READY PLAYER 2

Ever read a gaming post not really about games. THIS IS IT. Games have shaped me ways you can't fathom, but 17 years ago I met and Angel and it wasn't Mario or Sonic.

How many things do you love?

For me. gaming is one of them.

It was December 8th 2006. It was around 5am and I was in the Que to get a Nintendo Wii because GAME was opening early for pre orders and the Wii was about to be one of the most popular console launches ever. It was freezing and ver chit chat about the cold I got talking to a guy called Drew in the line. We got immediately, gassing about our love of games, but specifically Nintendo. We laughed and joked in the cold for an hour before they opened the shop at 6am, which was special for the launch. We grabbed our Wii’s casually exchanged numbers, said we’d maybe play against each other one day and went on our merry way.

We were two very different people. From different worlds, but that love of Nintendo kept us in touch now and ten and about a year later, Drew was an extra in Adulthood, when he hadn't even known the whole time that I was an actor or worked in the business. I remember how surprised he was when I asked him.

“Be a what in what movie now?”

—-

My love of games started at about 8 with a Commodore 64 then an Atari 2600 but it really took off in 1987 with the release of the NES - Nintendo Entertainment System. As a kid who was on my own A LOT, with Pops not around and Mum at work to pay the bills. Games like SuperMario brothers, Duck Hunt, Mega Man, Punch out and Excite bike kept me entertained for hours.

Luckily I don’t have an addictive personality so I always knew or felt when it was right to come off and watch a film or go out and play football. Or later as I got into teenage years I could self regulate and stop to write or go out to college, or work, or be out with whichever girlfriend I had at the time.

But from age 9/10 I was a full fledge Nintendo man. I was a part of the playground wars of the late 80’s early 90’s when you were either SEGA or NINTENDO.

MARIO or SONIC and that was that.

There were not many people who had both consoles back in the days. I know I couldn’t afford that. So you made your choice and man it was tribal. It went from friendly rivalries to arguments, to in some cases fights. Each tribe was ride or die for their icon at the time. I would not go near a SEGA machine if I had a choice - and although admittedly I’d play Sonic a few times at a half cousins house at a family event All the while pretending I didn’t like it while wishing that Nintendo had something that fast - I was Mario through and through.

If you were Nintendo you were all about the - NES, Gameboy, Super NES (SNES), N64, Gamecube, NintendoDS, Wii, WiiU, Switch and soon the SWITCH2.

If you were Sega you were all were the - Master System, Mega Drive, Game Gear, Saturn, Dreamcast…

The tribalism was made even worse when everyone’s favourite magazine Mean Machines. Split down the middle to become Mean Machine - for Sega fans and (NMS) Nintendo Magazine System - For Nintendo fans. We got teased about how stupid the name was for ours and it was. but they split I never had to read anything Sega again.

My Dislike for SEGA was so strong. I still consider 2001 one of the best years ever because it was the year that Sega, quit making consoles after Dreamcast flopped. Nintendo officially won the war that year and you can now find that sellout Sonic, selling himself on every console like the little but Hedge-hoe he is. HA HA (kidding I like sonic now) It was also the year that my favourite WWE bought WCW (You know I love Pro-wrestling, but we’ll get on to that another day) It seemed I had a habit of picking winners.

Nintendo have had some lean years. They almost died twice after the Gamecube, stopped getting support, and the WiiU…Well to be honest that was just shit, but then the Switch saved them and I’m glad it did.

What makes games so special to me? So Much. Like films which you know I love. It’s the escapism. The worlds. The stories. The puzzles. The alone time I can get. I can just shut off and be immersed in them. I’m not much of a play with friends person generally.

I grew up around a lot of bad people in an area that was rough on a good day and violent on the regular. But in those teen years, when friends started going through that period of heading in that direction. I didn’t consciously step away. I wasn’t some virtuous guy who looked down on anyone. I was just into films/Tv and games. Instead of getting the bus to Croydon to smoke weed and end up at some house party not knowing who’s cool there and who wasn’t. I’d rather sit on my own and beat a dungeon in The legend Zelda. At least I knew who the bad guys were there.

Winning a grand prix in Mario Kart. Having 100 little creatures survive at the end of a battle filled day in Pikmin. Landing a headshot in goldeneye, finding all the secret levels in Super Mario World, Catching every Pokemon in the Pokédex. Or finding a gem of a game that others didn’t know about like Freedom Fighters. All of that is exhilarating to me.

As I did more in the film business, meeting more and more people who just saw gaming as dumb. I never hid it. Why would I? I love it and won’t bow to others expectations of me as you know. That’s just who I am. And guess what? Gaming is “cool” again but there were a lot of years where It was mocked and even some hardcore gamers kept quiet about their passion, not wanting to be outed as the “loser” in their moms basement or whatever insult it was that week. But If you really knew me you knew that I didn’t care about any of that and I almost always had a Gameboy, DS or Switch with me. It was almost an I dare you to call me names.

