Our Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Name: Austin Yorski
Position: Editor-in-Chief
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Contact: Austin@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: A student of Literature and Religion at Florida State University, Austin Yorski is a jack-of-all-trades around BT. He goes by Austin or Yorski (but not both), and spends all the time he isn’t reading or playing football on writing, editing, moderating, and gaming. He can also collect all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 blindfolded.
Fave Genres (In Order): Platformers, JRPGs, WRPGs, Sandbox, Sports
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Name: Austin YorskiPosition: Editor-in-Chief
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Contact: Austin@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: A student of Literature and Religion at Florida State University, Austin Yorski is a jack-of-all-trades around BT. He goes by Austin or Yorski (but not both), and spends all the time he isn’t reading or playing football on writing, editing, moderating, and gaming. He can also collect all 120 stars in Super Mario 64 blindfolded.
Fave Genres (In Order): Platformers, JRPGs, WRPGs, Sandbox, Sports
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UK Content Editor
Name: Yousif Alshaker
Position: Writer, PR
Location: Canterbury, England
Contact: Yousif@BlisteredThumbs.net
Bio: Born in 1985, his addiction to gaming started with Sonic the Hedgehog on the Megadrive. He went on to run an independent games store for 2 years before settling down into the journalistic side of gaming. A huge background knowledge in gaming through-out the years means ‘if you name it, I’ve played it.’
Fave Genres (In Order): Adventure, RPG, 1st and 3rd person shooters
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Name: Yousif AlshakerPosition: Writer, PR
Location: Canterbury, England
Contact: Yousif@BlisteredThumbs.net
Bio: Born in 1985, his addiction to gaming started with Sonic the Hedgehog on the Megadrive. He went on to run an independent games store for 2 years before settling down into the journalistic side of gaming. A huge background knowledge in gaming through-out the years means ‘if you name it, I’ve played it.’
Fave Genres (In Order): Adventure, RPG, 1st and 3rd person shooters
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News/Reviews Contributor
Name: Johnny M.
Position: Writer
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Contact: Johnny@Blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: Born in 1980, to a couple of British ex-pats in Toronto, Canada, Johnny is a trained stage actor, black belt in Moh Kempo kung fu, tabletop gaming store guru, and appreciator of fine whiskey and coffee. He’s been inseparably attached to PCs since 1986, when he was provided an IBM PCjr and a 5 & 1/4” diskette of King’s Quest. He’s spent the subsequent 25 years of his life in the field of alchemy, attempting to transform nerd into gold, with mixed success.
Fave Genres (In Order): Games that, when you press buttons, things happen.
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News/Reviews Contributor
Name: Shaun Kronenfeld
Position: Writer
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Contact: Shaun@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: Having been an avid gamer since the grand olden days of the Atari, Shaun has since transitioned to almost every system imaginable over the intervening years. Now bringing his love of gaming to the DLC section of Blistered Thumbs, in addition to his regular news and review coverage, he also writes the weekly D(LC)elightful Treats column for all to love and enjoy. In his off time, Shaun also serves as co-host and editor of the weekly comic book podcast I Have Issues (www.ihaveissues.tv) while also continuing his eternal search for the legendary treasure known only as One Piece.
Fave Genres (In Order): Adventure, RPGs, Strategy
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Name: Shaun KronenfeldPosition: Writer
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Contact: Shaun@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: Having been an avid gamer since the grand olden days of the Atari, Shaun has since transitioned to almost every system imaginable over the intervening years. Now bringing his love of gaming to the DLC section of Blistered Thumbs, in addition to his regular news and review coverage, he also writes the weekly D(LC)elightful Treats column for all to love and enjoy. In his off time, Shaun also serves as co-host and editor of the weekly comic book podcast I Have Issues (www.ihaveissues.tv) while also continuing his eternal search for the legendary treasure known only as One Piece.
Fave Genres (In Order): Adventure, RPGs, Strategy
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News/Reviews Contributor
Name: Robert Grosso
Position: Writer
Location: Staten Island, NY
Contact: Robert@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: Not much can really be said about Robert. He has been a lifelong gamer and a longtime writer, living in the depths of Staten Island most of his life. An avid collector and historian on video games, Robert strives for a more erudite approach in his writing; working vigorously for the betterment of gamers worldwide. He hopes his dry wit and honest reporting is a positive contribution to Blistered Thumbs!
Fave Genres (In Order): Strategy, RPG, Arcade, Action/Adventure
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Name: Robert GrossoPosition: Writer
Location: Staten Island, NY
Contact: Robert@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: Not much can really be said about Robert. He has been a lifelong gamer and a longtime writer, living in the depths of Staten Island most of his life. An avid collector and historian on video games, Robert strives for a more erudite approach in his writing; working vigorously for the betterment of gamers worldwide. He hopes his dry wit and honest reporting is a positive contribution to Blistered Thumbs!
Fave Genres (In Order): Strategy, RPG, Arcade, Action/Adventure
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News/Reviews Contributor
Name: Stephen James Broida
Position: Writer
Location: Cleveland Heights, OH
Contact: N/A
Bio: Born in 1982, Steve has been fascinated with video games since the days of the Apple Macintosh (the B&W one) and NES. With video games as the carrot danging off a stick in front of him, he pursued studies in Information Technology with hopes of one day making his own games. While he still pursues his video game dream job now that he’s graduated from college, Steve currently specializes in computer repair, maintenance, and tech support. Meanwhile, Steve continues to seek collect retro video game systems, games, accessories, and merchandise (mostly Nintendo), and seeks to find video game news that often slips through the cracks.
