You wake up in the morning use the bathroom and return back to bed for a few extra mins of R&R. Before you get settled you reach over, grab your phone from the stand and see what you missed overnight. Sound familiar? Well you're not alone.

Seems like everyone has an agenda and platform to showcase it nowadays. It use to be years ago the only way to be heard was by being part of the popular crowd. If you didn't sit at the cool kids table then your opinion wasn't worth two cents. I get it, it's empowering to voice your opinion and have friends and associates react. You're in the driver's seat and they are lining up to take a ride. Heck we all had that one friend who got their car before anyone else and we could not wait to tag along but what happens when everyone has their own car and no one to ride with? Read on...

Less than a third of posts read are from actual friends or relatives the bulk being from associates never met and shared posts. Top three categories w/o looking at my feed are: President Trump and his latest antics, 'Like or Share' if you believe in this or that and 'See what I'm doing right now'. Day or night one of these will be near the top of your news feed... guaranteed. Let me guess you are checking now. As a whole people seek validation and attention nothing wrong with that it's in our DNA. Not everyone but the masses in general. If your post reaches enough to your satisfaction they will return to your car again. On rare occasions I find myself entranced with a post someone has made repeatedly and yet the same people keep responding the same way, odd. Social media is both entertaining and suggestive, you would do well to know the difference. In a way this article could fall under one of these categories it's all about perspective.

We all have family members or relatives we shared an interest with while growing up. For me it was competition with my brother and sister. From early childhood when we played kickball with friends to family game nights the goal was to win. We never cheated or looked for an unfair advantage but instead played with a level of tenacity most could not comprehend. Even in defeat we were good natured albeit satirical at times and never bitter. It was 'always' about integrity and respect. Not sure how much of this was instilled by our parents or simply our character. I remember one night when I was 10 playing a game of 'Sorry' with my family. I had 1 piece left to make it home and got sent back repeatedly by everyone, roar! Being a Taurus and stubborn this did not sit well with me. I always had a temper but managed to channel it toward constructive habits. Still I would be lying if I said I wasn't waiting eagerly for next game to seek vengeance haha.

Fast forward over the years and we're all grown now. My brother and I have always been video game aficionados and manage to set aside time to this very day to sit and play a few hours every now and then. We go way back to the days of Atari and the game has changed much over the years but our spirit has not. Even when we go online to play random strangers our philosophy is still the same, play with integrity and respect. Yeah it blows when you are beating the crap out of someone and they quit mid-game and it doesn't count. We blow it off and move to next opponent. I can't tell you how many beat downs we've taken over the years and never once quit. Oh my current poison of choice nowadays?... Madden '17. When not online I enjoy a good game of Risk when he visits. We use to play chess for hours on end as kids and love a good strategic game.

Anyway with spouses, kids, nieces and a nephew in the mix today we still find time for family game night. It's mainly Spades, Uno and Phase 10 and an occasional app game. The competition and tenacity is still there and appears to have been passed on to the younger generation. This kindred spirit or sibling rivalry if ya call it that has served us well and driven us to reach beyond life's goals and strive for our dreams. It's formed a bond many outsiders would scratch their head at but we understand it fully. -James

Arthur I don't get it, really I don't! This mediocre cartoon from 1994 was drab at best but somehow found a resurgence in today's media. The memes are out of control and a lot of adults are upset with the mature themed content posted of him.

I will be the first to admit I'm a little behind the trending culture but this makes no sense whatsoever. What the hell is he? An aardvark, mole or what? All good it's not our place to question these social trends but rather elaborate on them. Last cartoon show around this era that flopped after a cpl of airings and later went on to make a comeback was Family Guy. My take?... These damn millennials are controlling the world haha.
-James

This Maryland based guy, Antonio O'Neil, is the truth and his fitness training company is growing at a rapid pace he's scheduled to have offices on the West Coast soon. Personal trainers have long been the norm for celebs/ athletes to get in shape for their careers but in this modern day era more and more everyday people are joining the foray. Early in the century there was Charles Atlas and his kicking sand in the scrawny kid's face on the back of comics to the Sweatin to the Oldies Richard Simmons vid tapes of the 80's to Billy Blank's
Tae Bo vids of the 90's- 00's.

