This is a blog. It’s called TrackerTD’s Gaming World. It’s run by a guy called TrackerTD.
Or more it would be, were that not his odd “internet name.”
My name is Liam Ashcroft. I’m 16, and from the North West of England. I’ve been playing video games for over 10 years now. It’s not the most glamorous statistic in the world, but sadly it’s probably the most dedicated I’ve been to any single thing. Over the course of those 10 years, I’ve also written bits and bobs on video games, including work on Last Minute Continue, and my current stay on SEGABits. With the former, I produced articles during it’s time as Sonic Wrecks, which was unsurprisingly a Sonic fan website. On SEGABits, I’ve moved into video production, with my series This is Saturn being a regular feature on the site. I’ve also covered a few events in the past, spanning as far south as Weston Super Mare.
Sonic Wrecks was a fantastic opportunity that I jumped at; and it allowed me to garner experience at a relatively early age, since I was only 14 years old when I started writing for them. Whilst I did leave the site after the transition to LMC, due to the offer from SEGABits, it was an experience that I treasure like no other.
Anyway, if you haven’t put two-and-two together, I like SEGA. Quite a bit. Of my years in gaming, it’s a safe bet SEGA’s games have taken up most of it, and that’s probably why I keep finding my writing on SEGA-orientated websites.
My journey through gaming, if you can call it that, started at the PS1, moved through the Gamecube and PS2, and then basically went backwards as I collected both new and old consoles. My venture into retro systems basically started the moment my dad got his SEGA Master System out of the loft one day and let me play a few of the old Sonic games. The Sonic Mega Collection also pushed me towards the ‘retro’ side of gaming; and then as a result of curiosity from one of the videos on that collection, I ruthlessly hunted a SEGA Saturn, which has now become my favourite system of all time, to the ire of almost everyone I know. I do still collect for more modern systems though; as of now my most recent system is the Wii U, something I honestly rarely use. But hey; when I do use it, it’s a good time at least.
So, why this? I’m not suddenly dumping SEGABits, hell no. But this’ll allow me to cover more than just SEGA games; so I can finally do that ridiculous Super Mario World write-up for the sake of gushing over it. Or something.
There’s also the case of developing my writing skills; whilst I have published the odd review for SEGABits, in general I focus on producing my video content. Having this side venture, I feel, could motivate me to publish more written content, and in the long run that’ll likely be beneficial. The way I word that makes it sound like SEGABits is some kind of restrictive thing; it isn’t, and honestly most of the SEGA reviews I put up here’ll likely end up on SEGABits at some point anyway, but alas.
In terms of goals, some kind of work in gaming journalism is my goal. I like games, I quite enjoy writing, so it seems a good fit. I’m currently embarking on an AS-Level English Combined course, not to mention a AS-Level History course; these are further ways of developing my writing to possibly move into the field I intend to. That said, I at least have a contingency plan in the form of graphic design work, as well as my previously mentioned video editing.
As for this blog’s content; it’ll mostly be reviews and opinions. Probably retro reviews primarily, as I rarely have the cash for newer games. With retro reviews, I do strive to provide a different perspective on the games I cover to the usual; unlike most in this field, I didn’t grow up with these games, aside from Sonic, so I feel I can provide a nostalgia-free look at these games and evaluate how they stack up today without the backboard of a youth playing them to steer my judgement. That, or I’m wrong on the “most in this field” shtick and you can safely disregard this paragraph.
On the topic of SEGA, as I said I’ve spent ages playing SEGA – or more, Sonic – throughout my life, but as I began to review games, I began to accept a lot of Sonic’s efforts were utter wank. Just putting that out there to try and lessen any fears about potential bias on that side of the fence.
Anyway, I’ve rambled on for way longer than I intended to. In short, if you like old games, reading stuff, and SEGA in particular, then this might be the blog for you. Maybe. Perhaps.
Tracker_TD 