Game Blog

I think best way to start my new AMD blog is to introduce myself beyond my brief bio and official photo. I manage AMD’s product marketing for all of EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). I feel that I have one of best jobs in the world. Why? Because I’m a gamer guy.

I’m a grass-roots, down-and-dirty, unashamed-to-admit-it gamer guy. I’m a card-carrying, dyed-in-the-wool, tell-it-like-it-is-and-ask-no-forgiveness gamer guy. I have one of best jobs in the world because I get to have my way with the latest, fastest, and most extreme PC gaming technology ever created – every single day. The tough part is pretending to be unexcited by it all while working around normal folks.

At home, it’s different. Surroundings recede to darkness, and vision stretches to the vanishing point of a pixel. The moment dissolves through 64-bit quantum foam, and my awareness teleports to an AA-rendered reality. I create worlds, save worlds, and conquer them. My altered state reaches a fevered peak—then my wife calls me to dinner.

Which proves that I’m actually just a regular guy. Canadian grown, I prefer hot dogs and beer to brie and wine. However, I prefer the very best when it comes to PC gaming. My first computer was a Commodore 64, and my first game title was the highly addictive “Summer Games.” Upgrading annually since, my home PC today is a mighty AMD Phenom™ X4 9950-based AMD platform housed in a Cooler Master chassis, with a 10,000 RPM 150GB Raptor system drive, dual 500GB storage drives, and dual ATI Radeon HD™ 4870 X2 cards using ATI CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode driving a 30” Dell 2560×1600 monitor. My current definition of sheer bliss: 4.1 megapixels of Crysis!

For the record, I am not a FPS guy. I am an avid RTS gamer (Chris Taylor is my hero and CDN buddy), with a “never-say-die” style honed in 1997 playing Total Annihilation. When all was lost and there was no chance of capturing the enemy commander, I always mowed through the enemy’s city intent on eliminating any chance for my opponent to win the game. They say your status in Valhalla depends on the size of the enemy honour guard you take along. Hey, if you’re going to go down—take as many with you as you can.

But I’m more than just an addled enthusiast. I’m also a PC gaming industry activist, and a staunch advocate for the millions of gamers who depend on AMD to help ensure the future of PC gaming. Issues of rampant piracy, buggy and busted DRM copy protection, and hardware requirements escalating beyond affordability are among many recent industry trends that do not bode well for the PC faithful. I’m committed to exploring these issues, and tackling the truly tough topics of our time.

Is PC gaming threatened by publishers planning to release PC versions of new games only after console versions have peaked in sales and popularity? Or is PC gaming endangered by the pirates who are forcing this to happen? Is WoW bigger than anyone actually realizes, and is hurting the industry because the millions of WoW gamers play nothing else? Do too many players cheat in CS and deserve to be hung (virtually, that is) if caught? Is playing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” on medium setting truly impossible on GH3? These are among the deep questions that gnaw at the soul of today’s PC gamer.

What is the best bang-for-the-buck AMD gaming solution? What is the ultimate PC gaming experience today? What do I think PC gaming will be like in five years—or a decade from now? It’s said that telling the raw truth is a crime punishable anywhere on the planet. In this blog, I will strive to deliver unfiltered, unvarnished, unhallowed candor about gaming, gear, and hot-buttered groat clusters. Join me here for ride-the-line commentary, insightful Q&A—and almost anything else that you want to discuss, curse, or compliment.

Stay tuned!

Ian “Cabrtosr” McNaughton

Ian McNaughton is senior manager of product and platform marketing EMEA at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.