John Gaudiosi Author Bio

Vitals: 38

Education: B.A. in English Writing from George Mason University, M.F.A. in English Writing from George Mason University.

Publications: Have been covering videogames for The Washington Post for 15 years. Also contribute to outlets like Reuters, AOL Games, Playboy, Wired, GamePro Magazine, ESPNVideogames.com and Yahoo! in written form and NBC, CBS and Reuters TV in broadcast and video formats.

Platforms played: When it comes to gaming, I'm a console guy. The last thing I want to do after a day typing is to stay in front of my PC.

Genres played: Sports games, first-person shooters and third-person action titles.

Multiplayer or single-player: Traditionally I've been a big single-player gamer, but NHL 09's EA Sports Hockey League has hooked me on co-op team play.

My Top 10 games ever played:

1) NHL 09
2) Madden NFL 09
3) Gears of War
4) BioShock
5) Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
6) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
7) Resident Evil 4
8) Rock Band 2
9) NHL 95
10) Star Wars Arcade

What makes me tick: The NHL season in full swing, the Carolina Hurricanes winning at home and no flight delays.

Bonus round: John Gaudiosi remembers his Mom telling him he'd never get anywhere playing games, something he heard routinely since he spent long hours playing NHL 95 on Genesis with his friends. John got his first gaming gig writing for The Washington Post's new Fast Forward magazine, which was the first mainstream newspaper to include game reviews. He parlayed that job into online writing assignments with outlets like CNET's GameCenter and GameDaily. After graduating from college and grad school, MCV USA hired John and moved him from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco, where he worked for incite PC Games and MCV USA. He kept his finger in the freelance world writing for The Washington Post, CNET and others. After four years in San Francisco, John moved back East to Raleigh, N.C., where he currently resides with his wife and six dogs. (He and his wife are active in animal rescue.) In addition to writing for a variety of print and online outlets, John is involved in television and Web video production through Foglight Entertainment. He's produced the documentaries "Hollywood Goes Gaming" for Starz Entertainment and "Brothers In Arms: The Untold Story of the 502nd" for The History Channel.