Host Scott C. Jones talks to Nick Harrison – an actor, stuntman, and fight coordinator in Hollywood – who says that the Star Wars movies got him through his difficult childhood.

The original trilogy of films helped Harrison find his way through a gauntlet of nightmarish experiences – – experiences that otherwise may have destroyed Nick had Star Wars not been there when he needed it most.

Harrison released an autobiographical book last year (titled Safe Space) that catalogues his pre-adolescent experiences along with his undying devotion to The Force, the Light Side, and R2D2. [**Warning: This episode features frank conversation about sexual abuse. Discretion is advised.]

The post #31 Nick appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

Marissa Roberto is a TV host, sports maniac, and certifiable eSports goddess. Some people say that she’s the Canadian equivalent of Cher. Hailing from the flyblown prairies of Saskatoon, Marissa established herself as Victor Lucas’s number one co-hosting choice on television’s EP Daily.

Now, back in good old Toronto, Marissa currently barnstorms Tik Tok (@mrob29) and “roolz” Instagram (a.k.a. “Insta”) (also as @mrob29) on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. Due to the pandemic, which, unfortunately, is still wreaking havoc, Marissa currently hosts and produces her own sports-centric TV show for TSN – – not in a fancy-pants TV studio, but from her own home in Toronto, where she lives with her husband, puppy, and the ghosts of a million farts.

TORONTO LOSES IT’S MIND OVER BABY FOXES! https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/world/canada/toronto-coronavirus-foxes.html

MARISSA PROMOS:

https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/tv/tsn/digital-sportscentre/

https://www.superchannel.ca/pressreleases/heads-daily-hud-premieres-tonight-super-channel

FIVE (ERM, WAIT, JUST THREE) TIK TOK VIDEOS THAT MARISSA RECOMMENDS:

MARISSA’S FAVE CHARACTER IN ANIMAL CROSSING IS THIS ONE:

JOIN OUR COFFEE KLUB HERE:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLabq2mbEIwL1YzEIkvBDXlnwqk0fDNMvs

DOLLHOUSES/MINIATURES ARE “SOMEHOW LIKE A GREAT ISLAND IN ANIMAL CROSSING”: https://www.artic.edu/highlights/12/thorne-miniature-rooms

THE THORNE MINIATURES VIDEO:

The post #30 HTFG: Marissa appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

Kristen Salvatore was an esteemed games journalist for a handful of years – – she was, in fact, EIC of PC Gamer, as some of you know. But before the journalism boat sank, Kristen transitioned to the business side of the world. Indeed, everything Kristen does seems wise, confident, and terribly considered. But the reality for her? It’s a bit more complicated than that, as you’ll learn in this week’s revealing HTFG episode.

Currently, Kristen is the Senior VP of Marketing at Cloud9 eSports in LA. She’s working from home these days, like many of us, and trying to co-parent with her partner in a Brady Bunch-type household.

Does the strong, seemingly mythical Kristen Salvatore have challenges? You bet she does. In this honest, forthright, and terribly candid HTFG convo, Kristen reveals that even fancy execs like herself still put their tailored, Gabardine slacks on one leg at a time like the rest of us do.

The post #29 HTFG: Kristen appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

Ken is a salty, experienced game developer. He’s worked on a host of AAA games in his career. Raised and educated in Canada, Ken impulsively relocates to the UK in his 20’s, and manages to land a series of plum gaming gigs.

Early in his career, Ken meets a strong but complicated woman. They fall in love and have a son together. But the relationship is strained for a variety of reasons.

And Ken, desperate to support his reeling family, takes a job in a remote part of Scotland. During a contentious time, Ken and his young son find solace in 2003’s The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Ken and Kieran (who is now grown, obviously), proving that the apple never falls far from the tree.

DESTINY’S SWORD (Ken’s soon-to-be-released game): https://destinyssword.com/

One of Ken’s AAA games from early in his UK developer career (title: APB).