All served their purposes in getting the masses in shape but it's a new era and catchy tunes and TV ads are passe. Today people want 1 on 1 personal interaction sans the glam with quick results. Most would be trainers fall off the pace quick and only the purists have longevity. Antonio O'Neil and his T-Fit company fit the mold. He's currently based on the East Coast but satellite offices are coming soon! I've had the good fortune of collaborating with Mr. O'Neil in  one of our online gaming leagues and he's shown pics and vids of before/ after results of his work.  In a word... stunning!

Rather than post numerous pics of his prodigy's I will simply link his personal Facebook page and site for all to view first hand. [Ed note. At time of article his site is still undergoing construction]. Check it out... he post live feeds almost daily on his home page. G4R is a reputable company and no one gets featured without thoroughly being checked out. He's passed with flying colors and because he's in our backyard we may enroll in his course after our summer vacation. Rates are reasonable and results are exceptional! In fact G4R has a good friend who's a model from the Mediterranean, Skevi, looking to make it big in the United States soon. She's an avid fitness person and will need a credible trainer once here. Dare we say a match made in heaven!? Haha

Contact info:
Phone: (218) 391-8375
EMail: Tony@thetfitway.com
Site: www.thetfitway.com (site under construction still)
Address: 9009 Mendenhall Rd. Columbia, MD 21045

-James

G4R caught up with Skevi Georgiou today for a quick flash interview. It's a first in a series of talented people who has graced our pages in the past. What is 'Flash Interview' ya ask? Basically we inbox or call a popular guest with 5 questions and run article within 24hrs. This Mediterranean beauty has graced our pages before and we're glad to be in her circle of friends. Here we go!

G4R: What's your profession?

Skevi:  Personal trainer/bikini competitor

G4R: What's your latest activity in the industry?

Skevi: Training with my coach Femi Billy Rose owner of 3d muscle in the UK to compete for the bikini category and working with platinum training as a personal trainer [Ed note: Billy Rose is a beast].

G4R: What's your favorite hobby when not working?

Skevi: My hobby is training myself and going for coffee with friends or alone enjoying myself

G4R: What's your favorite food?

Skevi: Favourite food is souvlakia. (Traditional food from my home country Cyprus ) its chicken cubes cooked on the grill with pitta bread , salad and yogurt . (high protein food ;-))

G4R: Where are you from?

Skevi: Im from Cyprus! A beautiful small island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea [Ed note: Cyprus... Google it or click here. Really a scenic little island]

Thanks Skevi for taking time out to get with us. We encourage all to follow her as she makes her way to United States shores to further her career.  Want to be a part of her journey? Follow her on Facebook and Twitter and tell her G4R sent ya!

-James

It's not an HBO movie or Dr. Phil episode but a real life experience that is forever logged in the annuals of my mind. Go back to 1993 or Google David Koresh and you will find one of the earliest attacks on American soil. Before the Timothy McVeigh Oklahoma incident in 1995 or the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing this knucklehead was the original American terrorist.

Why the interest in Mr. Koresh? Well me and my crew had the fortune, or misfortune, of performing for him before he went off the rails. I was in a local circuit band in the early 90's and was doing a gig in Waco, TX. The pub was called Chelsea's and we had one David Koresh in the audience recruiting people for his cult. Before he left he gave us his bizz card.

Short version of story is: We were performing live in front of a half full crowd and in between sets he approached a band member or two... Roland Zertuche and Greg Stokes. I was present too but he was more interested in my band mates. Normally we got requests from audience members to hang out and party with them after hrs but we declined this one... good thing too. Dude seemed like any other fan and we would have taken him up on offer but for some reason we declined and hung out with other fans. Wow talk about dodging a bullet!

A year or two later we heard about the infamous Waco, TX siege incident. Tbh that is as close to a cult as I want to get. The sh*t he was doing behind the scene was sickening.

-James

Did you know America's most beloved K-9 Scooby Doo and his faithful owner Shaggy partook in this ritual long before it was considered a trendy holiday!? Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers and his faithful Great Dane companion Scooby-Doo allegedly were pot heads! This was the premise for the cartoon show.

"The four teenage lead characters of Scooby-Doo were inspired by four of the main characters from the 1959-63 American television sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, with Shaggy having been derived from the character Maynard G. Krebs, as played by Bob Denver.[1] Maynard's beatnik-style goatee, general appearance, and use of the word "like" as a form of punctuation all found their way into the character of Shaggy, with the base personality of the character updated to make him a hippie rather than a beatnik" -Shaggy Rogers Wikipedia excerpt.

