In recent weeks we've spoken to a number of people with an exceptional passion for gaming, with that dedication centred on Nintendo. Isaiah TriForce Johnson's love of Nintendo is well known, as many will recognise him for the fact he's been first in line to multiple major launches in the U.S., all while wearing a Power Glove. His immense queuing skills rival even the most determined patron that England has to offer.
Yet there's much more to Johnson than simply being the man in line, with plenty to learn beyond the official images of him shaking hands with Reggie Fils-Aime as he receives the latest major Nintendo system before anyone else in the world, as was the case most recently with Wii U. For Johnson, Nintendo and gaming as a whole isn't simply a hobby, it's a life, and he's forged a career through his own business, "Empire Arcadia". The company is best known for its successes in competitive gaming (eSports) and a disputed representation in a recent documentary, and it's formed with a core team whose lives are entirely centred around games.
In fact, there's even more than that to Isaiah TriForce Johnson. He holds many world records, is on first-name terms with Fils-Aime and other Nintendo employees, and has an intriguing tale to tell about how video games became the centre of his life, and why that mattered.
We caught up with Johnson to talk about all of these topics.
To start off, please tell us a little bit about yourself. What are your earliest gaming memories?
My name is Isaiah TriForce Johnson, I’m a Jamaican raised in the Bronx of New York. I was born a gamer as most of us are and my earliest memories of gaming was growing up in the arcades of White Plains Road from 242nd street to Allerton Avenue. I played some of the best arcades that was ever made during the early '80s from the vector arcade of Star Wars up to Vs. Super Mario Bros. and more.
What is the story behind the Power Glove? How did it become such an important part of your persona?
The story of how I came across the power glove is very long and in depth. I’ll try to shorten it as much as possible. In the early '80s I was a part of a gaming group called Video Land. For us Video Land was not the same as the one found in Captain N and the Gamemaster but the area that we lived in that had a whole bunch of arcade games and video game stores that use to sell NES and Sega Master Systems.
For us just going around to arcades and packing bags at the supermarket to make enough money to buy the new video game system for our home consoles was the life that we had outside of going to school. Video games kept us off the streets, literally. Thanks Nintendo! Furthermore the leader of our community was our game master that we called Kevin. Ironic isn’t it? Eventually Kevin’s passion in gaming dwindled and he focused more on other personal things in his life and he passed the leadership down to me.
In '91 he gave me his Nintendo Power Glove and told me that I was the new Game Master and that I was obligated to wear it whenever representing video games, and so I did. Every video game tournament that I went to, I wore the glove. It then became my persona as everyone would recognize me when I walked in the arcade as the Game Master of Video Land. I made it my business that we were the best gamers in the state. There was not an arcade that I would go to that I did not go and set high scores on every arcade I knew I could play. All people would see was TGM which was my acronym for “TheeGameMaster”, which is my AOL screen name till this day.
How did you originally get the TriForce nickname? Is this now your legal middle name?
The name TriForce was created for a lot of different reasons. Mainly because some of my members did not like calling me “GameMaster”. They all knew I was a huge Zelda fan and the decided to name me Zelda. That led into an argument because I was trying to explain to them that Zelda is the princess. They then switched to Link and Ganon but it just didn’t work and my friend Robert Billings then decided to call me TriForce. He said that he prefer to call me an inanimate object since I always looked at the Triforce as the most powerful item in gaming. From there it just stuck. This was around 1996 right around when Zelda: Ocarina of Time was coming out.
"For us just going around to arcades and packing bags at the supermarket to make enough money to buy the new video game system for our home consoles was the life that we had outside of going to school. Video games kept us off the streets, literally"
I was still the game master of our community “Video Land” so from that point I was known as TriForce Game Master. In 1999, I decided to take it a step further and have the name TriForce legally a part of my “FIRST” name. I didn't want to disrespect my parents by changing my first name so I added it to read “Isaiah-TriForce”. My full Legal name is Isaiah-TriForce M. Johnson, my friends and family call me TriForce. Even my dad. I asked him why does he call me TriForce instead of Isaiah and he told me that he had to respect my name, because a person’s real name is not what their parents name them but what they give to themselves.
