Matthew Edward Hawkins

video game culturalist and lost media archivist

Matthew Edward Hawkins

video game culturalist and lost media archivist

The bulk of my career is directly tied to video games, which has accounted for a wide range of roles and responsibilities. As a developer, I was Lead Designer at Ubisoft New York and was involved in projects for the PlayStation 1 & 2, original Xbox, and Game Boy Advance. Afterward, I co-founded PixelJump, a pre-iPhone mobile dev consultancy; clients included NBCUniversal, Paramount, Sony Classics, Warner Bros, and Miramax.

I’ve also been heavily involved in journalism, having covered the subject as a whole from a wide variety of angles and for an equally diverse cross-section of audiences. Bylines include Kotaku, NBC News, MTV News, Nickelodeon Magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Siliconera, Gamasutra, and GameSetWatch to name a few. My unique voice even led me to be acknowledged as “the Harvey Pekar of video game journalism”.

As a reporter, my area of expertise would become game culture, and when combined with my previous background as a cartoonist, I would ultimately curate game art exhibitions across North America; collaborators include Giant Robot, Fangamer, Babycastles, Toronto International Film Festival, NYU Game Center, and First Second Books.

I’ve also discussed the topic at conferences and conventions, including IndieCade, Penny Arcade Expo, New York Comic Con, Toronto Comics Arts Festival, New York Anime Festival, and Anime NYC. Said curatorial efforts, specifically the challenges involved in isolating and preserving ephemera related to game culture would eventually lead me towards obtaining a MSLIS.

But in addition to becoming a certified video game cultralist, I also have an interest in lost media, specifically New York City cable access. In recent years I have begun archiving said materials, as well as showcasing them via both in person & virtual screenings.