Back in 2017, Patrick Hickey Jr. sent me a DM, asking if I wanted to write the foreword for his forthcoming book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers. He was a pro introducing himself and told me that my 2016 book, The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, inspired him to write a book of his own. Better yet, the book was going to be released by McFarland Publishers, the company that published my Classic Home Video Games series. Needless to say, I was incredibly flattered and happily agreed.
In the intervening years, I’ve gotten to know Patrick and discovered him to be a big personality with a big heart and an even bigger desire to succeed as an author, a professor, and, most importantly, as a good husband to his wife and a caring and attentive father to his two kids. Via speaking with him in person and observing his (many) social media posts, it’s clear that he gets his kids involved in his projects and makes sure they know why he works so hard—it’s for them. It’s also to leave a legacy behind. And to be sure that many of the unsung heroes in the video game biz—namely the developers and programmers—get the credit they deserve.
One of the coolest things about Patrick is that he loves to support other content creators by encouraging them, sharing their successes and posts, and collaborating with them. He wants his friends and other content creators he respects to succeed; he’s pretty much the opposite of a gatekeeper. He sees the retro gaming community as just that—a community. He’s a positive force in this business, which is nice considering all the ridiculous drama that occurs.
I’ll always be thankful for my friendship with Patrick and the fact that he wrote a pair of awesome essays for my latest book, The 100 Greatest Console Video Games:1988–1998. Thanks, Pat! See you on Facebook and at a future convention!
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