Here's the gist... Cartoon aired from '69- '76 and cannabis was rapidly growing during this era much like Rock-N-Roll. Hanna-Barbera had the insight to branch off on one of their projects and make a toon for the hipsters. Who knew it would catch on like wildfire among the masses!? With spooky plots and clever underlying themes masked from minors while adults still caught the irony it was an instant success.

They couldn't show them actually smoking but was allowed to show the after effects.... munchies. Hence the reason they were always hungry and downing enormous amounts of food and Scooby-snacks. Google or Wikipedia the history and you will be amazed at what you find out! Disney and Pixar are still utilizing this strategy to the day. Though not with cannabis but relative other adult themed topics. What better way to get parents and kids involved in an animation all at once?
-James

Now that we've gotten your attention let me elaborate on this challenge. Jason Henkel aka Mr. G4R this year has put up payola in the form of $100 to Super Bowl winner this season.... no entry fee required. If you are a member of G4R you are automatically entered. We've played through 4 seasons and he has won 3 out of the 4, nice! What keeps him from winning another one? He's retired for a spell and given his team to Rukia GC. Yeah she's a female gamer and can hold her own. Currently she's fighting for a wildcard spot.

Anyway I've been chatting with Jason to make sure he wants to fund this challenge and it seems he is committed. G4R and Jason go back to Madden '13 and he's been a household name ever since. The road has been rocky at times but he's come through time after time like a champ. In the beginning he was labeled a lobby player (for non Madden players it means he does whatever necessary to win) but has conformed to league rules and still laying the hammer down haha.

Once banned from sim leagues b/c of his aggressive play style he's now one of the most sought after sim members. He can run the gauntlet in any sim lg or roll up his sleeves and get nasty in a lobby game aka DMV Redzone. If you are reading this article then chances are you already have heard of him.

Most members who join a new league are unknown and the expectation is they will take a few seasons to make a serious run. Not the case here... he's expected to challenge top members the minute he joins regardless of the team he takes over. Not many guys garner that type of respect but he's earned it. Props Jason it's been a long road but you're here man. You're quickly outgrowing G4R and I'm glad you were able to roll with us. You have an open invitation anytime you want to return. Oh lil man next to him will be a terror in a cpl yrs... Henkel Jr haha.

Netflix original series 'Fuller House' seems to be a reboot of the popular Full house sitcom from the late 80's - mid 90's. I personally have not seen the show yet but the reviews seem positive. I've heard there are subtle quips about the absence of the Olsen twins and many other references to the original series. Check out this 'skit' from the Jimmy Fallon show last month featuring a cpl of cast members from the new show. I'll be binge-watching the series this wknd and have a more in depth review soon.  -James

Life is good. Hollywood is cranking out superhero movies on a yearly basis and I couldn't be happier. One particular one is called Avengers: Infinity War Pt 1. It's slated for a 2018 release. It features upward towards 60+ heroes and I can only imagine the mayhem released in this epic movie.

If you are a comic fan like myself then you've already watched the first two movies...The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron. For the true purists you have undoubtedly watched the Iron Man trilogy, The Hulk, Thor and Captain America as well. Marvel is cranking them out at a phenomenal pace and I love it. Oh they have released other blockbusters outside the Avengers genre i.e. Spider-Man, X-Men, Daredevil (now on Netflix) and recently Deadpool.

Lets not forget about Marvels counterpart DC Comics. They have a long running history of Superman and  Batman movies. Over the last decade they have rebooted the series with 'Superman: Man of Steel' and 'The Dark Knight'. The new Ant-Man movie looks promising too. They have taken a more direct route by featuring a handful of heroes on the CW network featuring Arrow, Flash and currently DC Legends of Tomorrow. It's no secret a 'Justice League' movie is in the works. Closest thing to that right now is Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice coming out next month which seems to feature a slew of DC heroes mentioned above.

-James

This seems to be our most popular feature. Not sure if it's because people can tune in to see the latest action in our camp or get a chance to see themselves featured on a world stage. At any rate it's a fan fave and far be it for us to knock it.  If you're reading this then chances are we are between streams and nothing is up at the moment. Curious as to what will be shown!? Well wonder no more as we try and give you the short gist of it.

