Featured Member September 2022: Code Monkey

[Splain | 2,569]

Something something remember,
Something something September.
Time to feature a member,
This month it's... @Code Monkey!

 

Previous sages:
June 2022: Estil
July 2022: RH
August 2022: Brickman

 

Are you indeed a Code Monkey?

I am! I've been a software developer for 20 years working for many Fortune 500 companies around North America. These days I'm the vice president of a company but I still oversee all technology projects we work on.

Is that your dream job?

I'm not quite sure. I know it's what I've enjoyed the most so far in my career and I can't think of something I'd enjoy more. I think if I retired I would continue contracting part time because I do enjoy it.

Do you like Code Monkey by Jonathan Coulton?

That's hilarious! I just listened to it for the first time and it's great, I'm going to send that to some of my nerd friends.

Do you prefer newer games or older games?

Tough question but I think I have to say older games. I prefer to just put in a game and it just works without signing into a profile and waiting for patches. Also, when you spent $80 on a game, you got the entire game, not just what they felt like giving you minus what they held back for future content they make you pay more for.

What's your favorite way to play games?

My favoUrite way?

Ha. Fine.

From the recliner in my living room on a television with a big bag of candy.

Ooh, what candy?

I have a ritual when a new game comes out, I get up, go buy the game, go to Bulk Barn to get a huge bag of mixed candy and just play and eat all day. The last time I did this was Super Mario Odyssey, I haven't had anything really worth since then except for maybe Immortals Fenyx Rising.

What's more fun, collecting games or playing them?

I think collecting them because it's way more exciting. When I play games it's to relax but when I'm out collecting, I never know what I might come across.

What else do you collect?

Video games ARE the else! My primary collection is Transformers, I have a near complete Generation 1 collection and I still import many of the new releases from Japan on a monthly basis. When I got almost everything I wanted with my Transformers collection, I started to fill my time collecting games and that turned into its own beast. I still enjoy collecting games but I'm always on the lookout for rare Transformers I don't have.

Nice! What's your favourite piece in your Transformers collection?

Probably one of my signed pieces. I have an Optimus Prime signed by Peter Cullen and also a Soundwave and Megatron signed by Frank Welker, the voices of the characters. I had all 3 pieces signed myself when I met them at the local Entertainment Expo.

What all (video games) do you collect?

Primarily I only collect 2 sets, those are NES and Atari 2600 but there are some other things I do like to pick up when I get the chance. One is any game connected to sets I'm passionate about, like Zelda, Megaman or Silent Hill. Besides that, I do have quite a few Switch games but really just ones I play, I just play a lot. Also I guess I could say the subset I enjoy collecting the most is prototypes, I have over 100 NES prototypes alone, including what is probably the only unreleased Super Mario prototype on NES.

Do you like/play smartphone games?

No, I don't understand them. I used to play Angry Birds and liked that one but when I switched phones there were like 40 different kinds of Angry Birds and I couldn't find the original one I liked so I gave up on it. Being a developer, I know the only way to play a game for free is to let the game harvest your personal data from your phone and then sell your information to marketing companies. I'm not aware of what the good games are you have to pay for except I have been interested in buying Very Little Nightmares, from the same team that made Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares II. I might try that one on my tablet one day.

How did you come to find VGS?

I witnessed the impending doom of Nintendo Age and came over from there.

How did you come to find NintendoAge?

I frequent forums for everything I'm passionate about so I just used Google and signed up for the top result.

Will the Pokemon craze ever end?

Funny story, I never heard of Pokemon until I was in university and when I saw it I just assumed it was for children like Sesame Street or something. Then when I saw adults playing it I was like, "Why are you playing a game made for a child?" Hoo boy, was I wrong about Pokemon! I did try Pokemon Go and I enjoyed it as I was closing in on the last few I needed but when they expanded the animals that were in it and all of a sudden I was missing a few hundred again, I gave up. Other than that I've never played a Pokemon game.

Do you remember the first video game you ever played?

I think so, I have fractured memories of playing Swordquest on Atari 2600, trying to get through that rainbow vertical stripe and NEVER having the coordination to make it happen. Then I remember my mom took me to Sears to buy Mario Bros. on Atari 2600. So it's something on Atari 2600 but I'm not exactly sure which.

Do you remember the first Transformer you ever collected?

