Mailbag
Tom McNamara is put out to pasture.
It's hard to believe it's been three years since I stepped into the IGN fray, and harder still to believe that anyone else would want to hire me. But here I am, moving to a new job and saying farewell to my treasured reader-folk. I can't even guess how many articles I've written, games I've seen, events I've attended, or bags of airline peanuts I've hidden under Dan's desk. Yet, as much of an avalanche as it's been, there are games that have been in development the entire time I've been here and may not see the light day for years yet. Three years isn't as long in game development as it in the news scene, where trends and opinions shift in a matter of weeks. Take a look at how E3 has morphed in a matter of days. How game creators are expected to keep up is anyone's guess. Maybe there's a lesson in there -- that staying true to one's vision is more rewarding in the long run. But I don't know -- I just write about this stuff.
At any rate, I've greatly enjoyed my time here; my fellow editors are great people to work with and hang out with. Whoever replaces me will be in good hands. Our bonds may have been forged in the heat of the crunch, but there's also the love of the game, which is still culturally rare. You won't find yourself taking about Zelda with a stranger at the bar (although GTA or World of Warcraft might come up, natch). But I've been able to geek out about almost every game I've been a fan of, even some obscure stuff. For a guy who lives and breathes gaming, this kind of environment is like paradise. Well, that and the comfy seating.
So I'm not gone from the scene. Just moving into a different lane of the information superhighway. Keep an eye out and your ear to the ground. And be sure to give my replacement a warm welcome, only with less mayonnaise.
-- Tom McNamara
.jpg){kind=small}