I respect my Father to the utmost because he is the reason I am the man I am today. I do everything in my power to honor him in what I do. We’re all not perfect but I think I've done a good job despite being raised in the hood. I could have turned out to be a completely different person and I don’t mean for the better either. My dad did a great job using Nintendo to raise me but that’s another story for another time.
What is your favourite Nintendo era and why?
I would say Super NES through the Genesis but it’s really a mix between two eras. I say NES through the Super NES and SEGA Genesis. As for why? I don’t want to come off as arrogant and not answer the question but quite frankly 'til this date there is no generation in gaming which had more pound for pound godlike gaming titles on both systems to satisfy the casual and hardcore gamers' appetite than that 10-year span. 1985 to 1995? Nope… still waiting for 10 years like that.
Can you share some of your favourite all-time Nintendo games?
The Legend of Zelda series, Super Mario Bros. series and Tetris. No particular order. In fact, these are the three best gaming titles in the history of gaming. My opinion though... and I really do think my opinion accounts for a lot.
You’re known for being the master of waiting in line at the Nintendo World Store. What games/consoles have you waited in line for?
- 2003 - The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker
- 2004 - Nintendo DS
- 2006 - Nintendo Wii
- 2008 - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- 2011 - Nintendo 3DS
- 2011 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
- 2011 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
- 2011 - Super Mario 3D Land
- 2012 - Nintendo Wii U
What is your motivation for being first in line? What experience made you want to do this for the first time?
I was the first on the line for The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker at a GameStop in Rockefeller Plaza and I went to go get something to eat from Burger King and ended up being 3rd. The person who replaced me on the line as first ended up getting the Wind Waker world map parchment scroll. From that point I told myself never again would I miss the #1 spot.
What are your tactics for this? Do you have help when you need a break?
I have a team of guys from my gaming team Empire Arcadia to help me. Guys like Lance Eustache, Christopher Landon and others have helped and relieved me for about 3 to 4 hours a day so I could go home and shower, change and come back stand the line again. Without them it would have been very difficult and unhygienic for me to have done it.
What memorable things have happened during these pre-launch lines? What impact did Hurricane Sandy have on the Wii U launch?
The best part of the launches is meeting new gamers. Playing with them on my Gameboy Advance SP, Nintendo DS and 3DS. I’ve met so many wonderful people that worked at Nintendo as well. I met them so many times I sometimes felt like I was going to work. One of my most memorable experience was that the Super Mario 3D Land event where they turned Time Square into the first level of the game for the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo went in hard on that one and it was such a great way to interact with the launch. Nintendo always finds a way to engage with their community and fans. They even did a commercial about it where they put me in it. That was one experience I can’t forget since I get to watch it over and over.
As for Hurricane Sandy… she sent me home. The Mayor order everyone to get off the street and stay indoors so I didn't have much of a choice, Mayor's orders. However, although Sandy flooded downtown Manhattan and there were no trains to take there, I still walked from Crown Heights, Brooklyn all the way to Rockefeller Center to regain my spot back in line. Here is a link to the journey.
What kind of reactions do you get from passers-by when you’re waiting in line?
It’s funny the type of reactions I've gotten from people who pass me by the line after asking why am I standing out there. When I explain it to them, many of them wish me luck or ask to take a picture with me. Nothing to what I was expecting. Many of them respect the passion and did not judge me. That’s a good sign for humanity.
"I asked him (my Dad) why does he call me TriForce instead of Isaiah and he told me that he had to respect my name, because a person’s real name is not what their parents name them but what they give to themselves"
Can you tell us about your Guinness World Record? Are you officially retired from waiting in line now?