Fave Genres (In Order): Turn-Based RPGs, JRPGs, CRPGs, 2D Platformers, Puzzle games
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Name: Stephen James Broida
Position: Writer
Location: Cleveland Heights, OH
Contact: N/A
Bio: Born in 1982, Steve has been fascinated with video games since the days of the Apple Macintosh (the B&W one) and NES. With video games as the carrot danging off a stick in front of him, he pursued studies in Information Technology with hopes of one day making his own games. While he still pursues his video game dream job now that he’s graduated from college, Steve currently specializes in computer repair, maintenance, and tech support. Meanwhile, Steve continues to seek collect retro video game systems, games, accessories, and merchandise (mostly Nintendo), and seeks to find video game news that often slips through the cracks.
Fave Genres (In Order): Turn-Based RPGs, JRPGs, CRPGs, 2D Platformers, Puzzle games
View my Blistered Thumbs User Page
News/Reviews Contributor
Name: Robert Heck
Position: Writer
Location: Atlanta, GA
Contact: N/A
Bio: Originally found roaming the streets mumbling incoherent nonsense, Robert has been gaming for as long as he can remember and plans to continue doing so for as long as he can. Having dabbled in everything from Silent Hill to Pac-Man, he tries to broaden his perspective to include every genre and game possible to further expand his knowledge of video games. Robert brings his experience to Blistered Thumbs in the hopes of informing and entertaining as many as possible about the medium. His attention to detail ensures that if he’s played a game, he could tell you everything about it, although you may regret asking when he’s still talking hours later.
Fave Genres (In Order): RPGs, Platformers, Action/Adventure, Survival Horror.
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Name: Robert Heck
Position: Writer
Location: Atlanta, GA
Contact: N/A
Bio: Originally found roaming the streets mumbling incoherent nonsense, Robert has been gaming for as long as he can remember and plans to continue doing so for as long as he can. Having dabbled in everything from Silent Hill to Pac-Man, he tries to broaden his perspective to include every genre and game possible to further expand his knowledge of video games. Robert brings his experience to Blistered Thumbs in the hopes of informing and entertaining as many as possible about the medium. His attention to detail ensures that if he’s played a game, he could tell you everything about it, although you may regret asking when he’s still talking hours later.
Fave Genres (In Order): RPGs, Platformers, Action/Adventure, Survival Horror.
View my Blistered Thumbs User Page
News/Reviews Contributor
Name: Gabriel Bono
Position: Writer
Location: Springfield, MO
Contact: N/A
Bio: Student of Health Administration who has been a gamer since he frist played Commander Keen 4 on a Gateway 2000. Since he’s a poor college student, he loves nothing more than to find a bit of obscure freeware or abandonware. Does not understand why everyone thinks Dark Souls is hard.
Fave Genres (In Order): Third-person shooters, RPGs, Platformers, Beat-em-ups
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Name: Gabriel Bono
Position: Writer
Location: Springfield, MO
Contact: N/A
Bio: Student of Health Administration who has been a gamer since he frist played Commander Keen 4 on a Gateway 2000. Since he’s a poor college student, he loves nothing more than to find a bit of obscure freeware or abandonware. Does not understand why everyone thinks Dark Souls is hard.
Fave Genres (In Order): Third-person shooters, RPGs, Platformers, Beat-em-ups
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MMO Content Contributor
Name: Lorne Horning a.k.a. “Nobunaga”
Position: Writer, Event Coordinator
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Contact: lorne@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: An eccentric millionaire bent on world domination, or at least trying to find happiness and ponder the existentialism– Oh who are we kidding, he’s just a rich evil eccentric who wants to take over the world while having an amazing time playing whatever games strike his fancy. Known amongst the Blizzard Entertainment community as “The Dreadmist Man.”
Fave Genres (In Order): RPG, Real Time Strategy, Fighting and Action
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Name: Lorne Horning a.k.a. “Nobunaga”Position: Writer, Event Coordinator
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Contact: lorne@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: An eccentric millionaire bent on world domination, or at least trying to find happiness and ponder the existentialism– Oh who are we kidding, he’s just a rich evil eccentric who wants to take over the world while having an amazing time playing whatever games strike his fancy. Known amongst the Blizzard Entertainment community as “The Dreadmist Man.”
Fave Genres (In Order): RPG, Real Time Strategy, Fighting and Action
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MMO Content Contributor
Name: James Costanzo
Position: Writer
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Contact: JamesC@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: Forged from the fires of Ironforge, and steeled in combat upon the endless sieges upon the gates of Altdorf as a student of the Bright College, James is a former Quality Assurance Analyst for BioWare and just trying to find his place in the puzzle of reality. Donning a championship belt from both fighting schools of Finance and Computer Systems Tech, and countless years of Forum RP, he aids Blistered Thumbs with his insight and patience in the world of Massively Multiplayer titles.
Fave Genres (In Order): RPG, MMO, FPS, Racing, Action Adventure
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Name: James CostanzoPosition: Writer
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Contact: JamesC@blisteredthumbs.net
Bio: Forged from the fires of Ironforge, and steeled in combat upon the endless sieges upon the gates of Altdorf as a student of the Bright College, James is a former Quality Assurance Analyst for BioWare and just trying to find his place in the puzzle of reality. Donning a championship belt from both fighting schools of Finance and Computer Systems Tech, and countless years of Forum RP, he aids Blistered Thumbs with his insight and patience in the world of Massively Multiplayer titles.
Fave Genres (In Order): RPG, MMO, FPS, Racing, Action Adventure
View my Blistered Thumbs User Page
