Meet The Staff: Austin Walker

Hi, I’m Austin Walker. People seem to think that sounds like the name of a cowboy, or other adventurer. A complete stranger on a bus once asked me, with a marginal control of English at best, “You… you are… private detective? Yes?”

(I am not, in fact, a private eye, by the way.)

So, it seems like I’ve joined the One Last Continue crew, and this is supposed to be an introduction. Like all good or mediocre introductions, I’ll begin mine with a quote. When faced with having to change his way of life according to new rules set by a publicist, Sports Night’s Dan Rydell says, “I’m not a war correspondent for Radio Free Europe, but I do take what I do seriously…” That seems to be my attitude about, well, everything. Yes, these things we love are games – we can never, ever forget that – but damned if we shouldn’t treat them like we would any other important cultural artifacts.

Yes, I’m a little pretentious. Yes, I’m from the east coast. Yes, I did just quote an Aaron Sorkin show (we covered this, I am a little pretentious.) But I believe entirely in a synthesis of consistent, logical critique and an acceptance that when we play games (or experience any art and media, really) we emotionally react in a way that is often ineffable. Also, I think I’ve bought way more Koei games than anyone who wrote that has the right to.

I’m really excited to join the OLC team, and I hope to make you excited to have me. We’ll see how that goes.

Austin Walker also covers Multiplayer gaming for Examiner.com. You can reach him at a_walk@mac.com, or follow him on twitter at www.twitter.com/WreckTheLaw