The Old SwitchAroo: Gaming Retro with Mike & Jaymo

“Jaymo” has been a middle school English teacher for nearly 20 years and a nerd since birth. His favorite games include Street Fighters 2-6, Marvel Snap, and anything he can play on the Switch while walking on the treadmill. He is currently seeking publication for his young adult novel, Figments: Refugees of the Imagi Nation, which combines competitive tabletop gaming with science-fiction storytelling in a groundbreaking way that is sure to disrupt the space (whatever that means). He currently lives in Santa Clarita with his wife and two cats.

Beginning as a science-driven kid, Mike has always been deep in the nerd realm. He started gaming on Atari - he's not that old, that's just what was available - and so retro gaming has always been present in his life. More of a PC gamer, he has had forays into console gaming for things that PC gaming couldn't provide like the original Pokemon, but otherwise got most of his console exposure at friend's houses, especially Jaymo's. On PC, he's tended more towards strategy games of one kind or another rather than games that favor a single player (from Roller Coaster Tycoon and Theme Hospital to Crusader Kings II and Civ V).

An astronomer by hobby and training, Mike spent several years living in Tennessee while completing a PhD in physics before returning home to Southern California to work as an applications developer managing access to astronomical data, particularly as it relates to the discovery of planets outside our solar system. On the side, he's also the editor and primary contributor to the super-real and super-serious astronomical journal Acta Prima Aprilia, characterized by its annual issues every April First.

In his free non-gaming time, he's usually either going to concerts or watching movies, and he's constantly exploring the weird edges of cinema.