I’m also finally publishing a bunch of blog posts that have been sitting around as drafts for awhile. They’re somewhat incomplete (there was more stuff I wanted to add to them), but I figure this site needs a bit of a content update, so just getting them out for the masses to enjoy.

In the meantime, here are some big projects I’m working on:

• A new online tournament system built for e-sports events.
• A new, invite-only gaming community that is “friends only” and require referrals to enter.
• A major update to Games Cast TV, making the interface way more modern and hopefully with a few new features to boot!
• My Game of the Year 2011 picks… I never posted anything for 2010! I might go back and do a “quick and dirty” 2010 update.
• An update to Sector Network, including the long-awaited Sector Network Newsletter.

Want to get involved in any of these projects or something new? I’m just an e-mail away. mattc0m@gmail.com.

Cheers,
Matt

World-class coverage team
James “2gd” Harding, Alex “Jehar” Popa, and Steve “GreasedScotsman” Huff will be providing top quality commentary of the Quake Live tournaments.

Higher quality than ever before
QuakeCon, for the first time ever, is streaming at 720p. Don’t take our word for it, tune into the coverage beginning Thursday at 1pm CDT (19:00 GMT).

Ad-free coverage
Enjoy the QuakeCon experience ad-free through own3D.tv and their world-class video cstreaming platform.

Complete QuakeCon coverage
Tune in for interviews with pro gamers, tournament admins, QuakeCon staff, developers, and more. We will be providing exclusive behind-the-scenes video in the tournament, expo, and BYOC areas, capturing the complete QuakeCon experience. Finally, cap off your QuakeCon experience with video coverage of the main ballroom events, featuring the keynote and Saturday’s Tournament Finals Party.

Connect with QuakeCon

own3D.tv
Our exclusive page for the live stream. Tune in starting Thursday at 1pm CDT (19:00 GMT)
http://www.own3d.tv/quakecon

YouTube
View videos from around QuakeCon all in one official destination.
http://www.youtube.com/quakecon2011

Twitter
Get the latest updates from the coverage team.
http://twitter.com/quakeconcvg

Other official announcements will be available at http://twitter.com/quakecon

Facebook
Follow us on Facebook for the latest updates & even participate in the Community Choice Award Poll.
http://www.facebook.com/quakecon

Give us feedback
We are committed to answering your questions and addressing your concerns while we’re at the event. We want to give you the best experience possible, and here’s how.

• Google Moderator
  This is the primary way to submit feedback, ask questions, and even submit question to ask the professional gamers in the tournaments.
  http://goo.gl/mod/pHKd
• IRC Chat
  Join us on irc.quakenet.org on #quakecon. This channel is specifically used for the live stream coverage, but still can be used for general QuakeCon discussion!

In a nutshell: it’s a website that provides live broadcasts of competitive matches and community-related events. Our streams are top-tier, professional grade, the commentary is also spot-on and occasionally comical, and we have a commitment to interact with our community.

The founders of Brink TV have a lot of experience with these professional “shoutcasts” (another word for broadcasting live games with commentary). We come from Enemy Territory TV, which is a site that provided that exact same service for Enemy Territory: Quake Wars in 2008.

The original founders of ETTV Steve “GreasedScotsman” Huff and Matt “Mattc0m” Richards are working hard on the development of Brink TV right now, with long-term members Ben “FishStix” Goldhaber, Slava “Uncle Joe” Markeyev, and Alex “Jehar” Popa all having a hand in the project as well. These guys have worked on Quake Live TV, Games Cast TV, and even the original Enemy Territory TV. They share a love for e-sports and live broadcasting especially.

We’re excited to bring entertaining, live events and matches to the Brink community. And we’re just as excited to play Brink ourselves. Look for an event on May 10th that will allow everyone to participate. We’re interested to hear what you think and how you’d like to get involved, feel free to toss us an e-mail at contact@thebrink.tv.

Join us around the web!

• Forums
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Steam
• #brinktv on GameSurge or QuakeNet IRC

View below the break for the history of this project.

