Name: Mark "MarkMan" Julio
Age: 21
Hometown: San Diego, CA

Hello digitalpress readers. My name is MarkMan. I am writing to tell you about my story.

I am a gamer. At 21 years of age my passion for the gaming industry burns brighter than ever. Ever since I was 4, I have been addicted to the world of gaming. Starting with only a trusty Nintendo Entertainment System... and evolving into the crazy world I live in now. Video games have taken a special priority in my life. How special? Please sit down and let me show you.

First let's talk about real life priorities. I am a proud father of a 2 year old girl. I currently work part time and go to college. I often find myself so busy that I can not find time to casually play games that are currently out. But just because I can't play them casually... doesn't mean I'm not hardcore.

Currently I have about 30 video game systems. Hundreds of games. Thousands of gaming magazines. A grand collection of arcade joysticks. And just about everything a fanboy would want. But those are just things.

The day Resident Evil 2 came out for the Playstation, I missed school just so I could pick up the game and play it. Headin' to the mall to be the first one there, with my dorky ass glasses and my Resident Evil shirt on... After picking it up in the morning I immediately went home and went hard to work at it. So from 11:00 a.m. to about 7 p.m. After beating the game with both Claire and Leon in one sitting. I was rather dissapointed at the ease of the game. A friend came over and I told him I was dissapointed in the difficulty of the game. It was still early so I decided to go outside to play some basketball with friends. As my luck would have it I broke my leg and ended up missing a few weeks of school. It was that bad. What did I do at home? I was cursed. So I ended up playing Resident Evil 2 over and over and over lol.

I used to love beating games as fast as I could. Metal Gear Solid? 1 day. Final Fantasy VII? 3 days. Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time? Thanksgiving Day. Oh and yes, whenever a big title came out on a school day. You know I wasn't there. In fact, all my friends knew if I was absent it wasn't cuz I was 'sick.' They would come over during lunch or after school and ring my doorbell.. As I answered the door... "What game came out today?" Now that might seem like the habits of a bad student. But I actually graduated high school rather easily and even delivered the graduation speech to my peers. It was the good times.

Fast forward to 1999. Spring Break. My first taste of truly competitive video gaming. I am a huge FAN, HUGE FAN, of the Tekken series. They had a Tekken 3 tournament there and the prize was to be a PS2 shipped to your house when the console launched! I was so excited. I put my skills to the test. It was a grueling battle held on UCSD campus. My group of friends and I immediately stood out, as we were the only high school kids there. I tried hard.... lord knows I did. But I could only manage 2nd place out of that 64 man tournament. I was depressed. But it was inspiring. It opened my eyes. People play this game on another level. And that's the road I wanted to take. I wanted to be a competitive gamer. Win tournaments. Be known as the guy that could destroy you.... so I trained. So let's go to today.

Today. I still play games regularly. When I need to write a review. Before I sleep. With my friends. Mostly with my friends. Competition is key. Games like Soul Calibur II, Tekken 4, Tekken Tag Tournament, Initial D. Games that motivate and promote competition and improvement. That's what I love. While single player experiences are exciting. They never change. Playing with others. Playing to realize your limit or realize another player's limit. The mind games. The honor. The joy of victory. The agony of defeat. That's where my passion lies.

I represent a group of people known as San Diego Tekken. As leader of this group which was formed a few years ago when Tekken 4 was first released. San Diego has the largest Tekken community in the US. At our peak we had well over 50 active players who would go to arcades and participate in local tournaments. It was that big. A large group of people, getting together for the common cause. To represent San Diego in local, state, and nationwide tournaments.

I look back at it now. I think about it a lot and I am amazed. Before Tekken 4 came out. There were about 4 hardcore Tekken players in SD. Now there are so many. We were no names. Now we are among the most known in the US. And in some parts of the world!

All this is thanks to www.tekkenzaibatsu.com . The worlds #1 resource site for all things Tekken related. Through these forums I learned, refined, and disscussed the game with the best players in the US. I was an active member in the community and it showed. I am now senior moderator at www.tekkenzaibatsu.com and helped run the Tekken portion of EVOLUTION 2003 along with TZ's webmaster Castel. EVO2003 is the world fighting game championships. With participants from all over the world and thousands of dollars in cash prizes, it is known as the pinnacle of competitive fighting gaming. The final level.

Since being bit by the competitive bug. I've given up on wanting to make myself #1. A destroyer. The head honcho. Now I am fully content with running the show. Making my area known. Running tournaments. Making things happen. That's what I'm all about.

I have run over 100 tournaments in the last 2 years. Just recently I was contacted and agreed to run a huge Soul Calibur II tournament in Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Comic-Con. I first thought it would be a small event but after learning more I found out it was the real deal! The event is being sponsored by big name companies such as Penny Arcade, Game Crazy, Pelican, McFarlane Toys etc., the list goes on and on. I'm in the big time now. Running those small 8 man local tournaments a few years ago.... I would never have known I'd be running professional tournaments now... And all I did was love competition, and strive to make my name known.

I currently write for an online video gaming site called www.vgonetwork.com. I am a staff writer and I handle all the daily news. Through them I have further developed my relationship with the video game industry. I love video games. Plain and simple. I remember there was a time where I wanted to give up games and just focus on providing for my family and daughter. But I thought... this is my calling. This is where I need to be. This is how I'll provide for my daughter. This is how I'll be there for her. Hopefully all future endeavors will become successful. Games have been good to be so far, why wouldn't they continue to be good to me? Wait... don't let me think about Resident Evil 2 again...

But yes. I am a gamer. I know not the true definition of the word. A gamer is just a title. But my meaning was this. I am someone who sees video games as my life. Not as a fan boy. But as someone who respects the industry. Someone who loves the game. Someone who wants to be a part of gaming history. That's who I am. I represent VGONetwork and SD TEKKEN.

And I'm not the only one.

I have a large group of friends who feel this way too.

So I thank you for reading. And I leave you with this final message:

Video games are a source of entertainment. Something you can share with people. While it is finally embraced now as something cool and not something looked down upon. I am finally glad that more and more people are comfortable with being a gamer. I could be no other way. I have met my friends, who are now my family, the dojo!, through games. And like interests... now we plan on starting a business within the industry... planning goals... dreaming.. putting things together.. That's the great thing... games aren't just for fun anymore. They can take you somewhere... I know I'm still here where I started.. but they've already taken me somewhere further than anything else in my life has...

Regards and thanks,

Mark "MarkMan" Julio
www.tekkenzaibatsu.com
www.vgonetwork.com