Justin DeMaio Joins the Blast Away the Game Review Team!

Introduction to B.A.T.G.R.

Originally Published on the Official Blast Away the Game Review Facebook Page

Written by Justin DeMaio - PSN ID: CorePuncher

 You have to say; working in the video gaming industry, writing about video games, the lifestyle, and everything in between is a bona-fide dream job for any true gamer. There are very few jobs that you can truly take pleasure in what you do and be passionate about every single day. I’m blessed to be able to contribute to B.A.T.G.R., and the industry, as it really is, a dream for me. This past month, while at QuakeCon 2014 in Dallas, I met most of the B.A.T.G.R team for the first time. I have a good friend, Aaron Johnson, who already is part of the team and when a position opened up, he was instrumental in persuading the team to give me a chance. Now let me be honest; I have never written professionally about anything, in my life. However with being a gamer for nearly 25 years and living the lifestyle for just as long; being able to write and talk about what I do with most of my free time comes very natural and I certainly have plenty to say. So strap on your seatbelt, hang on tight, and enjoy the ride!

 I’d like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself and what I’ve been up to for the past 29 years, but I’ll try to keep it short and to the point. I was born and raised in North Jersey, about 45 minutes from NYC. In the middle of my Freshman year, in High School, we moved to Northern Virginia, about 30 minutes from Washington DC. Obviously it was difficult to move after just starting High School. In Virginia I finished High School and, shortly after, moved again; this time to North Texas, about 30 minutes from Dallas and this is where I currently live. I feel that these experiences have helped shape me into the, well-rounded, person I am today

 My first real memory of playing games was on the Super Nintendo. I loved that system; since it was so long ago, I have trouble remembering the games that I played but it was all of the big hits such as Donkey Kong and the like. I also had a Gameboy, Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, PS1, XBOX, and an XBOX 360. Now I currently own a PS3 and PS4. I really enjoy shooters but also enjoy RPG elements, racing, action/adventure, and sports games. I’m a fairly diverse gamer, I did, however, go through a little hiatus from gaming in my mid 20’s where I sold my XBOX 360 and didn’t game for several years. That was until I met Aaron Johnson who introduced me to Borderlands 2. After he introduced me to that, it was only a few months later I went out and bought my PS3. Credit Gearbox Software and Aaron for getting me back into the scene. Now I struggle with managing my gaming time as there just isn’t enough time in the day. Nonetheless, I still manage to put in about 4-20 hours per week gaming. It really varies depending on what’s newly released and what I’m actively playing. I’m active in forums such as Gearbox and PlayStation, have participated in tournaments such as the Apocalypse Last of Us tournament, and am a PlayStation MVP. I really don’t know where gaming will take me in the future but the most important thing to me, about all of this, is to enjoy yourself because I don’t take myself too seriously. That’s what it’s all about for me, fun!

 I appreciate you taking the time to read this and get to know me a little bit. I look forward to being an active contributor to B.A.T.G.R.