ScrewAttack.com and Debasedtothis.org Present: Exclusive Interview with Nervous Nick

I heard the demands for an interview with Nick loud and clear when I posted the interview with Craig, and now I’m ready to fill the demand.

Nervous Nick is the member of ScrewAttack that nobody really hears much about. He pops in on the forum every once in a while, and we’re even treated to watching him slam his head against a wall(see the SA video about Internet trash talk). But what do we really know about the ScrewAttack enigma?

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Debaser: How did you become a ScrewAttack intern?

Nervous Nick: Well, Ben had actually been a friend of mine for a while before he even joined ScrewAttack. He told me that some guy named Craig had walked into our school broadcast class towards the end of junior year and offered the class an internship. As we all know, he and Jose took it but when Ben told me, I couldn't believe that this video game site I had heard of before was based so close to where we lived. Shortly thereafter, Ben offered to put in a good word with Craig (and at the time, Tom) to see if they could give me an internship too and, well, they did!

D: What degree will you study for in college?

NN: I'll be shooting for a B.A.

D: Do you plan to continue working for ScrewAttack post-education, or do you have a different field you’d like to try?

NN: To be honest, I'm hoping to have a different job after college, something more along the lines of what I want to do with my life. Ultimately, my dream is to start up my own production company that uses video as a ministry. But in the meantime, I plan to stick with ScrewAttack for as long as I can just because I enjoy it so much and I know that once I leave I'll never find another job like this one.

D: You are normally the last to be seen in any ScrewAttack video. Why do we so little of you? Will this change in the future?

NN: Well, when I was "officially" brought onto the site in March, I kind of underestimated how busy my summer was going to be. I had vacations, church trips, funerals, and other things to be part of that kept me from going to SA every day, but on top of that, there were a couple occasions in which SA was leaving ME behind such as the E3 trip (it basically was a matter of convincing my parents to let me go that kept me from joining them). Now that school has started and I have such a crappy schedule, it's not going to be any easier for me to go in and work, but I'm wanting to see about doing freelance work and actually coming in to work on days where I have nothing planned. I'd love to be in videos in the future and you haven't seen the last of me. Not by a longshot.

D: Craig walks in and tells you that you’ve got your own segment on whatever topic you want. What would the show be?

NN: Funny story... way back in May, I was actually working on a comparison segment that the g1s titled "Once and for All." While it never really got completed (with me constantly being away from the office and all), a nearly-completed practice episode exists at SA HQ. It hasn't been completed mostly because I didn't like how it turned out, but if I pick it up again, I'll scrap everything I did and make a new episode.

D: Explain the “Nervous Nick” title for the g1s if you don’t mind.

NN: I couldn't think of a name for myself, so back in like January or February, Jose and Ben came back from lunch and announced the then-tentative name they came up with. It kinda stuck, so here I am today as Nervous Nick!

D: What are your opinions on TheGameHeroes.com and other gaming media sites out there such as RetrowareTV, Healing Touch, Freezecracker, and even Debasedtothis.org?

NN: TheGameHeroes.com is really the only one out of those I've been to more than once. Really my only regret regarding them is not being able to get to know Tom, Liz, and Mickey before they all left. As for the other sites, I visit too many on a regular basis anyway so my apologies!

D: Do you believe that this Internet-based gaming media market will continue to thrive?

NN: Honestly, I have no idea. But as long as SA thrives, I think others will be inspired to form their own sites similar to ours.

D: Do you have a close relationship with Craig? Does it feel strange or awkward to have a close relationship with your boss?

NN: We go bowling every Wednesday after dinner. Actually, we don't. But yeah, it's a great feeling to be able to say that you can get punched in the nads by your boss and he doesn't get mad when you try to get him back!

D: I understand that you enjoy performing charity work. Tell us a little more about that.

NN: So much to say on this topic... I'll boil it down as much as I can.

The mission work you've heard mentioned on the site here and there almost always is related to my church. Over Spring Break, we've gone down to Mexico to serve the community in some form. We've repaired roofs, built entire houses, played with children whose families are imprisoned for gang involvement... really humbling stuff.