For all my efforts Guinness, Nintendo and Twin Galaxies even awarded me the Guinness World Record for being 1st for the most launch parties for Nintendo videogames, which is at 8. The Nintendo Wii U was my last launch because it was time for me to shift gears in gaming and get more involved, along with a lot of other things that was changing in my life which would leave me with not enough time to hold the line. I had originally stopped after I got the world record from Nintendo but I decided to do just one more launch and what better way to end it than on the Nintendo Wii U. Here is a link to the official award.
How long have you been involved in the competitive gaming scene?
All my life I have been a competitive gamer. Although I started casually at 4 years old, my first experience playing video games was Game & Watch Popeye and Donkey Kong because I was too young to go outside. That was around 1981 and 82 but my first arcade video game experience was in 1983 when I played Star Wars the vector arcade machine. I had to stand on a crate to play the game. I was only 5 or 6 years old at the time. I was waiting for my Dad to hurry up so we could go home and I could watch cartoons. He gave me 4 quarters to pipe me down and I decided to play and I got to level 3 in the game and some guy told me that I was really good. From that point… I took it seriously.
What hi-score records do you hold with Twin Galaxies at the moment? Are there any which you would like to regain?
I hold a lot of World Records with Twin Galaxies in conjunction with Guinness World Records. Many of them I’m still the world record holder of. The only one record that I know of that someone beat me in is Contra the arcade. I’m still #2 in the world with only 1.6 million. I lost many records but I regained most of them to date. I think I still have 30+ active 1st place records in the world.
Please tell us a little about Empire Arcadia. When did you set it up and what are it’s objectives?
Empire Arcadia is a development company that I made specifically with the intention of helping to expand the gaming culture, community and industry. I do this by harnessing the talents of the gamers in the organization including myself to create services and products from the organization to enhance our scene as a whole in gaming. There is another part to the organization that a lot of people are more familiar with and that is our competitive gaming team named after the organization “Empire Arcadia”.
I founded the organization in 2002 and I've been the CEO ever since. As of January 1st of 2014 I no longer manage the company alone. I commissioned a management company to help me share in the responsibilities of managing the organization as a whole. My new partners such as Gregory Mondesir of Lofton Global Management and Sebastian Rothwyn of Rothwyn Consulting are helping me take Empire Arcadia to the next level in professional gaming. Known as EMP for short, the organization utilizes the talents of the members in the team to service the gaming culture, community and industry. This includes promotion, marketing and advertisement in Fashion, Art, Music, Media, Education, eSports and more; not to mention winning world championships and setting world records in all the games that we’ve played competitively since 2002. I’ve set an example when founding the organization as a competitor myself, for the members who have joined Empire Arcadia to play at the highest level. Our hard work and dedication has led us to be certified by Guinness World Record as the most winning video game team in the world.
Empire Arcadia has had a few ups and downs over recent years. Can you walk us through these, and is the organisation now back on track with its fighting division?
We've only had one major downer and that is when one of our star players at the time Justin Wong left the team to join another team. That created a chain reaction of issues for the organization and his former team mates that rocked the organization. However it was a good wake up call. Since that time we've been able to bounce back and became stronger than ever now that we learned not to rely on any one player. In fact it brought us together in a more family oriented fashion for us to work together as a team and not as a one man show.
That period in the Empire has made a lot of people over look the other games that the team played and the other things that the organization does. A lot of people are not even aware that we play more than just fighting games. We had a Gears of War 2 team that won the WCG National Championships, we’ve played WOW Frozen throne competitively at Gamers Life in 2007, we have players who compete and have won at Command and Conquer, Halo 2, FIFA, Call of Duty, Yu-Gi-Oh and even Mario Kart.
Despite all of that many people remember Empire Arcadia because of our historical dominance in the Fighting Game genre and with 13 Evo World Championships, 2 of them coming from Phillip “KDZ” Atkinson and Job “Flocker” Figueroa from Evo 2013 it’s hard not to focus on that aspect of our competitive game resume. Empire Arcadia is now expanding into Hearthstone and League of Legends.