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (2003) screenshots:

Farrah takes aim — and saves the Prince’s skin once again. “Now, please shut your pie-eater and follow me.” “I thought we agreed – – no shirts.” Pro Tip: Not having a shirt on makes it 4 percent easier to balance on the game’s tiny platforms.

The post #28 Ken & Kieran appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

When I lived in Vancouver, my guest today and I once made plans to meet for coffee on Robson Street. Our shoot ran long that day at EP. Running behind, I raced across downtown, trying to get to my meeting. I was 10 minutes late. I was prepared to apologize profusely, to make it up to Dr. Zentner. But when I got there, Dr. Zentner was already gone.

Dr. Z. (Ali to me) does not suffer fools. Never has. Never will. I was angry with Dr. Z. for ditching. Sometimes people get stuck at work, I told myself. But I also respected the fact that she ditched. It was her choice, and it was a strong one. Our friendship has been difficult, to say the least. But there is, as you will hear in our conversation today, great love and respect between us.

Dr. Zentner is married to a veteran game developer at Relic Entertainment (Jason Brackman). She is one of the most successful, confident people I have ever met. Yet she’s also fallable and real and vulnerable, too. There’s never been anyone in my life like her. So, buckle up — today’s interview is funny, intelligent, and embarrassingly honest.

Follow Dr. Z. on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/alizentner
and Twitter https://twitter.com/alizentner

Earnest Ice Cream can be purchased here: https://earnesticecream.com/

Dr. Zentner’s Tedx Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXwSVl8luho

Dr. Zentner’s excellent book, The Weight-Loss Prescription https://www.amazon.ca/Weight-Loss-Prescription-Doctors-Permanent-Reduction/dp/0143187678

Dr. Zentner’s marvelous clinic in British Columbia https://www.nofatshame.com/in-medicine

Too Hot to Handle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_OUwF28fJU

Take the Implicit Bias Test here: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

Here she is talking about mammograms on Global News

The post #27 HTFG: Ali appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

Sarah Dietrich is Scott’s guest on HTFG. Sarah D. and her husband, Dave, were guests on S1: E5 of Heavily Pixelated, where they shared a painfully honest and super sad story. In fact, before you listen to today’s episode, you might want to listen to Sarah’s first appearance for context. You should bring some Kleenex with you. https://scottcjones.com/blog/?page_id=3473

How do S. & D. work from home, and tend to their two kids, and play video games all in the same day? Sarah offers parenting PRO TIPS for people like herself and Dave who are in the same (often poop-filled) boat.

SPONSOR: Today’s episode of Heavily Pixelated is brought to you by Coast To Coast Coffee, North America’s #1 coffee roaster. https://www.coasttocoastcoffee.ca

Use promo Code: heavilypixcoffeefix1 and receive $5 off your first order.
https://www.coasttocoastcoffee.ca/?ApplyPromo=heavilypixcoffeefix1

Yes, this is DAVE, Sarah’s husband, standing next to the tombstone that Sarah left for him on their island in Animal Crossing. (Just look at the WHAAAAA? look on Dave’s face.) (It’s official: You’ve been pranked again, Dave!) (Sick burn, right?)

Sarah D. has been “buying” all of K.K. Slider’s albums in Animal Crossing, hoping the large-headed hound will eventually perform a live show in her village. No autographs, please!

The post #26 HTFG: Sarah appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

Alex is an IT professional in Toronto, Ontario. He spends his days helping coworkers and consumers solve complex technical problems (and bailing out daft noobs like Scott). Indeed, part of living in modern society requires us to talk to people, like Alex, on a fairly routine basis.

In 2016, Alex suffered a devastating loss. Kind/gentle Alex, during his grief and misery, somehow wound up playing one of the most over-the-top video games ever created: DOOM.

Can a notoriously violent video game help someone to grieve? That’s the question we explore in this episode of Heavily Pixelated.