Predominantly Madden '16 games will be aired. Franchise leagues, sim, lobby, hardcore and MUT.  Now that Super Bowl 50 has been played (sucks that Panthers lost) we will start airing other genre's from sport games to RPGs to Rated G games for our minors. We will try and have a weekly schedule posted at beginning of each wk with dates/ times of each game/ genre. For example every Monday at 8pm EST MUT will be aired with live commentary and call ins. Tues, NBA with same data, Wed, MMORPG, etc. Rinse and repeat haha you get the gist. This isn't a set schedule but just an idea.  Local members from leagues will be featured in the beginning and we will expand to national talent down the road. It's an exciting venture and we hope most will follow us as we iron out the details of this up and coming feature.

G4R will run random trial runs over the wknd and we encourage all to check page occasionally for streams. Starting Monday Feb 22, 2016 we will start our scheduled events at 8pm EST, still not sure who will get inaugural stream.... hmmm.

-James Team G4R

G4R's newest feature 'Where are they now?' debuts with this 90's rapper NonChalant aka Tanya Pointer.  Her music was a staple on the East Coast a couple decades ago and still enjoyed by many to this day. Hits like '5 O'clock' and 'Until the day' took her to the top in the rap genre and garnered her a #1 song. Her songs were from real life experiences and portrayed a powerful message.

A musician's career, much like a sport athlete, can be cut short at any time. It's not always injury/ health related but a combination of things. Trends change, personal issues come into play and ultimately a question of self worth. What good is selling your soul for 15 minutes of fame only to be haunted by it for the rest of your life? Anyway as of this writing we don't know the full story of Tanya's rise and fall, this is a 2-part story. For now enjoy the informative research our Lenora Haynes did on her. Our second installment will include a live podcast from Ms. Pointer.... stay tuned. -James.
Lenora's article

Title is not what it seems but rather about the latest shows on the CW network. We're all comic fans and love a good superhero movie. I was asked for my feedback on upcoming shows and here we go:

The Flash and Arrow are excellent shows and give an in depth insight on how heroes got their powers. I wasn't a fan of Arrow early on but came aboard after I got caught up on past seasons with NetFlix. Super Girl...well that's a whole new story and I've been watching it since day one. Originally it was going to be a movie but didn't garner enough responses and instantly went to cable TV, smart move.

First cpl of episodes were kind of weak as they tried to bring the masses up to speed on how she came to be. In a nutshell she was Superman's older cousin and sent to Earth along with him when Krypton was being destroyed. Her goal was to be his mentor as he grew up. Along the way her spaceship got knocked off course into the Phantom Zone and she miraculously emerged years later only to find her cousin Kal-El no longer needed her. Apparently in the Phantom Zone time doesn't progress. Pilot kicks off with her years younger than him and his reputation already established.

Marvel has went the way of airing movies before launching the big payola... The Avengers. They featured movies like The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America and recently Ant Man.  DC is taking a more subtle timely approach by airing its heroes on local channels I.e. The Arrow, Flash, Super Girl. etc.

Well 'Deadpool' is a free for all lol. Never was a comic/ gamer fan but I like the way they are portraying him in this movie.  -James

This guy is phenomenal and believe it or not will be a replica of many middle aged gamers down the road. Kevin Brown is an avid Madden player and I've had the good fortune of playing him in a couple of my online leagues. Most notably True 32 and Fantasy 281. A lot of us Generation X'ers are still on the sticks and loving every minute of it. He's 53 and by most gamer standards considered a grandpa. Yeah I know the first thing that comes to mind is an easy win against an old geezer but let me tell you nothing could be farther from the truth. He's whupped up on guys half his age and still going strong.

I've known Kevin for a short time but he intrigues me to no end. He's from the south and has that laid back attitude toward life's issues. Oh he's not your typical old school gamer that has no life, locked away in their basement in a fantasy world. In fact he's quite the opposite with a robust life and quite the ladies man might I add.

Kevin loves the women and most guys in his shoes would be grateful for the life he has. He's partial to the full figured women and I can respect that. Hell I like em with a little meat on the bones too! At times he's like the bad guy in WWE Wrestling but people still tune in to see what he does/ says next. Love em or hate em ya can't ignore his presence, its like watching a bad movie with a weird twist and ya can't turn away.