Collected? I remember I had some of the popular ones as a kid but when I decided to get back into it over a decade ago as a collector, I bought one from eBay off a guy that happened to be local to the same city and when he showed up he commented on my car and I found out he worked at the same dealership I go to. We started talking more and we still regularly hang out. The Transformer I purchased from him was a Generation 1 Metroplex.

How do you store your Transformers?

I have a room in my house dedicated just to my Transformers collection and it's wall to wall white Ikea Billy Bookcase shelving all the way around. The figures are stored by character and all are complete with their weapons. One of the symptoms of Autism is lining things up in a specific order so everything is perfectly lined, spaced and ordered exactly. When a new figure comes in, everything gets rearranged.

Favourite movie?

I'm a huge car guy so honestly it's probably The Fast And The Furious. Not because it's winning any Oscars but just remembering how I felt when I got introduced to that Japanese tuning scene on screen and seeing these JDM cars for the first time. I was 20 years old when that came out and within 2 hours, that movie changed my life. Another honourable mention goes to Truth Or Consequences, N.M. which is sort of Kiefer Sutherland's version of Pulp Fiction. It's a movie nobody has ever heard of but I love watching it, you just have to make sure you get the version that has Jude Cole's version of Heaven's Last Attempt in the opening credits, Kiefer swapped it out in later versions when he cancelled his friendship with Jude. I also like Tremors, even the 6 sequels.

You're a car guy! What car do you drive? Do you maintain it yourself?

I have a Hyundai Veloster, a Mitsubishi Lancer, a Porsche Boxster and I'm currently shopping around for a fourth, something electric. I have done annual maintenance to all of my cars in the past, brakes on the Hyundai and the Porsche, oil changes on all but I prefer to just have someone else do it now, it's not something I enjoy.

What's your dream car?

That's a toss up between the Ferrari 355 or an Aston Martin DB5. The Porsche Carrera GT could squeeze in there too.

Do you like the F&F sequels?

I do but it was much better when it was about the cars. Now the cars are chosen based on whom gives them the best contract instead of whom brings the coolest cars to the casting call. Now it's like watching a team of MI6 agents saving the world by driving Lamborghinis into submarines. Have you ever noticed how the first movie is basically the same plot as Point Break with Keanu Reeves? The cop infiltrates the gang to get to the leader, becomes his friend and lets him get away, it's the same movie!

Favourite TV show?

For years and years, it was The X-Files, that show was just banger after banger for 7 seasons, It was basically The Twilight Show of my generation. However, recently that show got dethroned from top spot by a new show titled Atypical. I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder 3 years ago at age 38 and watching that show to see there are other people out there with similar social struggles that I have was an eye opener. It really helped me understand my own struggles as well as mental illness in general. I think we should all be more open about our mental illnesses and how we deal with them, you never know whom you might be helping.

What do you wish everyone knew about autism?

I just wish people would be more accepting of the possibility they could have a mental dissability and it doesn't mean you're stupid. Many, many people have anxiety or depression or Autism or any other myriad of things that make us unique as humans. Too many people refuse to believe they could have any of these or if they have been diagnosed, are afraid to talk about it. The more we talk about it, the easier it is for others to talk about it as well. Admitting it allows you to live with it instead of trying to live against it.

Favourite book?

The Know-It-All by AJ Jacobs. It's a guy that decides he's going to read every page of every volume of Encyclopedia Britannica and for someone like me that is a sponge for knowledge delivered in a comedic way, it was great. I would also like to mention my next 2 favourites which are Hyperbole And A Half by Allie Brosh (the source of many internet comics you've seen like "Clean all the things") and also The Simpsons And Their Mathematical Secrets which is an explanation of all of the background algorithms on the show. Many of the writers from that show have a PhD in Mathematics and a 1 second scan over a chalkboard with calculations on it could contain an inside mathematics joke which is explained in the book.

Favourite album?

That's a hard one but I would say Doggystyle by Snoop Doggy Dogg with honourable mentions going to All Eyez On Me and Watch The Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye.

Do you still keep up with Snoop's stuff?

I do, I regularly search him on Spotify and listen to all of his albums and collaborations, I just did this last week. I don't like it so much, it's all about the Dre beats for me.

What's brown and rhymes with Snoop?

