Meet The Staff: Dan Lee

Name: Without wanting to shock anyone, it’s Dan Lee!

Age: 27

Birthplace: Kingsbury, London

Living now: Stanley (rhymes with Dan Lee!), County Durham

Gamerscore/Trophy Level: I have no idea, so I’ll take a wild guess and say ‘purple’.

Q: So, we know you love gaming but what else interests you? What do you do in your spare time?

Spare time is a luxury these days (not that I’m complaining), so I make the most of it by spending time with my family. I’m currently trying to turn my two year old son into a car and video game fanatic; so far my plan has worked a bit too well as he gravitates towards anything technology based and starts to tinker with it.  It’s amazing the technology kids these days will grow up with, and I’m purposefully saving old cassettes and video tapes to show him how we rocked it in my day.  OLD SCHOOL!

I used to do various martial arts, boxing, and I also trained as a wrestler down at NWA Hammerlock in Kent.  It was all great but eventually it got the better of as a move went wrong and pushed my arm into my shoulder socket, before it promptly fell out again.  Obviously it all got fixed up in the end, but 7 years on and it still hurts like a female dog.

I love to read, but my real passion is writing.  I literally can’t go a day without it which is why you’ll find me clogging up TSA on a daily basis.

Q: I regularly refer to you as “Cap’n Dan” because I love Forrest Gump and I’m a massive idiot. Do you have any in proper nicknames that stuck?

Ha!  No comment on that one!  I do have a couple of odd nicknames gifted to me by the good people on twitter.

Q: We know you’re from the North East so we expect you to support a really embarrassing football team. Aside from that, what’s the most embarrassing moment you’ve had in your life so far?

Well, in an attempt to make a good impression on my Wife’s best friend and show her how awesome I was, I got down on the floor in the middle of a nightclub and started dancing on my head.  It’s as odd as it sounds, and testament to the fact that I lost my marbles a long, long time ago.  I had indulged in a bit too much drink though, and was sick for three days afterwards.  Pay attention all you young’uns out there!

I also burst out laughing at one of my old college lecturers beard before.  Unfortunately he took it personally and called me out in the middle of the class to explain what I thought was so funny.  I told him…it didn’t go down well.

Q: We’ve heard whispers on the grapevine that your son has a prodigious Peggle talent. Is he the only member of the family that is clearly better than you at games or do you have competition from other quarters?

Ahem, I wouldn’t say ‘better’, more like he has inherited his dad’s penchant for gaming!  My wife will happily play Move and Kinect with me (and more often than not, win), but apart from that I come from a family of non-gamers who probably think I’m just a big kid.  They’d be right too.

Q: What got you started with gaming, when did the bug bite?

I can’t remember the name of the first game I played, but I know it was on the C64.  It fascinated me, and from then on I spent more time round at my cousin’s house mooching on his console than I probably should have.  Then, one fateful Christmas day, I unwrapped a brand new NES with a copy of Super Mario Bros. 2 and Life Force Salamander.  That was it; I became gaming’s humble servant, bowing to her every whim.  I currently have over twenty consoles scattered about the house, and in a storage unit.

Q: So far, what’s your favourite game ever?

I don’t have a favourite per-se, but there are several moments that evoke strong emotions.  The first time I booted up Super Mario Bros. on the NES; the first few minutes of Super Mario 64 when it dawned on me that gaming will never quite be the same again; playing through Zelda: OOT and realising that it might be 2am, but I really don’t want to stop; feeling utter sadness in Heavy Rain when playing through the scene which follows that accident; having my mind blown by just stopping and gawping at the vistas in Red Dead Redemption.  Gaming eh?  When done right it has the power to take your breathe away.

Q: So the economy has turned to crap and unless you’re a banker or a politician you actually have to work a bit to afford all these games. What do you do for a living?

I’m a Engineering Technician, so by day you’ll find me either knee deep in mud on some remote site somewhere, or slumped over my computer trying to fathom out why the road I’m designing isn’t working, and if it will support Sonic style loop-de-loops (I’m serious).

Unfortunately the wonderful ‘economic climate’ means there’s a fair chance I won’t be doing it much longer.  Plan B is to follow in the footsteps of my idol – Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigalow.  Hire me, people!

Q: Finally, have you got anything you’d like to add?

I’d like to just say thanks to the team at TSA for accepting me into their ranks so quickly.  They are a talented bunch and I aspire to be able to write to that level.  Also a big thanks to the readers; your comments are most welcome, and I try to read every one and take on board both the positives and the negatives.

Let’s hope for an awesome 2011.