Resources:

Feeling low? Go to this website to find help: https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/
Or call 1-833-456-4566, 24/7. People are waiting to talk to you.

Alex’s charity-of-choice is Eva’s Print Shop: https://www.evas.ca/what-we-do/print-shop/

Eva’s Print Shop is a terrific organization which supports homeless youth. Donate to Eva’s Print Shop here: DONATE

Need proof that Alex finished Doom 2016 on Ultraviolence? Here you go:

DOOM: Eternal is available now on practically every platform imaginable. https://bethesda.net/en/game/doom

iD Software: https://www.idsoftware.com/

Support our A-list Patreon here and gain access to tons of EXTRAS: https://www.patreon.com/heavilypixelated

BONUS! Here’s Scott chatting with Hugo and Marty at E3 2019:

The post #25 Alex appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

Meet Eve Crevoshay. Eve is the Executive Director of a terrific organization called TakeThis.org. TakeThis.org aims to decrease the stigma and increase the support for mental health in the video game realms. Their motto: “It’s OK to not be OK.” I am a big fan of the work that Eve and her organization are doing in the world — particularly during a trying time like the one we are living in right now.

On today’s episode, we travel via the Magical Internet into Eve’s home office on the West Coast and hear about her own personal self-care practices.

TakeThis: https://www.takethis.org/

Eve’s husband, David Edery, makes games: https://spryfox.com/

The International Game Summit on Mental Health: https://tigs.ca/

Follow Eve on Twitter: http://twitter.com/evecrevoshay

Eve’s family:


IGDA’s Game Development Crisis Conference: https://igda.org/resources/covid-19-resources/

The post #24 HTFG: Eve appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

Meet Harold Goldberg. HG is one of the coolest cats on the planet. Harold’s an esteemed critic, talented scribe, a renaissance man, and a life-long New Yorker. He resides on the Lower Eastside of Manhattan with his partner, Helen, and a cat named Lazlow. You can find Harold’s byline in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and many other publications.

His book, All Your Base Are Belong To Us, is available on Amazon. Check it out at this link.

Follow Harold’s playful scribblings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/haroldgoldberg

There, you can see things like his infamous “Rocket Man potato” (WTF) as well as candid moments of his cat, Lazlow.




Harold is also the founder of the NY Videogame Critics Circle. https://nygamecritics.com/

Here is a photo of Harold (at the podium) in the NY Game Critics Circle:


Seventeen artists in NYC share their perspectives from indoors. Note: Harold lives closest to this one:

The post #23 HTFG: Harold appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

The great Steve Tilley joins me for a revealing exploration of his own personal self-care habits in the “How To Feel Great” series. Steve, as many of you know, is a superb writer and editor who is a trusted, veteran voice of reason for the Toronto Sun. Steve also served as 50 percent of “Team Toronto” (*with Raju Mudhar) on Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run for a number of years.

Heavily Pix reached Steve in his apartment on an idle Saturday afternoon after an intense session of high-speed laundry-folding.

BIZARRE-O FACT: Steve lives underneath a convent of nuns for some unknown reason. (He really does.)

If you have a question for a future episode of HTFG, record it on your phone, then email it to [email protected].

Rim World trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tDrxOASUog

Follow Steve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevetilley

Q: Is Sea of Thieves the best pandemic game out there? https://www.seaofthieves.com/

Here’s a candid photo of the custom-built cabinet that houses all of Steve’s vintage gaming equipment:



Steve calls this shot “smoldering intensity”:

The post #22 HTFG: Steve appeared first on Scott C. Jones.

The incomparable Ashley (Episode 3) returns to the Heavily Pixelated studios for a heavy duty conversation with host Scott C. Jones about her personal methods of self-care. Ashley is, as always, incredibly forthright about the ways that she’s still vulnerable — and she opens up about the practices that reliably keep her on the healthiest […]

The post #21 HTFG: Ashley appeared first on Scott C. Jones.