I had a chance to catch up with him for a quick interview and his story is remarkable... enjoy!

Interview:

G4R: How long have you've been gaming?
Kevin Brown (KB): I've been gaming since I was a tike always had Nintendo and the other games that came out so I've been playing for quite some time temco bowl etc etc

G4R: Don't think I have to ask but what's your favorite game?
KB:  All time favorite game is actually not Madden it racing love to PLAY need for speed and NASCAR games

G4R: You have a knack for drafting 'Superstar status' guys what's your secret? You don't have to tell us if you don't want to.
KB:  Drafting is a secret in which I can say this it's IN the numbers ..they tell you how smart fast and strong a player is..

G4R: What line of work are you in?
KB: I buy sale trade and repair cars Thas how I eat..

G4R: When not playing Madden what's your favorite pastime?
KB: Dancing one of favorite past times always and fire place bottle of wine and take a trip short one twice a month..always..

G4R: I can't post pics here but some of the women you have posted are beautiful. What's your preference?
KB: My preference is always been bigger girls that's just something I've been attracted to all my life even in high school mostly Caucasian female but I have dated outside of my race my entire life so and I didn't save my race if I can use that term.  Ed. note: I've dated plus size women outside my race and love em all the same. Variety is the spice of life haha.

G4R: Where are you from?
KB: Newark, NJ

G4R: Any advice to other aging men following in your footsteps?
KB: My advice to any man or persons would be to care for your temple..not to much TO the left or right. Try to remain even-keeled.

G4R: I love your ending comments on some of our pages... Kackle, kackle. Where did that come from?
KB: My Kackle comes from my brother..He says his wife and my sister get together in the kitchen and they sound like a bunch of kackling hens.. Kackle Kackle Kackle..

G4R: How can people contact you to join their league or even join yours?
KB: I'm gonna start a new league when the old one is over.. we are under the old system before it was updated so we're going to move on from that and re draft we are in week 15 I THINK..Yep we are.. . It's a fantasy draft so if anybody's interested. They can just contact me who you or hit me up on my page thank you for your time that's all I can give you right now.

There ya have it people, straight from the man himself. Even as I write this blog he's in a game doing his thang haha.
-James

I'll be honest normally G4R has made it a policy to stay away from these type of topics along with politics and religion. Why?... Because there is no definitive right answer only opinions. To try and sway someone to your method of thinking is not our goal and simply foolish in the grand scheme of things.

One of our staffers posted this on his personal page and it garnered so many responses we had to post it here. The majority of comments are split on this. It's been a hot topic for decades and proponents on both sides have done demonstrations for their cause. Will this debate be settled in a short blog? No... but I'll try and shed some general insight on my take on this issue.

Breast feeding is a natural action by mothers. For our readers it's a no-win argument on either end. 2 ppl can look at the exact same thing and draw two different conclusions.  What one sees as indecent exposure in a public place, another sees as a beautiful thing. On the flip side I've seen women whip out a breast and have it exposed for minutes before bringing up their child to feed. Their general response? "If ya haven't seen one before... oh well?" Again I'm not here to judge.

A mother will fight vehemently over her child and do anything to nurture him/ her.... even at the expense of others or any binding laws. Ya ever see a wild animal try and snatch an egg from a mother?... its not pretty lol. Maternal instincts come out and I salute any mother for that, wish more moms had this kind of passion for their kids. In the end its just ppl with varying opinions, nothing more nothing less. Would love to hear your comments!
-James
#BradyJ.Moryn

Gwapboy Dreadz has been laying the ish down for a min and G4R was fortunate enough to cross his path early on. He's from Jasper, AL known as Walker County but occasionally performs in Birmingham. Oh did we forget to mention his latest track Drugz is being courted for a TV/ movie show? We featured it a few weeks ago on our Music page. While conducting this interview we discovered he was part of a group called Gwap Boyz but later went solo. We've featured his collaboration before on a song, All Day My Life, featuring Gwapboy Pete (We were unable to contact him at time of this writing). G4R gets flooded with an enormous amount of music vids and have to choose a select few to post on site. Most have either potential or talent but rarely both. We've struck gold with this guy!

