User:TSA

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IE7 This user contributes using Internet Explorer 7.0.
This user plays games from The Legend of Zelda series.
~_~ This user is a definite fan of Anime.
^_~ This user is a definite fan of Manga.
en This user is a native speaker of English.
es-1 Este usuario puede contribuir con un nivel básico de español.
HY-TWW-0.5 This user understands but does not speak basic The Wind Waker Hylian.
HY-TP-0.5 This user understands but does not speak basic Twilight Princess Hylian.
Certification of Sagehood
Certification of Sagehood

My name is Mike and I am a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors of Science in Communications, specifically in the discipline of New Media Technology and Media Effects. I'm an avid video game fan as well as a journalist in the video game industry.

Online I am known by the persona TSA, which is largely the antithesis of my offline personality; online I'm hot-headed, arrogant and fly-by-the-seat-of-my pants, whereas offline, I'm calm, cool and collective and more rational. For those wondering, TSA is an acronym for "The Silent Adventurer", and formerly stood for "The Silent Assassin". I prefer to just be called TSA over my name Mike, but colleagues find it a bit weird and tend to just call me Mike.

I am a very outspoken Zelda fan and was formely a webmaster of a Zelda fan site, ZHQ2, and I was a staff member of the original Zelda Headquarters. I've been very involved in the development of the fan community there and I try to be as knowledgeable about the franchise as possible, though ultimately it ammounts to being nothing but a big fanboy. In addition to The Legend of Zelda series, I am an all-around gamer who just loves the industry. I routinely attend trade shows and industry events not only for coverage as a journalist, but because it gives me personal satisfaction and I have a genuine interest in the industry. Sometimes, I get inside information on Zelda games, which I am, of course, under contract to keep private. However, I can never seem to stop myself from saying things like "I know the answer to that, but I'm not allowed to reveal anything yet" to online debating groups and such. I guess it makes me feel better about myself.

I currently run the gaming news/media site The Hylia, where I am the Content Manager. My goal with The Hylia is run more of a professional news/media outlet with aspirations that one day it can become a self-sustaining business so I can quit my day job and work on the site all day.

I used to perform speedruns, but it was merely for personal gratification and for further understanding of the video game development process, in particular in the design aspect. Speed runs, combined with my experience on certain fan development projects like Zelda Classic, were helping me to expand my comprehension of the mind-set of the creators of these games. I am currently retired from speedrunning.