In the competitive gaming scene, which titles are currently strong-points for Empire Arcadia?
To answer the question directly: Super Smash Bros., that’s the strongest game for Empire Arcadia because of Jason “Mew2King” Zimmerman and Adam “Armada” Lindgren. I don’t like to bottle Empire Arcadia to any specific game or genre. We are strong in a lot of other games but due to certain situations it’s hard for the organization to step into other games. Gears is no longer viable and we’re missing 2 or 3 players for Call of Duty and League of Legends. Thus some of the games we want to expand in will take time for us to break into. During that time we stick to the games that have kept us relevant in eSports.
How do you feel about the way you were portrayed in the King of Chinatown documentary?
The King of Chinatown had a lot of promise for the original message that we were trying to deliver. Originally it was set to show the life of Justin Wong in his gaming team Empire Arcadia and how he started from the Arcades and went into competitive gaming to get sponsorship. The purpose of this was to show the potential eSports had so that the film would do for eSports what The King of Kong did for Donkey Kong. However the director became a fan of the competition, like many other FGC documentaries and lost all purpose to the film.
From there, with no story to work on that the director thought was going to be good enough to release the film on which I thought would have been fine, he then sought to demonize me as the villain who misguided Justin. Which makes no sense because I pushed him from a community player to a pro-player. I got him his first endorsement deal and sponsorship with Evil Controllers. Which begs the question, what did I do to him that was wrong? From there it was downhill as Justin fell short of defeating Daigo and with no ‘bad guy” to turn to in the film, I guess that is where he thought painting that picture of me being the bad guy would help turn the film around. As you can see…. It did no such thing.
Are you appearing in any more documentaries in the future? Can you tell us a little about these?
There are a couple of documentaries that I’ve worked on but I’m not sure when they will be released. One of them is Power Glove. There is another one called The King of Arcades which you can see here. The other is called The NES Club but I just feature in it I don’t know if they will add me in the final cut, but I did do an interview with them.
There is one more documentary by a film maker from TIME Magazine named Jack Schurman, he has been working on it for almost 2 years now. I’m not sure if it’s shelved or not but I know its the most in-depth coverage of my life ever. Down to the passing of my Mother.
"My favorite games currently on the 3DS is The Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds, Tetris Axis and New Super Mario Bros. 2. I like how it’s the same three [favourite] series even after so many years"
To focus on current games, what are your favourites on Wii U and 3DS?
My favorite games currently on the 3DS is The Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds, Tetris Axis and New Super Mario Bros. 2. I like how it’s the same three series even after so many years. For the Nintendo Wii U, I’m waiting on Smash Bros. 4. For now Wind Waker HD, Nintendo Land (yup after all this time) and Monster Hunter. Although I have not been on my Wii U for almost 3 months now. I've been travelling and working on the team since January of 2014. I don’t have much time to game like I would want to but that is what a 3DS if for. Nintendo to the rescue.
What do you think of what you’ve seen of the new Super Smash Bros., so far?
So far so good. Little Mac, Sonic, Mega Man. All that is left is to announce Pac-Man and we’re golden. This is going to be the game that Nintendo smacks back the industry with and also reclaim their position in competitive gaming. People forget that Nintendo was one of the pioneers of eSports. Nintendo World Championships… don’t be surprised if you see a comeback in 2015. Hint, Hint!
Aside from Smash Bros., which Nintendo games are you most looking forward to this year?
The new Zelda, Metroid and a Mario and Sonic co-op Adventure. It would be nice to get a 2 player co-op simultaneous Star Fox and a Pokémon on the Wii U. All Nintendo has to do is follow through with those games and they're good to go. A lot of the stuff they've done for the N3DS they just need to make mainstays on the Wii U. Like GOLDEN SUN!
Do you have any final messages you’d like to share with our readers?
