Gamer

I know what you are going to say, I'm a grown man, a father, a professional, but deep inside, I'm what you would call a Geek. A Nerd even, let's call a cat, a cat. I am, I always have been, and always will be. I was lucky enough to witness the birth of video gaming, of internet, and the growth of personal computing, and it played an influencial role on my development as a professional, and as a gamer. My first computer was the Amstrad CPC ("Colour Personal Computer") 6128, shortly after its release in 1985. It had 128 Kb RAM and an internal 3-inch floppy disk drive, and mine was delivered with a Green monochrome monitor.

When I started working in 1992 after graduating, I joined a large regional hypermarket where my interests were quickly identified as a strength, and I got to manage and grow the video games section of the computers & electronics division of the store. We were bringing goodies imported from all over the world, and you could find the Atari 7800, Super Famicom, Neo Geo and Sega Mega Drive long before anywhere else. I personally fell for the Sony Playstation, and have owned every single generation of it since its launch in 1995.

But consoles were more for entertainment, for real gaming, I have always preferred PC. After my CPC 6128, I had three more Amstrad machines: a PC 1512, a PC 1640 and a PC 2386. Only then have I assembled my first rig, in 1993, on which I used to play games like Wolfenstein 3D. In 1998, with a couple of friends, we embark on the hardcore online gaming journey, when we started playing Mankind, and then EverQuest. This is where I founded the Clan Mac Datho, which has been a worldwide leading guild for nearly a decade. Today, I play as a "filthy casual" on a couple of games, like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or Lord of the Rings Online.

Another of my gaming passions has always been role playing, be it paper-based, table top, or live action. I have been playing all sorts of roleplaying games, with a slight preference for Cthulhu. Since 1985, I'm playing Warhammer 40000. I'm more of a hobbyist, than just a pure gamer for that matter, and I really enjoy building and painting models. I became quite good at it, won a Middle-Eastern painting competition, and ultimately ended up creating and judging one: the Golden Djinn!