Fun Facts about Enemy Territory TV (ETTV):

• Originally founded by Mattc0m (that’s me ), he had a lonely audio-only shoutcast that was used in tandem with “ETQW TV” servers. You watched the game from your own POV while listening to the audio shoutcasts.
• GreasedScotsman was soon to join, quickly becoming the Lead Shoutcaster. We were not able to provide live video, however, GreasedScotsman uploaded high quality VODs to the site, which became a huge success around the ETQW community.
• The staff grew exponentially, having around 16 staff members by the time we ended our operations and moved to QLTV.
• Was heavily involved with Splash Damage and the competitive ETQW community, ETTV shoutcasts became one of the most entertaining aspects of ETQW competition near the end of its lifespan.
• We attended QuakeCon 2008 as the Official ETQW Broadcasters. This was our first QuakeCon event as a team, and has gone every year since then as QLTV.

The old ETTV is online and all VODs are online! Check it out at: http://enemyterritory.sectornetwork.com/

Post-ETTV Projects

• Quake Live TV was launched on May 13, 2009. Nearly identical to ETTV, it was a shoutcasting organization focused on Quake Live. It quickly became the #1 shoutcasting crew in North America, and our brand is recognized throughout the Quake community. We’ve attended QuakeCon 2009 and 2010 as QLTV.
• Games Cast TV is currently in beta. While not a traditional “shoutcasting” company, it is instead a nexus of all e-sports broadcasters. From StarCraft 2 to Quake Live to Heroes of Newerth, there are competitive communities spread around the ‘net who have their own, professional-grade shoutcasters. And this brings them all together, with over 40 partners on the site, you instantly can see what sort of e-sports broadcasts are going on at any time of the day.

The premise is simple. You start with nothing to your name, spawning in the middle of a forest, on a mountain, on top of a cliff, or in any one of the vastly different biomes. You quickly set off to build the essentials for the night: You need a pickaxe to mine for coal for torches, which you need to build on a workbench, preferably inside a small, enclosed help. When night falls, the mobs spawn, and it quickly turns into a game of survival. As you explore the countryside, dig deep mines, and amass a collection of resources, you in term build better items, equipment, and building blocks to construct massive structures, elaborate traps, creative musical feats, and much more.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about what makes this game awesome.

1) It’s rewarding

There’s a very simple mechanic at play here: you are a witness to your own triumphs. Whether it’s a huge transportation system using minecarts, a decadent mansion, a giant stone castle, or massive mining operation, you get to create your own world how you want it. And frankly, you’re able to do some amazing stuff.

Some examples:

• We built a giant pyramid out of cobblestone, lined with torches, and topped with a golden tip.
• Built into the side of the pyramid, there is an obsidian entry that delves deep into the center of the earth, that opens up into a giant cavern with lava pouring out of the ceiling, and a single walkway to reach the other side — where it turns out you’re in a satanic shrine.
• Outside the pyramid, in a nearby desert, a pixel-perfect replica of the Aricebo Message towers into the skyline.
• In a far-away jungle, a fortress is built upon the tallest cliff, being seen from anywhere on the island, and a giant tower peaks out of it.

2) It’s creative

I have a simple thought on this:

The game is as creative as you are. The more imagination you have, the more you will get out of the game.

Having a child-like wonder when exploring worlds and creating your own place in it is paramount to having a fun time in this game. If you find you aren’t terribly creative, imaginative, or just think too much about everything, this game probably isn’t for you.

It’s essentially Lego for gamers.

There’s also a ton of creativity when it comes to mods and texture packs for the game. Basically, you can change the game to kind of have it be whatever you want it to be.

3) You make your own fun

The game gives you no objectives. There’s no purpose in the world. You’re here to do what you want. And like it’s working on projects (hopefully collaboratively, it shines online), it is fun to create a great many accomplishments.

There’s tons of projects. For the logically minded, you can use redstone circuitry to create an actual CPU. For those more creatively, you can create your own pixel artworks (oh, here’s another cool pixel art gallery). Want to create a massive underground maze system? Why not?! Maybe put a chest with an awesome treasure at the end. Maybe create a massive cliff-side fortress. Maybe create an intriquite trap system with locking doors, drops into lava, or rooms filled with zombies. Why not?! While you’re at it, you can create a giant dirt mound in the middle of an ocean with a house on top, or an underground golden palace.

Does this all sound too epic? You can build a wood house next to a pond, creating a small farm, planting and harvesting crops in the day and sleeping through the night. Sometimes, you just need the simple pleasures to make it through the day.