Yes I do. Thank you for all those who have supported me and to Twin Galaxies, Guinness World Record, Most Valuable Gaming, Nintendo, Reggie Fils-Amie, The Golin Harris of Nintendo group and more. Nintendo 4 Life.
Thanks to TriForce for taking the time to speak to us.
Ninterviews are a series of interviews where we get to know interesting people with a passion for Nintendo. Please contact us if you have any suggestions for future Ninterviews. Click here to see the full series.
Comments 57
This is such a great interview. One of my favorites that we've done.
Nice to get to know more about this guy we've seen in stories before.
wow great interview and amazing team. o.s.g old school gamer.
When nintendo launch there next console ( fusion ) ? be great to se him in line again to be the first.
Cool guy. Hits many points regarding games Nintendo should work on. And yes, GOLDEN SUN for Wii U Even 3DS is fine just revive the series properly!
I remember seeing him in his spot outside the Nintendo World Store about a month before the Wii U came out. Just seemed like a guy enthusiastic about Nintendo. Then I read a news story a couple weeks later saying how he was waiting in line for the Wii U. I was amazed.
He plays Monster Hunter!!! RAWRRRR!!!!
I intended to just skim this but ended up reading the whole thing, nice article.
Nice interview! I'm ashamed to say previous to this day, I'd never head of him.
If anyone thinks he sounds arrogant, consider this: for around 30 years, all he's known is gaming. Gaming is his world. Gaming is everything to Triforce. I know. I met him at the NDS event. He's a professional gamer who doesn't play for second best. He plays to win. He wants to dominate, winning every time he picks up the controller. So he's not going to start second guessing himself. But if you read between the lines, he IS humble. Throughout this interview, Triforce is building his teammates. It's clear he cares alot about them and would rather focus on their accomplishments. When he talks about himself, he's simply being honest.
Great interview & big respect to TriForce. The Bronx is no joke, especially at the time he grew up in it. This is an area of historically very high poverty rates & very high crime. For him & others to organize a video game club, that probably prevented many from going down the wrong path is impressive. Good for you on that end & good for you again that you've made a living out of your hobby. Cheers to you, TriForce & cheers to Nintendo for providing the inspiration needed for this entire crew to succeed.
Mad respect for this dude. Second to Texas, New York is one of my fav states. The people there are cool.
This is probably my favorite interview you guys have done here!
I was surprised to see he recruited Mew2King, that's when I realized how good he must be. And seeing how good 'The Smash Brothers' documentary (with M2K) I'd love to see the whole team in action!
Monster Hunter! xD
I didn't imagine he was so involved in videogames!
Nice reading.
A guy from my era and my neck of the woods as well . I remember that arcade in allerton ave too . Totally agree with him on the greatest decade for gaming ! There hasn't been a repeat since .
Awesome interview Darren. Thank you for the good read.
One the reasons I'm also so loyal to nintendo is for the same reasons as Triforce. Video games gave me something else to do besides being in the streets.
That story about the Glove was interesting. I remember the picture with Reggie when he got the first Wii U. I had no idea he also set records.
He is right 1985 to 1995 was the true golden age of video games
I would freak out if my spot in line was replaced and the person who took it got the WInd Waker world map parchment scroll!
@vamkar
I'd change my name to Kirby! Lol!
Someone changed their name to Sony Playstation! Maybe I could change mine to Nintendo Wii U!
Very interesting article and a lot more to him than just the guy who stands in line...
This man is all kinds of cool like @agent721 had said Bronx is not a joke, but the people there are so brutally real I knew this article was going to be great! he took a hobby and made it much more avoiding him and much more others off the streets! People like him give me faith in humanity (also all this NY love is making feel proud to be a New Yorker)
Did he say he's looking forward to the new Metroid? and a Mario and Sonic co-op? He's speculating right? Because the question clearly said "this year" and not "what would you look forward to in the future...."
