About Joystiq
When they're not busy writing "about" themselves in third person, the bloggers of Joystiq can usually be seen wallowing in a deep and inescapable video game obsession. This definitive devotion to all things electronic and interactive manifests in the words and (sigh) paragraphs you see cluttering up a perfectly nice corner of the internet. This is particularly impressive when you consider that the internet is, by all accounts, a circular hut type thing.
By the way, did you know that "wallow" is also a noun? As in, a place in which one wallows.
You've found Joystiq's wallow on the internet, a place where news is relayed from the video game industry -- one that has grown to encompass countless genres, audiences and, worst of all, marketing executives -- to the reader. Hey, that's you! Here's what you'll be pointing your eyeballs at: video game news and commentary that's written with as much excitement, enthusiasm, insight and fun as Joystiq's bloggers can muster. But don't think that lighthearted jabs and an irreverent tone signals the end of serious business: Joystiq strives to maintain accuracy, to dig deeper, to do away with meaningless PR prattle, to gracefully decline luxury Cappuccino machines (even the really nice ones with Espresso functionality), to ask the awkward questions and ... to wallow.
To learn more about our editorial policies, click here.
The Joystiq Network also includes:
Big Download: A fast and free downloads engine coupled with PC gaming news
Massively: Your best source for all the latest news on what's happening in MMOs
WoW.com: Extensive coverage of the most popular online role-playing game ever, World of Warcraft
Team Joystiq
Chris Grant
Editor-in-Chief (email)
Motivated by either an unhealthy Messianic complex or a dearth of career opportunities (he never could decide which), Chris put his college education to good use as a carpenter before becoming editor-in-chief of gaming blog Joystiq. In that capacity, he's served as an IGF judge, an E3 judge, a VGA judge, and a podcast host; interviewed many of the industry's familiar faces, from Bill Gates to John Carmack; and spoken at (and to!) plenty of places, from MIT to GDC to CNN. He also serves as editorial director of the Joystiq Network, comprised of flagship site Joystiq.com, as well as WoW.com, Massively.com, and BigDownload.com. He hangs his hat in the cultural epicenter of the video game industry ... Philadelphia.
James Ransom-Wiley
Managing Editor (email)
James is Managing Editor of Joystiq where he has been a contributor since July 2004. James guides the writers and content of this industry-leading gaming blog. As a member of Joystiq’s original staff, he has published more than 3,900 posts, distinguished by sharp critiques and live coverage of major industry events, including E3, CES, and the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and has made professional appearances on CNN and G4 TV.
Ludwig Kietzmann
Senior Editor (email)
Ludwig serves as Joystiq’s Senior Editor and has eight years of professional video games writing experience. Ludwig is the chief editor of Joystiq’s published content, in addition to being one of the site’s most valuable contributors, having reported on numerous gaming events and news developments. His reviews are also frequently featured in a local South African publication, GEAR magazine.
Andrew Yoon
East Coast Editor (email)
Andrew is Joystiq’s New York-based East Coast Editor and has been working for the network since 2006. Previously, Andrew served as lead editor of PlayStation Fanboy (now Joystiq PlayStation), and prior to Joystiq, he was a Community Manager, maintaining websites for Konami, Square, Namco, and others.
Randy Nelson
West Coast Editor (email)
Randy is West Coast Editor of Joystiq and has more than 13 years of professional experience. Based in San Francisco, Randy started at IGN as one of its first editors, and then went on to launch Official Dreamcast Magazine as Senior Editor. Prior to joining Joystiq, he was Executive Editor of PSM: Independent PlayStation Magazine.
Justin McElroy
Reviews Editor (email)
Justin is Joystiq’s Reviews Editor and has been writing about video games since he started reviewing them for The Herald-Dispatch when he was 12 years old. Justin also produces Joystiq’s wildly popular weekly podcast. Besides Joystiq, his work has appeared in Computer Games Magazine, GamePro, Official Xbox Magazine, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, PC Gamer, The Escapist, Gamezebo, and Gamers With Jobs.
Alexander Sliwinski
Contributing Editor
Alexander has been a prolific contributor to Joystiq for four years, responsible for more than 4,500 posts and distinguished by his breaking and original news reports. Alexander has a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Hofstra University.
Ben Gilbert
Contributing Editor
Ben is Joystiq’s weekend co-editor, in addition to regular weekday blogging in which he focuses on business and legal reporting. Ben obtained his Journalism degree from Temple University and has been writing professionally about gaming and culture both online and in print for two years.
Dave Hinkle
Contributing Editor
Dave has been blogging for the Joystiq network for nearly five years, covering gaming industry news and contributing a number of features, including reviews, interviews and previews. Previously, he was lead editor of Joystiq's Nintendo-focused spin-off sites, DS Fanboy and Wii Fanboy (now Joystiq Nintendo). Currently, he co-hosts the Xbox 360 Fancast and boasts the highest Microsoft Gamerscore on staff, which is probably not something worth boasting about.
Griffin McElroy
Contributing Editor
Griffin is a recent graduate of Marshall University with four years of experience in professional video games reporting. In addition to his work as Contributing Editor and Weekend Co-Editor for Joystiq, he's produced content for a number of local West Virginia news organizations and contributed to MTV's Choose or Lose Street Team '08 election coverage.
JC Fletcher
Contributing Editor
JC originally joined Joystiq's DS Fanboy and Wii Fanboy sites (now Joystiq Nintendo) in 2007, before formally moving to Joystiq during the network merger in early 2009. Though he covers a wide variety of topics within the game industry, he considers Nintendo consoles, Japanese games, and retro content his areas of specialization. In a former life, JC earned degrees in linguistics and library science.
Kevin Kelly
Contributing Editor
Kevin is one of Joystiq’s Los Angeles-based features writer. In addition to video games, Kevin also writes about film and pop culture. His work has been published in the Austin Chronicle, Spout, LAist, Cinematical, Slashfilm, Film School Rejects, TV Squad, and LosAnjealous.
Mike Schramm
Contributing Editor
Mike has worked in the Joystiq Network for years now, as lead blogger and senior editor on WoW.com and one of the founding editors on Massively.com. Currently, he is a contributing editor on Joystiq, and also writes and podcasts for various outlets, including The Unofficial Apple Weblog.
Richard Mitchell
Contributing Editor
Richard is a long-time contributor to Joystiq, providing countless news articles, reviews and weekly video features since 2006. From 2006 through early 2009, he served as site lead for Xbox 360 Fanboy (now Joystiq Xbox), leading it to become one of the web's foremost Xbox 360 blogs. He also created and continues to host Joystiq's first podcast, the Xbox 360 Fancast, which is nearing its three-year anniversary.
Xav de Matos
Contributing Editor
Xav is Joystiq’s Toronto-based contributing editor. With what little free time he has left, Xav also contributes to Asylum.com and GamePro, and hosts a podcast dedicated to freelancing in the games industry -- aptly named The Freelancers. Xav has a degree in Public Relations from Toronto's award-winning Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.
