Born in the late 1970's, Thom was brought up in the diverse and politically radical West Coast town of Berkeley, California. His first exposure to video games came at the local university's student union, which boasted quite a collection of arcade machines. He was also fascinated with his friend's Nintendo Entertaiment System (NES) and Macintosh computer. Although his parents would not allow him to have a NES, he did use the family Macintosh to discover the nascent world of Mac computer gaming, although he never really was that good at Dark Castle.

After graduating from Benard Maybeck High School, Thom attended the University of California in Santa Cruz. After spending far too much time dabbling in computer science and electronic music, he graduated with a degree in linguistics in 2001. During and after college, Thom bounced around the tech industry, working such positions as technical support, quality assurance and most recently, technical writer.

Thom views video games as a legitimate art form that deserves more recognition as such. He hopes his work at GameCritics.com helps toward developing a native critical lexicon for the discussion and analysis of videogames.

Top 10 All-Time Favorites 10. Escape Velocity (MAC) 05. Championship Manager (PC) 09. Mega Man 2 (NES) 04. Final Fantasy IV (SNES) 08. Metal Gear Solid (PSX) 03. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) 07. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES) 02. Angband (MAC/PC) 06. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2) 01. World Soccer Winning Eleven 7: International Edition (PS2)

Current Favorites 05. SNK Card Fighters Clash (NGPC) 04. Resident Evil 4 (GCN) 03. Angband (PC) 02. Winning Eleven 8 (PS2) 01. Final Fantasy II (SNES)