And no love for Armada?! he destroyed m2k with his Pit (omggggg that match was everything I had no idea pit could be used like that) he's my personal favorite player
Get him to tell reggie to convince capcom to port MH4 to the wiiu
I actually have spoken to him a few times on YouTube. He gets a lot of hate for some reason. Still, he has some of the best Street Fighter and Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 players on the planet on his team. Cool dude.
He's pretty much who I want to be when I grow up.
@Rafie
Probably cause he likes Nintendo. The hate for Nintendo on Youtube is out of control, mainly perpetrated by a few large subscriber base channels that specifically exist for the sole purpose of hating Nintendo. I've visited some of the sites, and it's unbelievable. Guys who spend their whole lives, literally, on Youtube making anti-Nintendo video propaganda and trolling Nintendo fans' channels. It's sad, really. So much hate, when gaming is supposed to be about enjoying something you love.
What a great read and insight into Triforce. Great work to everyone involved.
@JaxonH really? I'm on YouTube a lot but never noticed (besides machinma and ign which is full of idiots who think Pokemon is getting played out but buy every single CoD game out there) I'm subscribed to a bunch of Nintendo youtubers like PurpleRodri Shofu NinBuzz and tons of others and never really noticed
@siconlol
Those sites might be too small, or, they may have banned a good chunk of the perpetrators. If you're curious to know exactly what I'm referring to, just go check out the BLACKB0ND channel. I advise you now, DO NOT post. Just observe. They will follow you and troll you on Youtube if you post on their channel with anything other than Nintendo hate. There are others too, but I'm just giving you one example here. And he's a pretty big offender. He'll use extremely vulgar attacks against anyone who voices an opinion different than his own. Tries to come off rational but once you've seen him trolling Nintendo fans and basically calling anyone who enjoys Nintendo products "corporate slaves" (as well as some language I can't repeat here), you start to understand what they're all about. Everyone on Youtube knows about these people. They LIVE to hate Nintendo. He's banned on pretty much every pro Nintendo channel out there now, so it has been getting a little better. But he's got a TON of followers who aren't banned, and sends them to troll for him.
Lmao what? I thought I would never see Triforce up here. The dude is pretty well known in the FGC (Fighting game community) and he isn't liked very much at all. Not sure why though but whenever his name is brought up people just straight disrespect him. What Ralfie said was right though, his team Empire Arcadia does pretty well in tournaments.
@JaxonH Nah it has nothing to do with Nintendo. People dislike him because he's a "shady" business man that steals money and don't do enough for his team of players (Not saying this is true, just saying what most of the people in the fgc say.) I don't know exactly but the hate for him is because of his business views.
@Excep7ional
Oh ok, I was just taking a guess. I don't know anything about the guy. Sounds like you're a little more knowledgeable about the situation.
@JaxonH Do people really make Youtube channels just to bash Nintendo?...lol that's childish.
@JaxonH I just saw his videos and it was so hard to post on his channel the tropical freeze video made me cringe >.< I've never seen him before though guess I'm on the "good side" of YouTube xD
@siconlol New York all day (I'm also from NY). Love my state, especially Manhattan.
if Nintendo World was in Chicago and if I didn't have a job, I would also be "from gamemaster to first in line." I retired from competitive gaming (have many Atari world records; I am in Guinness; and will be in the video game hall of fame/museum in ottumwa iowa if they ever build it). Triforce is a great guy! this is great!
Not sure why people are calling him arrogant - people don't need to put themselves down or try and find many other people who are better at every opportunity to be humble.
I actually got to meet him at the Wii U event. Nice guy.
Great interview
I like this dude
@Rafie - He probably gets the hate for being really good at games.
That's just how some people are, they see someone having a good time while making something positive of their life, and it makes them jealous.
I never heard of this guy before, but after reading the interview he seems pretty cool. I agree that the best games came from that era of the mid eighties to mid nineties.
ive actually met this guy, living in new york and all that. i honesty didnt know he was that famous when i first met him. hes definitely a cool person to chill with. and trust me. everyone knows his name.
