Over the past year of dedicating my free time to help build the gaming community and support a lot of great gamers out there, I have been able to get a few opportunities like writing this article for ICXM to showcase some really special people in the community. I have been fortunate to speak with some gamers that share the same passion I do when it comes to gaming and the community. This week I want to shed some light on people that have a passion for creativity and imagination. What is imagination? It’s simply defined as “the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.” This is only one of the many words I would use when talking about the graphic designers we have in our community. When it comes to a podcaster, we are really only defined mostly by the sound of our voice and how entertaining we are. For most, they only listen to each show, but for the ones that tune in and watch as the show is going live we want them to be able to relate to each person on the panel with a sense of who we are. That’s where this special set of individuals comes in with that outstanding artistic talent and imagination. They use these talents to bring your ideas you think of to reality. To this day I still don’t know how they do it but, they can take our voice and personify that into a logo that fits the podcaster perfectly. In this community, we have many great artists we have the pleasure of working with. They deserve the spotlight for the hard work and dedication they put into their craft week to week.
Spotlight
The very first one out of the bunch I met, and truly an outstanding person and friend, and has worked with many in the community. is Jay Williams or @Graphic_God.
“Graphic designer, multimedia specialist, and developer on a variety of technical and creative projects including apps, websites, and advertising. Interested primarily in making people the best at what they can be. From art and programming to video production, my job is to listen, to research, and to understand, while following the philosophy that your vision is my job. Been gaming since the ’70s, have an affinity for Sega, love being part of the Xbox community regardless of my terrible podcast presence.”
Next, I met one who is funny and outgoing. A very friendly kindhearted guy and another who became a friend. Tom or @GeordieTommy.
“The Xbox Pope thanks The Mooch for that I am a successful 3D creative designer. I work all over the world, alongside famous and highly respected businessmen. I have always been a gamer from the 8-bit days right up to the now 4K days. Still quite new to Twitter I have built up amazing friends, also my son who looks up to the YouTuber who I know. He wants to be like them and learn how to build games and to be fair. Gaming has been a great father and son bond, wonderful times ahead for us. But, not all has been plain sailing I was a foster child who had no real parents, as I grew up I began to be quite rebellious but with the right help and support, I managed to turn my life around. Since then I try to help and support others who are trying to find the right path in life. I would describe my life as a Walter Mitty of adventures and the things I have seen and experienced would blow a few minds but I am happy to share this to those who want to know. I am a very lucky guy but just loves to ignore the executive high life, I work in and stay true to my down to earth family life and gaming with great friends I have found along the way. I am very lucky to meet a lot of great gamers both male and female in such a wonderful community.”
Amazing father and friend, I personally have not worked with him but know some who have. Another great person in the community is Diego V. or @DineroPrimero.
“So, of course, my name is Diego, I’m 37, father of two boys, one is 9 and my newborn is almost 4 months! I have a stepdaughter also who is grown and living on her own now and recently had a baby as well, guess I’m a grandfather! I devote most of my time to my family, I’m laid back and chill, love to laugh and be funny…I actively volunteer a lot in my son’s school, the interaction with the teachers and kids is something special. I love games, I love Xbox, the community and the friends I’ve made through it. My favorite types of games are 3rd-person story driven games, the original Resident Evil, and Alan Wake to be some of my all-time favorites. Most know me on Twitter for graphics. Graphics are something I truly love to do, love to be imaginative and create. I mostly work in PhotoShop but also have done some motion graphics, which is something I really want to do more of. Ok I think that should be about it, without telling a life story, lol.”
With this next artist, I have just got to know and has the same love for a favorite game of mine Titanfall. Enjoyable to talk to and a great friend in the community Shaun LaBrie or @shaunlabrie. Shaun is a graphic designer and illustrator from Southern California.
“I’ve been in the video game industry for about 14 yrs now starting with 7 yrs at EA as a Production Artist. After leaving EA, I worked at a smaller company as an Art Director which was amazing. It gave me a lot more room to grow in the industry as an artist. After leaving that company, I decided to work for myself as a freelance artist for about 5 yrs. This was an amazing experience because I no longer had to commute to LA and back on a daily basis and got to spend more time at home with the wife and kids. I worked on a lot of smaller projects and larger ones including RedBull, Anaheim Ducks, and Disney. I currently am working at a newer company working on pretty amazing games for consoles and PCs using VR technology. My life can get very busy, but after all the family time and work, I always take some time out of my day for some Xbox gaming.”
Next up is a new arrival in the community and has become a rising star all on his own, with the kindness and friendly attitude he has each day. He is Manny or @MANNY_TATTOOS. For those who don’t know, he also designed the new ICXM logo featuring the Spartan in the signature hat.
“I am Manuel Cruz but I like to go by Manny. Art is my passion, that is what I do. I am a creative person. I enjoy crafting, drawing and painting. I am also a tattoo artist, that is my current job. I am passionate about video games, it’s my favorite pass time when I am not working. I also enjoy watching series, movies and keeping up with gaming news. I am a man of a few words but I think less is more.”
Community Events
Community game time’s sole purpose is to bring the Xbox gaming community together. A poll is set out each week so that the community of gamers can decide what game we play on community game time. It’s a great way to get the community involved, after all, it’s for the community. Also, not forgetting the gamers at work or just can’t join in, there is livestream they can and have fun in the chat. This event is brought to you by the Console Corner Podcast hosted by GKB and myself. With the help other console corner members joining in on regular basis like Fox Fire and Brewtal Knight. It’s held on Saturday nights and all Xbox Live members are welcome and it always starts at 9:30 PM EST.
Podcast Weekly Recap
You can also watch Xbox Uncut on Beam here. Check out the OneCast as well on SoundCloud here.
SheWulf contributed 8 articles to ICXM in 2016, covering Xbox news with a focus on hands-on impressions and verified-source reporting. Their bylines on the site span the run-up to Xbox One S and Project Scorpio, plus the broader Windows 10 gaming push.