As gaming grew the X-box’s came out. The Playstation’s - The Halos, The Gods of War and the GTA’s - (love me some Grand theft Auto). Gaming became A Multi billion dollar industry, globally earning “$522.46 billion in revenue in 2024. This figure is expected to grow to $691.31 billion by 2029” - Statista. And continues to grow.

https://www.statista.com/outlook/amo/media/games/worldwide?currency=USD

Pokemon alone is 2 Billion of that - But for me all of that is just noise. People catching up to what I already knew. For me games are not buisness, or how I can benefit from it. It’s just personal, Fun. Every job I did away from home I would take my Handheld and later PS3/4/5 and sometimes I would be away from my my wife and kids for months at a time, and with the exception of them and working in films. games is the thing I love more than anything else, so after work. that is what I would do.

I wear my Mario or Pokemon T-shirts with pride, I got my kids into gaming and play with them. I smile every time a movie of a game comes out and absolutely destroys the box office. Because although maybe it’s just money to most I like to think that people are beginning to understand, taking that little Plummer into a magical world full of evil turtles and creatures is life. Or as my kids say, maximum Aura. Sitting down and exploring Hyrule with Link from one end to the other, just looking at the scenery, hunting animals and catching fish without even doing a story mission is a peace that some will never understand. And yes we can go and see mountains in real life and I do, but I couldn’t beat a bear and cook its meat in seconds. Link can.

For 38 years. Since I heard that classic Super Mario brothers theme -

Da Da - Dah - Da Da Dah - Dum.

- I was in. We had a switch in our production office the office and would play Mario Kart with guests just to break the ice sometimes. Games appear in most of my projects In my car crash post about god.

HOW I KNOW GOD EXISTS

When I climbed back in the car to get my girlfriend out. I went back in after she was safe to get my Nintendo DS. And I even wore a Nintendo t-shirt in DrWho and we had to get through a lot of tape to do that. Luckily they execs didn’t really know how Iconic the controller was, but I knew that even though we’d cross of Nintendo. Real ones would know.

I have a PS5 but over the years I worked hard, did super well and get every Nintendo console that comes out straight away, and one for each kid so there is no fighting. (yes they were privileged, but, they have parental time locks and only play after homework is done) As you know if you’v followed me. A lot has happened the last few years which has changed things a little. And that brings me to the Switch2 - Which launches June 5 2025. It’s pre-orders sold out in minutes around the world and any stock that comes in is limited and gone in a flash.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-24/nintendo-switch-2-preorders-quickly-sell-out-at-us-stores?embedded-checkout=true

https://www.vice.com/en/article/only-23-of-people-got-to-pre-order-nintendo-switch-2-in-japan-lottery-new-survey-claims/

I didn’t go for the Switch2. No matter how much I love playing with my kids, or on my own. There are other things that have to take priority now, I was resigned that fact the switch 2 would be the first Nintendo console I didn’t get on launch day.

So full circle I spoke Drew, last week. Yes that same guy I met on that cold December 8th morning over our love of games quieting for a Wii 17 years ago. We’ve been mates the whole time. He lives in Australia now (but that’s what, text and Insta DM’s and WhatsApp is for for right?) He was excited about the Switch2 and Asked me about it. I told him the situation and he said.

“Fuck I hate those cunts for what they did to you. I understand, Things will come around for you mate. I’m totally confident and always have been. I’m really happy to pay for you so you get it at launch to play with your kids. This is how I met you.  I know the joy It will bring you and the little people”

And with that Drew from OZ has sorted my Switch2 pre-order and covered the cost. On the day it comes out I’ll be getting it and enjoying it just like I always have. In between writing new projects I’ll play on my own while the kids are at school and with them when they get home. And no doubt we’ll have to play Drew and his kids soon and whip their Australian asses too. It’s the least I can do.

Drew is an angel. He is my friend. This is another reason why I love gaming so much. It’s not just the games, it’s the people. It’s the community that have stuck with games and with each other through thick and thin. You can be so different, you could not agree on a lot of things but the love of gaming can bring you together.

I’ve been Player1 in a lot of aspects in my life. First to get a job out of my friends. First to have a kid, I wrote, starred, directed movies when others were only wishing they could. I’ve had number 1 films. Number 1 TV’s shows. A successful company and Awards that others had never won and never will. I Lead the way in many aspects. Then became a targeted by national newspaper with and agenda and people with known grudges and lost it all.

They wanted game over and they killed Player 1

Player one is gone.

Ready Player 2.