@Agent721 Well said. Lots of respect due to TriForce. Wonderful interview too.
I can't help but add though that, even though I'm no line expert, going home for a few hours and showering simply doesn't seem like it should be allowed. What are the official line rules?
I just want to say. What a nice guy. very nice article, to me the best I've read on Nintendo life. Good Luck in the Future Tri-Force! Since you've been published though you might have a harder time next time. It won't be me. Last time I Camped out for anything was 1979 California Angel playoff tickets lol. and......yep... I'm old
@Action51 That's envy for ya.
I don't think the best games where made in the 80's & 90's I mean there was little to compare them with so most innovation or expanding on ideas was more noticable. I am certainly of the opion that the best games where not made " last gen" But some really good game where made none the less.
A lot of crap games flew under the radar back then because magazines didn't care or couldn't cover all at once.
There is a certain saturation but I personally think that is caused by a stale view of gaming as a whole. It is still seen as a time waster rather then a story telling medium suchs as music/novels/theatre.
But there is this trend going on it seems where games need to be for the masses.
I would like to see an opera game where all cutscenses are sang and all gameplay is rythm based kinda like bit trip games and the musical stages in rayman legends.
steps of his soapbox
As for TriForce it was a nice read I liked that bit of ghetto wisdom his dad gave him regarding his name.
I am not really a fan of competative play i mean i like winning but I sure as hell don't mind losing if i had fun playing. I think he has done a great job turning his hobby into his work. He's living the good life. And yes I wish i was in his position earning my pay with games but i couldn't handle the pressure of being in a competition
@noctowl If you actually read the article, he says that he has various members of his group hold his place in line every 3 to 4 hours, so that he could clean himself up. You seriously didn't think that he would wait outside for months without moving at all, did you?
Well...
I knew the guy stood in lines waiting to pick up Nintendo consoles but I did not know he did so much other stuff.
Kudos.
Great interview. I have tons of respect for this guy. Such a dedicated fan! He has good taste in games too!
yep video games kept me in the right direction myself.
lot of things happened to my friends out in the streets, i was usually home playing games
If there were downvotes, I'm sure I'd get more than a few for this but I really can't see Johnson as an inspiration of any kind. It's not only because of his fixation on video games, because most of us that read sites like Nintendolife are focused on them, but rather because of a documentary I watched that featured Johnson as a "manager" of a Street Fighter IV player, Justin Wong. Johnson comes across as manipulative, unrealistic, and egocentric at virtually every point. He yearns so desperately for the spotlight, but lacks the skill to attain it for himself, that he becomes the ultimate coattail-rider.
The documentary is called "The King of Chinatown" and you can stream it for free on Amazon if you have a Prime membership. I believe it's also on Hulu and and likely on YouTube as well. It's worth viewing if you want to see Johnson's behavior when not being interviewed by a friendly gaming site like NL.
Argh I guess I should have read the interview before mentioning the doc. I obviously DIDN'T read the interview because after watching the documentary, I have little interest in Johnson or his point of view. Having read the question above, a softball lobbed at Johson in the gentlest, most understanding way possible, my opinion of him hasn't changed. If you watch the documentary, he equivocates and justifies his actions just as he did above. Maybe the documentary did portray him in a skewed manner, but then again his actions speak as loudly as anything else in the film. Wong may not be a nice guy, but Johnson is no shining example either.
Great article! Enjoyed reading it, turned out very interesting.
Nice read. I didn't know that Triforce had this much of a history with Nintendo and gaming as a whole. Nintendo needs to hire this guy.
Much respect to Triforce I have been following him for awhile i loved seeing his passion and his progression. "People forget that Nintendo was one of the pioneers of eSports. Nintendo World Championships" I forgot nintendo used to do that stuff i hope they make their games more competitive that is what kept me a life long fan and their amazing games.
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