You basically just get an idea, and you do it. You make your own fun.

Conclusion

There’s really no better word to describe MineCraft than addicting. I’ve played it off-and-on, for awhile, but when I get into it, I get really sucked in. It’s scary addictive. You can get a taste of what MineCraft is like by trying out MineCraft classic on their website. And as long as you’ve got a creative mind and the ability to make your own fun, you’re going to love this game. Trust me.

Here’s a summary of where I’m at academically:

• Mass Communications major, Marketing minor (switched from Journalism last year)
• 3.66 GPA
• Enrolled in Honors Program (and have satisfied all Honors requirements except Capstone)
• Satisfied all general studies requirements

However, where I am focusing my energies on is instead networking, projects, and other non-academic goals.

• Worked on Program Board as an executive programmer and webmaster since my first year. This year I am the graphic designer as well. I’ve hosted dozens of events on campus while providing flyers, advertising, and website updates for the rest of the board.
• Worked on A-Team over the summer. A-Team is a peer leadership group that is involved in making a smooth transition into college life for first year students. We advise, give support, and provide a quality role model while leading them through a two-day orientation.
• Worked as a Resident Assistant for a semester (more on that later). I hosted some of the largest events and provided a positive role model for a diverse and unique floor of residents.
• Ran for Student Body President my Freshman and Sophomore year. I plan on running again the next two years. I lost to my now-roommate / partner-in-crime Anthony Bellismo.
• I’ve been involved in the Student Government Association, Technology Oversight Committee, Honors Program Board, and the Student Life Council.
• Recognized at Student Recognition Day as a Freshman and Sophomore. 
• I’ve was the webmaster for Student Affairs and Intramurals briefly.
• Started up a now-defunct movie review blog with a few fellow students.

It’s been a pretty good ride, however over the summer and the beginning of this semester have seen a series of events that have taken the turn for the better. That is awfully vague. Allow me to explain:

Over the summer, it became apparent that my help was needed at QuakeCon 2010 with my internet broadcasting organization, Quake Live TV. The issue with this was that it directly conflicted with my Resident Assistant training. I explain my situation in detail, offered to do all the coordination with my staff and do extra work to make up my time off. Unfortunately, they still were unable to keep me onboard and I lost my position as an RA.

However, QuakeCon was an amazing experience and I’m completely glad I went. I met the majority of my staff on Quake Live TV, as well as bonded with a lot of QuakeCon staff and volunteers. On top of that, was able to spend a bit of face time with Bethesda, Splash Damage, and id Software developers and executives. It was a great personal and professional experience, and we did great work while we were there. See our coverage at our QuakeCon site.

I was also laid off of my Webmaster Advisor job for Student Affairs (they essentially combined two positions into one and I got the short stick), so I lost two jobs when I came back to campus. However, I’m still the Graphic Designer for Program Board, and also Rachael (my boss) hired me as the Webmaster for Student Activities, which means I’m charge of making some really cool website stuff. I’m pretty excited.

In another unfortunate twist, my good friend Jon Haar lost his federal aid and wasn’t able to go to Shepherd. However, this let me take his place and room with Anthony Bellismo, Nick Frendzel, and Justin McKenzie. This collection of gamers, filmmakers, and digital artists is truly a great place to be, and already we’ve kicked off and done some fun, unique projects. I’ll be posting some of the videos and films we produce while we’re here shortly, already we’ve done a lot. I’m also rooming right next door to all the ladies I was very close with first year—Stephanie Singleton, Becky Van Wagoner, Ashtyn Lake, Hannah Pebbles, Abbie McMullen, and the “new kid” Heather. They’re a great group of friends and it’s exciting to have them next door.

There has been some ups and downs, yes, but at the end this is looking to be a great year for my personal, professional, and academic growth. Woot!

As some of you know, I’m the founder, webmaster, graphic designer, and guest shoutcaster over at QuakeLive.tv. Quake Live TV runs very much like a business, but we’re all volunteers and our costs are paid for by donations (thanks to an awesome, supportive community).

So what is Quake Live TV? Well, it’s an organization that broadcasts live, competitive video game matches with some of the top professionals. While a lot of our coverage is of community-run events, a lot of our coverage is of the professionals competing in high-level tournaments. We’ve covered over 1,000 competitive matches in our one and half years of operation, with some of our more popular live broadcasts reaching thousands and thousands of live spectators simultaneously. In the past year, we’ve had over 400,000 visitors on our website.

