Judge Appreciation Week: Geddy

Happy Hump Day, adventurers! It’s day three of Judge Appreciation and today we’re appreciating a fellow by the name of Geddy. Geddy is way fancier than me and writes in a whopping two places. By day he posts on his own blog, Nostalgia Trigger, but in the dark of night he transforms into the hero we totally deserve (because we’re worth it), the Over-Caffeinated Nostalgia Mage!

When I first met Geddy I was struck by how much I identified with the guy. Our blogs seemed to be of a similar nature and had been around for basically the same amount of time. I agreed with his thoughts on a number of subjects, too. He wrote this excellent article about turn-based battles that I definitely found a lot to like about – as an avid fan of turn-based RPGs, I have experienced multiple approaches to battles and Geddy did an excellent job of pointing out the good and the bad. The full thirty seconds to show you that there are trees and some frogs still kills me.

Geddy expresses a lot of love on his blog for Nintendo games, particularly for handhelds, and that’s a big thing for me too. For a long time my 3DS was the only current gaming machine I had. Only within the past year did I get two new modern home consoles to enjoy. Playing games like Pokemon, Fire Emblem, and Dragon Quest on my 3DS kept me gaming, and I have a lot of fond memories of that system. On top of that, Geddy was following the Nintendo Switch hype at the same time I was so that was another common thread we could talk about.

In particular, there was Breath of the Wild, which really was THE game to talk about when the Switch first launched. I mean, what else were we gonna discuss, Bomberman? Please. Once again I found myself identifying with Geddy as we both went through a pretty similar cycle with Breath of the Wild: total, unbridled fascination, followed by burnout as the things that make the game something less than 10/10 began to really set in.

Here’s the thing, though. I thought of Geddy as relateable because I perceived us as having a lot of things in common. Yet as I look back on the articles I’ve read by him, there’s actually a lot of stuff he’s written about that I’m not that interested in. I mean, I have never owned or wanted to own a PSP, yet I’ve read quite a few of his articles discussing games for that console such as this one talking about Ys (a franchise that I will always and forever pronounce “Wise,” whether or not that is correct). I’ve only ever played the very first Ys, but I still found myself drawn to Geddy’s article on the subject. It’s a great introduction to the games and he even breaks down which Ys game would be a good starting point based on your console availability and gaming preferences.

What I discovered is that Geddy isn’t relateable exclusively to me. Geddy is a relateable guy because that’s his writing style. It’s on your level, friendly, and conversational in a way that makes you feel like you’re talking to a buddy over a plate of wings (disclaimer: I have no idea if Geddy likes wings. A case could be made for Dairy Queen, though). This is an awesome quality for a blogger to have, because I can head over to Nostalgia Trigger and read pretty much anything and feel like it’s engaging to me. Even if I’ve never played the game, and have no interest in ever touching it.

The Well-Red Mage recently expressed a similar thought on Twitter about a review Geddy did as the Over-Caffeinated Nostalgia Mage:
Talent is definitely the word for it. Geddy has an excellent style that makes his work compelling to read no matter your level of interest in the content he’s discussing. Speaking of his time on The Well-Red Mage, he’s done I think three or four reviews there now and he’s doing an excellent job. His debut review of Ever Oasis has the charm Geddy is known for while also perfectly fitting the long-form style that The Well-Red Mage is celebrated for. The fact that he managed to pull off both at the same time indicates how much skill he has as a writer.

So whether you love Nintendo or Sony, handhelds or consoles, Geddy is an awesome blogger to check out. As soon as you read an article you’ll want to dive into more, and I think you’ll agree that Geddy has a special something about him that keeps his articles engaging regardless of the content discussed. I owe Geddy a big thanks for taking time out of his busy, imminent-marriage schedule to judge the Blogger Blitz, and if you have enjoyed the Blitz so far then you should head over and show your appreciation at Nostalgia Trigger. Thanks for reading, adventurers, and be sure to come back tomorrow at 5 PM EST to appreciate the next judge down the line!