Hey, I'm Niero. I'm kind of a robot.



So, three years ago I was an art school drop out who was (unhappily) working in advertising for airlines when I decided to attend a video game convention (E3 2006) as a birthday gift to myself ... and got denied. They said I couldn't go because I wasn't press. So I started a blog and, well, it's turned into Destructoid. It isn't as random as it sounds. I've always had video game clubs. Here's what my first one looked like:



That's before blogs were around, you see! You can see more pics of it here. So, I'm Destructoid's founder and first blogger. I wrote over 2,000 articles my first year. Now, we have a team. Cool trick, eh? We share a dream to be THE video game web site, so I don't write much anymore. I'm working on that second part now. Long way to go.




This is Mr. Destructoid. I made that version of the helmet out of air conditioner parts. We have a fancier one now that Vulpin Props made for us, but I'm still pretty keen on the original as its such a big part of our history. I made him to stand out at E3 when it was just me trying to promote my blog. I had no idea people would like it. Still blows my mind. I have a lot to say when it comes to gaming, but am generally a pretty quiet reserved and contemplative person otherwise. Likewise, Mr. Destructoid is a mute. However, unlike me, Mr. Destructoid is a fucking pimp and has probably already fucked your mom. I work for this guy.



This is Tom Lackner. We've been making e-commerce type web sites a-la-freelance since we met in high school. He came up with ModernMethod and codes our software, ElephantBlog. Tlack is the real programming force behind the site. He runs MiamiNights.com and DJ's in pink wig and a bathrobe with a full beard. Would you expect anything less from this company? If the site is ever down it's probably because I broke something Tom made. That's kind of our process.

Mah community manager



Mah skydiving instructor



Mah girl



The first time I saw a video game was at a tiny game room near the beach in 1984. It was a stand-up wooden Pong machine. There were people huddling around it. It didn't even register in my brain that I could ask to play among the adults so I just kinda stood there watching them do it, laughing and competing intensely with each other. I remember feeling that everyone in that room was really into it and that it was something cool and important. I didn't actually play a video game until years later at a cousin's house. That year I saved all my gift money my parents bought me an Atari, then years later my best friend Ozzy bought an NES, and we haven't stopped collecting or talking about video games since. It was only natural that something game related become my life's calling. So here I am, at your service.




Destructoid is my favorite thing in the world, even though it's far from perfect. It's something I'm proud of and hope to make better as time goes on. We do our best with site policies, trying to keep it fun and rewarding and as even-handed for the benefit of our community. Sometimes that means making tough calls and pissing off people you love. That's the crap part of my job. You have to ban and send away people to keep the greater community intact and growing strong. Only people that attempt to run and moderate internet communities can truly understand this. We're just people doing the best we can, doing this web site, trying to make it something great. That's another reason I like video games -- the rules are easier to understand.

I barely knew what a blog was until I dove in, so I'm not a terribly good blog designer, programmer, manager, speaker, entertainer, business asshole, or anything *yet* -- but I'm working on it every day, always hustling to make it happen. It may be comforting to know that some random dude made Destructoid. Either that, or you'll find it unsettling. Either way, I'm that dude. Not too smart, kinda shy, but a hardworking bastard doing the best he can. I'm not rich and my editors are underpaid. But we're still here despite the shit economy and not going anywhere. We have Destructoid and are doing precisely what we want to be doing with our lives. That's living the dream, since 2006.



So that's my story in a nutshell. Thanks for checking Dtoid and let me know if there's anything I can do to make it better. You can always reach me at Niero [ at ] Destructoid.com or on our Facebook/Myspace/Twitter/etc. Check out the Keep In Touch links at the bottom of the page. Thanks for reading all that crap. See you around!