POOP! A co-worker told me that joke about 13 years ago.

Do you still listen to CDs?

You can't pluralise an initialism so whether you're initialising compact disc or compact discs, the pluralised initialised form is still CD either way so CDs isn't correct grammatically. And no, I don't.

What? Really? Have you ever seen any UFO?

I've seen flying objects I myself have not identified but I cannot say I've seen flying objects nobody has identified.

Ever been to a real-life video game event/expo?

I go to the local Entertainment Expo every year, 100,000 people squeeze into a conference centre, it's one of my favourite times of year. There were many more Transformers and video game vendors years ago but I still find things I need there. I do plan on going to TFCon and Comic Con some year soon but haven't gone yet. I also watch Games Done Quick twice a year and do plan on attending soon.

What do you like about Canada?

Snowboarding, ice hockey, seasons

Do you eat poutine and ketchup chips?

Funny story, I really do not like the taste of ketchup. I would have people over to my house for a barbeque and they would ask where my ketchup is, I'd have to explain to them I don't have any. However, the ketchup chips taste nothing like ketchup so yes, I do like those. I also really like poutine except where I come from in Newfoundland, we put dressing on it as well (like turkey stuffing).

Do you play hockey or watch it?

I hate watching it but I play both ice hockey and ball hockey, I had a game last night. I've played ice hockey since I was about 5 years old.

Is snowboarding way better than skiing?

For me it is but I started skiing because I had grown up water skiing on our lake so it was a natural transition. When I was in my late twenties I switched to snowboarding and I find it way more enjoyable.

Do you visit the US often/ever?

I was in New York in January, Los Angeles in March, Orlando in June and Boston in July. I often have to attend conferences for work to meet with our partners or clients. I also used to live in New York, I did some work for Pepsi's head office in Somers and I also did a big job for Coach in Manhattan. And before that I lived in Atlanta for a while working for another company, I've been all over North America working for various companies on different contracts. I really like New York, it's always active and surprisingly clean, contrary to what I hear some people say, unlike Los Angeles. I'm not a fan of LA, it's really dirty and I don't feel nearly as safe as New York but this was my first time in Boston and wow, I had no idea I would love it as much as I do. Probably because it's similar to Newfoundland where I grew up but it is just absolutely beatiful there. I really want to go back.

Any desire to travel?

Sure, I'd like to see parts of Africa and Asia, I like to experience lifestyles that are very different from here in North America and I think visiting some of those small isolated villages would be incredible.

Are you looking forward to any upcoming game releases?

YES! When I first heard there was going to be a sequel to Doom on Switch, I nearly lost my mind. Release date was November 22, I was HYPED! The day came, I went out to buy it and...........it was released on every system except Switch and that's the only system I own. Then I believe the Switch release date was March so March came and I was HYPED! Then the game was pushed back a few months, I think to the fall. So the fall came and I was HYPED! The day came, I went to buy it and.........it was released digitally only and I refuse to buy digital because it's a scam. So I have been boycotting a 3 year old game that has gone on sale multiple times, waiting for a physical release and finally, FINALLY, Limited Run games opened orders for a physical version. So next year I will finally get to play it. I'm also very excited for Silksong.

Did you beat Hollow Knight? I still have a save file at the final boss.

Funny story. I got into Hollow Knight and was just loving every minute of it. Then one day I got all the way to Trial Of Fools before I had to shut it off to go to some surgery I had scheduled. I had no idea what Trial Of Fools was, I just happened to stop there, had my day surgery and then I was excited to have the entire week off work to finish playing Hollow Knight. Trial Of Fools was so incredibly hard that I literally spent the entire week playing just that level, all day, every day for a week. The night before I went back to work, I finally beat it so my entire week I had planned to play this game turned into playing one single level about 1000 times before finally beating it. And yes, then I beat the game and it took me 67 hours total.

So you're a Doom guy? What's the best way to play Doom?

On a projector with a nice sound system, on the Switch with a physical copy and a big bag of candy!

Are you married?

No but I've been with my girlfriend for 11 years and we've been engaged for 3 years.

Any pets?

We have a cat we adopted, he's an all white British Short Hair and his name is Tanooki.

Does your cat have an account on VGS?

I tried to sign him up with a 2018 birth date and got this error message: "This community does not allow registration by users under the age of 13."

Top 5 favourite games to play?

