game release dates should be national holidays.

Matt Helgeson
Senior EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Matt Helgeson has been covering interactive entertainment since 1999, when he joined Game Informer as an unpaid intern. A lifelong interest in games, culture, music, and writing lead him to the University of Minnesota, where he earned a degree in journalism/mass communication. During his senior year, his internship at Game Informer led to a full-time position centered largely on posting news stories on the magazine’s website. Since then, he has traveled the world covering all aspects of video games and game culture, writing cover stories, features, reviews, and previews. He has also written for Nick Magazine, neumu.net, and the Twin Cities music publication TEVS. Matt currently co-hosts the talk radio show Video Games Weekly on KFAN AM in Minneapolis.

Matthew Kato
Senior Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Matt Kato has been a GI stalwart since 2000, starting out on the original Game Informer website. Kato’s love of video games started with sports games, but he also enjoys everything from Metal Gear Solid to Vagrant Story. Like most people back in the day, his interest in games started with the Atari 2600 and NES, but he didn’t partake of the next generation of consoles until his brother informed him of an officially licensed football game called Madden for Sega Genesis. Hired in part because Andy McNamara thought a four-year degree in Japanese meant he could speak the language fluently, Kato soon proved to be more talented at putting together the magazine’s news section – something he learned from the late GI luminary Paul Anderson.

Matt Bertz
Content ManagerProfile E-mail Editor

Matt Bertz has been covering interactive entertainment since 2001, but his passion for video games started much earlier with the ancient standalone handheld title Mattel Football. His love for games was cemented with the discovery that Link could burn bushes to reveal hidden dungeons in The Legend of Zelda. Upon graduating high school, Matt turned his love for entertainment into a career, pursuing degrees in print journalism and creative writing from the University of St. Thomas and specializing in entertainment writing. His first break came in 2001, writing game reviews for PC Upgrade magazine. Prior to joining Game Informer in 2006, Matt served as editor-in-chief of Surge magazine, a short-lived gaming publication that won the 2004 Silver Eddie Award for best consumer entertainment magazine under 250,000 circulation. He also has contributed as a freelancer to Newsweek, AOL, Inked, Laptop, and Men’s Fitness, among other publications.

Jeff Cork
EditorProfile E-mail Editor

After graduating from the University of Alaska Fairbanks with degrees in journalism and criminal justice, Jeff Cork has worked in publishing for the past decade. Aside from toiling away as a copy editor at several daily newspapers, his career highlights include writing copy for subscription-renewal cards and editing mainframe-server magazines. He also wrote for a Dreamcast site just before the dot-com bubble burst. (The guy who ran it still owes him $720.) His obsession with gaming began way before 9/9/99, starting the first time he played Laser Blast for the Atari 2600. Since then, Jeff has spent countless hours using his thumbs to maneuver images on television screens. When he’s not playing games, Jeff can be found chasing after his two sons or pumping his fist in the air because he doesn’t have to edit mainframe-server magazines anymore.

Nick Ahrens
Media EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Raised on a healthy dose of video games, sci-fi, art and skateboarding, Nick Ahrens found a way to turn all of his favorite things into careers that started in the X Games and ended up at Game Informer. His deep-rooted love for games has spanned every platform from Atari 2600 to the latest and greatest the industry has to offer. Envious of other kids in his early childhood, Nick nearly achieved nirvana the first time he had a console to call his own. When he finally fired up the NES and started exploring the wonderful world of video games, it all became so clear. Often referred to as the “utility man” in the office, Nick is a published writer, designer and photographer. Beyond his editorial and production at Game Informer, he has published photos and designs featured in magazines like Transworld Snowboarding, designed skate decks that have been sold globally, and shot photos for some of his favorite bands.

Adam Biessener
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Since 2003, Adam Biessener has handled Game Informer's PC gaming coverage responsibilities. Adam fell in love with Rogue and Wizardry at an early age, progressing through classic series’ like Might & Magic, Civilization, and Ultima. By the time he applied to GI, consoles started playing a big part in Adam's gaming habits as well. These days, you can find him pouring his time and attention into titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, World of Warcraft, Disgaea, Rock Band, and everything in between – while still somehow fitting Civilization in whenever possible.

Annette Gonzalez
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

One of the newest members of the Game Informer family, Annette Gonzalez discovered her passion for gaming on the NES. After her first encounter with Mario she knew gaming was a hobby she would want to turn into a career someday. Annette earned a degree in journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she focused her work on the game industry. She introduced video game coverage to her campus magazine and enrolled in a game design course where she learned about accessibility options for the disabled. Intrigued by the topic, she discovered and became a regular contributor to AbleGamers.com, a website for gamers with disabilities. The Chicago native has also contributed articles to Time Out Chicago, Chicago, and Café magazines.

Joe Juba
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Joe Juba joined the Game Informer staff in 2003, giving him the opportunity to combine his two favorite hobbies – gaming and writing – into a career. His parents say he was playing Hunt the Wumpus on a TI-99 before he could talk, but the original King’s Quest and Final Fantasy titles sparked his true obsession with video games. Joe has a degree in English from St. Olaf College, as well as a lapsed teaching certification. Instead of educating the leaders of tomorrow, Joe opted to enter the world of gaming journalism – which is probably best for everyone involved.

Philip Kollar
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Philip Kollar hasn't just been playing games his entire life -- he's been reading and writing about them too. After a childhood spent poring over every page of coveted EGM and Game Informer issues, he pursued a degree in English and film studies at the University of Minnesota. During his time there, he turned his radio show at the campus station into a podcast for the Evil Avatar gaming community. This spun into freelance and full-time work for 1UP, EGM, GamesRadar, IGN, and more. After spending a year learning the ropes of writing about games in San Francisco, Phil hooked up with the Game Informer crew via Twitter. Who says social networking is a waste of time?