To sum it up: we’re the #1 broadcasting organization in North America Quake Live coverage, and we’re slowly becoming one of the more reputable names in eSports.

While some people scoff at the idea of playing video games professionally, some do pretty well. For example, Anton “Cooller” Singov (who is coming to QuakeCon) has made more than $130,000 in his career. Sure, he’s not going to be able to retire on winnings from professional gaming, but it’s still a good chuck of cash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Singov

For those of you that are curious as to what competitive gaming is all about, I wrote a four-page magazine article that details the ins-and-outs of the scene.

Page 1: http://mattc0m.com/College/Spring%202009/Magazine%20Writing/page-1.jpg
Page 2: http://mattc0m.com/College/Spring%202009/Magazine%20Writing/page-2.jpg
Page 3: http://mattc0m.com/College/Spring%202009/Magazine%20Writing/page-3.jpg
Page 4: http://mattc0m.com/College/Spring%202009/Magazine%20Writing/page-4.jpg

Back to the big news:
Quake Live TV is going to be the exclusive broadcaster of QuakeCon 2010.

So, what is QuakeCon? What does this mean?

Here’s a snippet of the Press Release:

Quake Live TV, a community-run broadcasting organization, is set to provide exclusive video coverage of QuakeCon 2010. QuakeCon, the largest LAN party in North America, is hosted annually in Dallas, TX and is home to the Intel® QUAKE LIVE® Masters Championship. Known as one of the most prestigious gaming tournaments worldwide, this year boasts a prize pool of over $50,000. After three years of main-stage action QUAKE LIVE® remains a top choice for competitive gamers.

Check out the rest of the press release on GamesIndustry.biz. I actually wrote the majority of the press release.

Essentially, QuakeCon is a big deal. Biggest LAN in North America, biggest free LAN in the world, and it hosts thousands of gamers at the event with tens of thousands tuning into the coverage from around the world.

My company is going to be that coverage.

I’m really happy to go there and be working alongside my fellow founders Steve “GreasedScotsman” Huff and Ben “FishStix” Goldhaber. These guys are legit. Also along with our promotion to the official coverage team means we get comped rooms, VIP passes, interviews with Bethesda and id Software execs, and a lot more really cool things.

In fact, if anyone has any questions for id Software, Bethesda Game Studios, Splash Damage, Respawn Entertainment (the founders of Infinity Ward, the guys who made call of Duty), Arkane Studios, or any of the pro gamers… let me know!

Anyway, I’m super excited about this and just wanted to share it. Hopefully you guys tune and I have your support!

Matt “Mattc0m” Richards
www.quakelive.tv

Check out this slick video. I think you’ll enjoy it — it’s just over a minute long!

The film was created by a team of people (everyone is acting), and every person in the film I had to cast and direct. I acted as the director, sound designer, film editor, and essentially put the entire production together. Sadly, the ending nor beginning was every fully finished. Watch it now:

Tell me what you think!

YouTube Description:
This is a remastered version of a Battlefield 2 action movie I created in 2006 and published in 2007.

Note that this movie contains scenes 3-6. Scenes 1, 2, and 7 were never completed, and thus there’s not a real solid beginning nor end to it. The ending, especially, is very abrupt.

The video was originally created in Windows Movie Maker, with the first remastering using Vegas 7.0. The current version was edited in Vegas 8.0. Music is from the Blackhawk Down Soundtrack.

Some of the footage was recorded with low resolution, so some of the visual are a bit pixelated. This is not my fault as I cannot re-render the original footage, so just bare with it.

To download the crisper (but less visually exciting) original video, use the following link: http://www.fileden.com/files/2/mashtu…

If you enjoyed this film, remember to subscribe!

Thanks,
Mattc0m
www.mattc0m.com

An intense frag video that features fast paced, ultra action packed footage of Team Deathmatch gameplay in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Features a fast paced, in your face soundtrack.

Programs Used:
* Sony Vegas
* FRAPS

Songs Used:
* What You Want (version 2) http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/
* Omen by The Prodigy

Play with Mattc0m and a shitton of other really cool gamers at FPS Gaming Community.