Dr. Mario (NES), The Messenger (Switch), Zelda: Link to the Past (SNES), Super Mario World (SNES), The Incident (NES)

What was your luckiest collection find?

Probably the Super Mario Bros. Classic NTSC NES prototype I happened to see scrolling through Instagram. I immediately asked the poster if they would sell it and he had to contact the actual owner of the cartridge. They did a personal deal, this guy acquired the game from his friend, then we did a deal and he mailed it to me from Germany. It took a while with all the different communications but it eventually landed itself in my safety deposit box at the bank.

About 6 months later someone else came across that guy's post on Instagram, contacted him about it, got my contact and then asked me if I would sell it. That's a negative.

Do you listen to podcasts? Any favourites?

Does YouTube count? I watch all of the CU Podcast episodes but that's not really a podcast if I watch it. I don't listen to any podcasts, I tried a few but they were never interesting. I'm trying to get some of our work projects onto technology podcasts though so if you have a technology podcast and want to talk about some leading edge technologies, send me a message! Or if you know any our marketing department can connect with.

If we're talking about YouTube, I watch every video released from CU Podcast, The Angry Video Game Nerd, The Gaming Historian, Manny Khoshbin, Shmee150, Doug Demuro, VINWiki, Stradman, Ozzy Man Rules, Jay Leno's Garage, Pawn Stars and Nintendo's account.

Ever met anyone famous?

We have a wall of photos in our house of all of the celebrities we've met at various conventions and expositions we've gone to, here's my list:

•     Gillian Anderson (Scully from The X-Files)
•     Mitch Pileggi (Agent Skinner from The X-Files)
•     Robert Patrick (John Doggett from The X-Files, T-1000 from Terminator 2)
•     Jodelle Ferland (Alyssa from Silent Hill, Five from Firefly)
•     Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk)
•     Pamela Anderson
•     Tie Domi
•     Stan Lee
•     Peter Cullen (voices of Optimus Prime, Eeyore and hundreds of others)
•     Frank Welker (voices of Soundwave, Megatron and hundreds of others)
•     Jim Cummings (voice of Winnie The Pooh)
•     Charles Martinet (voice of Super Mario)
•     Tom Arnold
•     Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars 1-7)
•     I purchased tickets for a photo with Danielle Fishel from Boy Meets World but the convention was cancelled for Covid)
•     probably more I can't remember, I'd have to look at our photos that we haven't hung yet since we moved recently.

My job also introduces me to many famous people that I cross paths with in my industry and as investors with various company ventures. I was just in Orlando presenting our product at a conference and met with Leigh Steinberg's daughter Katie and also Jeff Driskel, a quarterback in the NFL. Both are doing big things in the hospitality industry, I got to spend about 10 minutes talking to Jeff at our booth but it was a little strange since I don't watch football at all. Someone else actually had to tell me whom he was.

[Brickman | 3,986]

Great read, thanks Code Monkey, a lot of interesting stuff I learnt about you   Great questions Splain.

Code Monkey, you spelt mum wrong  

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

Catsup chips rule.  I can't really get them here.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,530]

20 hours ago, Splain said:

We have a cat we adopted, he's an all white British Short Hair and his name is Tanooki

Ah, yes.  It all makes sense now.

[Renmauzo | 1,201]

This is a pretty cool feature(tte?) and was a fun read! Thanks for putting this idea together, Splain, and for the personal insight Code Monkey!

[Link | 2,712]

It's "safe deposit box" not "safety deposit box". If we're going to be pedants about something "CDs", let's be serious here.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

23 hours ago, Splain said:

Someone else actually had to tell me whom he was.

@Code Monkey Your grammar is incorrect, sorry.

 

[fcgamer | 4,723]

44 minutes ago, Link said:

It's "safe deposit box" not "safety deposit box". If we're going to be pedants about something "CDs", let's be serious here.

Let's get down to basics, see above.

[T-Pac | 7,544]

Great stuff, @Code Monkey!

I like your "candy and gaming" ritual for new releases. (I might want to adopt a similar routine - it sounds like a great motivator to really sit down and enjoy new pickups).

-CasualCart

[OptOut | 8,884]

Cool read, thanks! Nice to get to know @Code Monkey a little better!