The last trip I took was less of a mission trip and more of a choir tour. Ever year, our church takes about 100 high schoolers to a major city to perform songs and, to some degree, do mission work. Since it's travel intensive, we take the occasional day off to see the sites too.

But when I get right down to it, I realize that there's a better reason to be on the earth than to play video games all day. The whole purpose of these trips is to show that God cares for his children (meaning ALL humans), but to show it through actions that can't be ignored as opposed to words that you can just slam the door shut to.

D: Do your religious views and love for gaming ever clash? I’m asking on both a personal and social level.

NN: Surprisingly, I haven't noticed any real clash between those two aspects of my life. My parents bought an NES before they got me, the firstborn, so my mom has always joked about how I listened to Tetris and Super Mario Bros. music before even being born. As much as I was practically raised on video games, I was raised even more to be a "Christ follower." This was the one thing I learned that I needed to uphold above anything else in my life, but has it forced me to avoid video games at all? Only until I was old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong. In fact, I enjoy playing some GTA IV at friends' houses and seeing how long I can survive with 5 stars!

D: Are you a console or PC gamer? Tell us a little more about Nick the gamer.

NN: I'm more of a console kind of guy. Like I said before, I was listening to video game music before I was even born. After I was born, I "played" video games by watching the recording my parents made of THEM playing Super Mario Bros. 3. Once I started playing for real, I had already learned how to get the whistle, where the coin heaven locations were, and other secrets; it was just a matter of mastering the controller. Since then, I've only ever owned Nintendo systems (the lower price plays a huge factor), but I enjoy playing on others when I get the chance. I've played some PC games before, but I haven't played a whole lot. Really I just like Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 and The Sims. I'd like to get The Sims 3 when that comes out though.

D: Charity and gaming aside, what else do you enjoy?

NN: My single biggest hobby besides those would be filmmaking. It's actually the most major common interest that got Ben and I to be such good friends. Together, we've made some pretty kick-butt projects that you'll find mostly on his YouTube account (wonder how THAT happens?). Our first one together was actually a stupid physics project I had to do about gravity, but after that, we got better. My favorite collaborative project we've done is somewhere between Diamondback (a trailer we made from scratch) and Prodigal (won Judge's Choice and State Superior in a major competition).

D: Being a part of ScrewAttack, I’m sure that the Internet surrounds you. What websites do you like to visit?

NN: Every single time I turn on my laptop, I always visit a few sites. In no order, those are: NintendoWiiFanboy.com, Youtube.com, Myspace.com, Facebook.com, and, of course, ScrewAttack.com.

D: How does it feel to be somewhat of an enigma to the g1s and to know that they are practically demanding to know more about you?

NN: "Demanding to know more about me?" That's news to me, but having just learned this, I could describe my thoughts and emotions as being loved, special, and you guys make me feel like I'm not always just some random guy!

D: Are there any g1 projects that you follow?
I heard the first episode of g1 ATTACK, but I haven't heard any other episodes. Why? Because I can't FIND the other episodes! I've just kind of been keeping an eye out for a thread for the next episode, but I haven't seen one unfortunately. I've also seen several of the Misadventures of the ScrewAttack Crew comics and thought they were... special.

D: Since Destin has already been featured in a g1 comic fighting The Punisher, what comic character would you fight?

NN: Uhh, I don't know... I've always been a big fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but to actually FIGHT them would be amazing.

D: Is there anything else you would like to say to the g1s?

NN: Not sure what all I CAN say except thanks for being fans of ScrewAttack and thanks for being fans of me! It really feels great knowing there's a community like this watching me do some of the things I do. God bless!

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My take on Nick at this point is that he’s someone with a plan. He has a very specific idea of what he wants to do with his education, and that is certainly something to respect. His heart is in the right place, and I’m certain that he will be a success if he just sticks with it. I want to thank Nick profusely for taking the time to answer these questions for me and for you.

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DebasedtoThis.org