Jeff Marchiafava
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

While most staffers started with the Atari 2600, it was his dad’s Bally Astrocade that introduced Jeff to the exciting world of video games. Obscure Atari rip-offs aside, his parents’ refusal to buy him an NES ensured that some of Jeff’s earliest gaming memories were social ones, at friends’ homes and in arcades. When he successfully negotiated an end to the video game embargo in ‘91, it began a hobby that has since cost him most of his disposable income. While current-gen consoles have revived Jeff’s love of social gaming, he also still plays the 8-bit classics he was denied as a kid. Degrees in English and Japanese from the Univeristy of Minnesota and a yearlong study program in Japan round out Jeff’s educational background, and landed him an internship at Game Informer. As one of the new hires for 2.0, Jeff looks forward to having the money and an excuse to play all the coolest new games of tomorrow. (“It’s research for work, I swear!”)

Matt Miller
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Matt Miller has been writing and editing at Game Informer since 2004, when his love of writing and games were given a professional outlet, instead of being a distraction from the work he was supposed to be doing. He received a B.A. in 2002 from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where he studied writing, music, and psychology. His gaming background stretches back to the Atari 2600, and the early PC and console role-playing games solidified him into a lifelong gamer. Matt has great interest in the process of game creation and design, including a particular fascination with the crafting of interactive narrative. When not playing or writing about games, he can be found enmeshed in his various music interests, or planning an upcoming tabletop RPG session. Whenever possible, he retreats to his darkened lair, amid extensive collections of books, comics, and toys.

Ben Reeves
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Games have always been a major part of Ben’s entertainment diet. From playing Pac-Man forgeries on a Commodore 64 to scrounging for couch change so he could rent Double Dragon II for the 16th time, games have consumed more hours of his life than any other activity. After graduating with honors from the University of Colorado and receiving a degree in English with a creative writing emphasis, he combined his love for gaming and writing by pursuing a career in game journalism. Before joining Game Informer, Ben worked as in intern in the Avengers office at Marvel Comics, where he unsuccessfully tried convincing his bosses to let him write a Deadpool comic (he still has the script, Marvel).

Dan Ryckert
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

A graduate of the University of Kansas, Dan Ryckert has been an avid gamer ever since his first memory - receiving an NES for his fourth birthday. Since then, he's excelled in countless displays of nerdery. He convinced his third grade classmates to put money into a Mortal Kombat tournament pool that he hosted and subsequently won (a feat he'd repeat in the college dorms with Soul Calibur). Later, he won $50 in a contest to see who could beat Link to the Past the fastest in one sitting, slaying Ganon when his opponent was only two dungeons into the Dark World. In his basement, he recreated the entire Assault event from American Gladiators using Nerf guns, pitchback nets, pillows, and a dartboard. At a friend's birthday party in elementary school, he wrote and acted in a Mortal Kombat play that was performed in front of his friend's parents. Tragically, the play was cut short when he injured himself while doing a flip after getting hit by Johnny Cage's "fireball" (represented by a Koosh ball). When he's not writing about or playing videogames, he's most likely listening to Warren Zevon, drinking Milwaukee's Best, or watching old Norm Macdonald talk show appearances. He currently plans on utilizing the extensive Game Informer vault to achieve a higher Gamerscore than Reiner.

Tim Turi
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Tim's gaming obsession began when his older brother became bored with his Atari 2600. His Sonic the Hedgehog skills were second to none at a young age, but that never stopped him for pining after games on other consoles, like Mega Man for the NES. He thus vowed to own every console and play the gamut of games as soon as humanly possible. His desire to play everything is in direct conflict with his drive to complete every game he plays, successfully creating a time-sucking paradox. Upon graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2008 with a sociology degree, Tim pursued a career in the gaming subculture, writing for a grassroots gaming blog and attending multiple gaming conventions. That was but a prelude to his internship at Game Informer in 2009, which ultimately landed him a position working for the company as it prepared for metamorphosis. In his free time, Tim enjoys playing even more video games and preparing for the zombie apocalypse.

Meagan Van Burkleo
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Meagan joined Game Informer in early 2008 after graduating from the University of Minnesota. During her time at the U of M, Meagan pursued a degree in graphic design and journalism/mass communications, hoping to cater her skills towards a career in print media—specifically Game Informer. Prior to her gig at GI, Meagan covered interactive entertainment for the Girls Entertainment Network, using the opportunity to hone her writing skills, attend trade events, and learn the inner workings of the video game industry. Meagan often credits Tomb Raider as her gaming catalyst, being one of the first games with which she didn’t have to fight for the controller. Evidently her brothers didn’t see the merit of playing as a tough chick. The spark yielded by Ms. Croft turned into a fascination with the entire industry, and Meagan now spends her days happily submersed in the culture.

Bryan Vore
Associate EditorProfile E-mail Editor

Bryan Vore’s love of gaming began one Christmas morning long ago when he received a NES bundled with Super Mario Bros. from his parents. Many thumb blisters later, he graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in journalism and studies in cinema and media culture. Fresh out of school, Bryan joined Game Informer as an intern in 2004 and was eventually hired to perform odd jobs for the advertising department. He made the jump to editorial a year later, writing for Game Informer Online and then moving over to the magazine back when the distinction between departments was more apparent.

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