[AstralSoul | 502]

Another great interview! Things like this are what keeps me coming back to VGS

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

On 9/10/2022 at 5:28 PM, CasualCart said:

Great stuff, @Code Monkey!

I like your "candy and gaming" ritual for new releases. (I might want to adopt a similar routine - it sounds like a great motivator to really sit down and enjoy new pickups).

-CasualCart

Doritos and Mountain Dew is still the best ritual. @docile tapeworm will back me on this I'm sure.

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

42 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

Doritos and Mountain Dew is still the best ritual. @docile tapeworm will back me on this I'm sure.

Dew all the way! Don’t disown me for being a cheetos guy!

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

Just now, docile tapeworm said:

Dew all the way! Don’t disown me for being a cheetos guy!

I like Doritos better than Cheetos, but they're both good.

[Link | 2,712]

2 hours ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

2 hours ago, docile tapeworm said:

Dew all the way! Don’t disown me for being a cheetos guy!

I like Doritos better than Cheetos, but they're both good.

You eat that stuff while gaming? With a spoon, I hope.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,530]

15 minutes ago, Link said:

You eat that stuff while gaming? With a spoon, I hope.

Oh, it's not a problem.  I know for a fact that skinny and Doug always have plenty of these on hand, for... reasons.

[RH | 4,903]

15 minutes ago, Link said:

You eat that stuff while gaming? With a spoon, I hope.

I do, but I put my controller in a gallon bag.

No... no, I don't do that.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

25 minutes ago, Link said:

You eat that stuff while gaming? With a spoon, I hope.

Since I was a kid. You just have to clean off the controller when you're done.

10 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Oh, it's not a problem.  I know for a fact that skinny and Doug always have plenty of these on hand, for... reasons.

I can't speak for @docile tapeworm, but this guy gets it.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

29 minutes ago, Link said:

You eat that stuff while gaming? With a spoon, I hope.

These are the ideal gaming snack, but I still like Doritos.

[Splain | 2,569]

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

44 minutes ago, Link said:

You eat that stuff while gaming? With a spoon, I hope.

 

29 minutes ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Oh, it's not a problem.  I know for a fact that skinny and Doug always have plenty of these on hand, for... reasons.

 

28 minutes ago, RH said:

I do, but I put my controller in a gallon bag.

No... no, I don't do that.

 

17 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

Since I was a kid. You just have to clean off the controller when you're done.

I can't speak for @docile tapeworm, but this guy gets it.

Gonna give away a trade secret here doug. No wonder we mop the floor with you guys in the weekly contest. No Cheetos grease letting you slide the dpad like a champ while slapping the a and b buttons!

[Link | 2,712]

A guy goes to a doctor and says, "Doc, you've got to help me. My penis is orange." Doctor pauses to think and asks the guy to drop his pants so he can check. Damned if the guy's penis isn't orange. Doc tells the guy, "This is very strange. Sometimes things like this are caused by a lot of stress in a person's life."

Probing as to the causes of possible stress, the doc asks the guy, "How are things going at work?" The guy responds that he was fired about six weeks ago. The doctor tells him that this must be the cause of the stress. Guy responds, "No. The boss was a real asshole, I had to work 20-30 hours of overtime every week and I had no say in anything that was happening. I found a new job a couple of weeks ago where I can set my own hours, I'm getting paid double what I got on the old job and the boss is a really great guy." So the doc figures this isn't the reason.

He asks the guy, "How's your home life?" The guy says, "Well, I got divorced about eight months ago." The doc figures that this has got to be the reason for all of the guys stress. Guy says, "No. For years, all I listened to was nag, nag, nag. God, am I glad to be rid of that old bitch." So the doc takes a few minutes to think a little longer.

He inquires, "Do you have any hobbies or a social life?" The guy replies, "No, not really. Most nights I sit home, watch some porno flicks and munch on Cheetos."

[G-type | 2,482]

On 9/9/2022 at 3:49 PM, Splain said:

Does your cat have an account on VGS?

I tried to sign him up with a 2018 birth date and got this error message: "This community does not allow registration by users under the age of 13.

I feel like VGS should make an exception to this rule if its for a cat.

[FireHazard51 | 2,043]

 

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

@Splaingreat Interview. Feel free to add me to the list if you ever run out of people to interview.

 

im with @docile tapeworm I love me a dirty dollar dew