I've written extensively about esports and gaming. My portfolio includes longform journalistic articles, beat reporting, thinkpieces, op-eds, and humor pieces, among other formats. I like stories that reach outside the esports bubble to show how competitive gaming has influenced the ways people think and live.

The samples below are a small cross section of my freelance work in this field. My work for Digiday is listed on my author page. I haven’t updated this page recently, but I’ll get around to it one of these days.

Business coverage

I talked to Super Smash Bros. professionals at three levels—elite, journeyman, and hometown hero—to write a comprehensive breakdown of the financial opportunities available to Smash competitors for Policygenius.

I’ve also covered the logistical and cultural issues preventing many Super Smash Bros. major events from turning a significant profit. This article was part of ESPN's lead-in to Genesis 5. 

Profiles

I profiled rising esports star Jack "Crush" Hoyt for ESPN Esports. The article reached the top of both major Smash subreddits and went viral on Twitter. I’ve also profiled up-and-comers such as Zain “Zain” Naghmi and Sasha “Magi” Sullivan, the first trans player to qualify for Melee’s year-end top 100 rankings.

Discovering future esports

For the Washington Post, I traced the development of competitive Mario Kart Wii and documented the “esportsification” of the game through the 2020 Mario Kart World Cup. I’m interested in exploring the subtleties that separate esports from non-esport games that are played competitively.

Hard-hitting reports

For The Nation, I wrote a detailed article outlining the exploitation of freelance workers in the esports and game industries. To create a comprehensive report, I interviewed dozens of freelancers and incorporated many of their experiences and perspectives into the piece.

Reporting in and out of the game

I think it’s important to report on important events in the world of esports, both in and out of the game. To that end, I spoke to the government of Tuvalu to learn more about the country’s licensing of the .tv top-level domain—and to discuss Tuvalu’s plans to renegotiate their deal with domain operator Verisign in 2021. See my report in the Washington Post.

Explainers

For the Washington Post, I wrote an overview of the past and potential future of the ailing real-time strategy genre—and interviewed former StarCraft II lead Tim Morten about Frost Giant, the new RTS studio he founded in collaboration with former WarCraft III campaign director Tim Campbell.

Humor pieces

My Bad Melee humor piece, “Why Your Main Sucks: Jigglypuff,” reached the top of both r/smashbros and r/ssbm.

Gameplay analysis

I occasionally write in-depth gameplay analysis, such as my breakdown of the unique Super Smash Bros. Melee doubles strategy of Mexican pros Javier "JAVI" Ruiz and Jorge "Twin" Ruiz.