G4R has interviewed numerous artists across the globe and are especially excited when we come across  new talent. Nothing like getting insight on the next new trend haha. As mentioned earlier Dreadz is from AL and not a lot of notoriety comes from there social media wise. One reason may be b/c they're only a stone's throw away from Atlanta. Why mention the ATL? When ya think of Atlanta entertainment... Ludicrous, Outkast and Kat Williams come to mind. Rightfully so they are legends of the game and help put that state on the map. However new legends and icons are formed when least expected in any given place.... enter Gwapboy Dreadz! His sound is refreshingly different and just what the public needs. He still resides in AL and from what we can see will take Bama from a football state to a music one.

G4R caught up with this young and talented artist for an interview!

G4R: What's the name of group and where are you from?
Gwapboy Dreadz (GWD): "I am a solo artist carry the name Gwapboy Dreadz and im from jasper Al known as Walker County"
G4R: Wow my mistake I thought you were in a group, how long have you been at this?
GWD: "I been workin and listenin to music all my life. Music is a passion but the last few years I been tryin to really pursue it and make it my career"
G4R: I can respect that, I'm an ex-musician. Who is your favorite current artist?
GWD: My current favorite artist is gucci mane and lil boosie
G4R: Tell us about your latest TV/ Movie soundtrack deal?
GWD: "Atrist pr.com (Artistpr.com correction by ed.) reach out to me and wont to put my lastest single in a tv show and a movie its gne be a great move"
G4R: What advice can you give to up and coming artists wishing to follow in your footsteps?
GWD:  "My advice to people is never give up on your dream just because you think dnt nobody like your music its a whole world out there they mite like it and always put god first"
G4R: What's it like living in the ATL?
GWD: "I really dnt live in atl i travel there alot to meet different people and i like they style of music they got goin on thats what made me produce the Drugz track like i did"

Team G4R has been at this for awhile and know a diamond in the rough when we see one. It's awesome to say "I knew that guy before he was famous".

-James

G4R is glad to feature our latest guest member Daniel Sebastian Bäsel! He's been a gamer for years and has a successful You Tube podcast channel. He runs a nightly show and from what we can tell responds to everyone who posts a question while on the air. It's awesome to hear your name/ question answered on a major podcast! The days of live gaming streams by giants IGN, GameInformer and EA are slowly fading as the #1 source for gaming entertainment. Social media has enabled a new wave of talent to step into the spotlight... enter Daniel Sebastian Bäsel. Links to all of his media channels will be posted at end of article.

Daniel is an avid gamer and has been at this for many years. Much like any aspiring gamer/ writer he's had to endure many trial and error runs before he found a formula that works. Believe me, G4R has been down this road many times. His personality is gamer friendly for all ages. G4R got a chance to catch up with him and do a quick interview, check it out!

Interview:
G4R: Are you a family man? I.e. wife and kids?
DSB: I am a family man indeed. My fiance and I have a 4 year old boy who I am trying to expose to as many sports as possible.

G4R: What part of the country are you from?
DSB: I am actually originally from Germany. Born and raised in Dortmund/Germany, I grew up playing Soccer and Basketball. I moved to the United States when I was 16 years old and spent the next 8 years in Portland, OR until I moved to California in 2006. I now reside in the Bay Area just outside of Oakland.

G4R: What's your favorite game?
DSB: My favorite game historically and growing up was FIFA. That, however has changed the last few years as I have really fallen in love with Baseball and the MLB The Show series. NBA 2K is always in the mix as well and this year Madden has made a triumphant return in my daily rotation. I hate to dance around the answer but 2015 was really tough for me to crown a favorite game and I honestly enjot them all for different reasons.

G4R: How can gamers follow/ contact you?
DSB: Best way to directly get in touch with me is probably to just pop into the Youtube stream one day and say Hi. I stream daily for a minumum of 2 hours from 7:30-9:30 EST at www.youtube.com/UberYouTuber
Additionally you can always hit me up on Twitter @danielbaesel or on the UberYouTuber Facebook page at www.facebook.com/UberYouTuber
I try to respond to every single question/comment and look forward to seeing you guys there!

G4R: What advice can you give aspiring gamers/ bloggers/ podcasters wishing to start a career in this field?
DSB: The best advice I could honestly give is to be consistent, persistent and understand that no matter what you would like to do in this industry, it most likely won't happen overnight. Just like most things in life, never give up on your dream and don't let naysayers or negativity get the best of you to the point where you give up. Whether you are an aspiring Writer, YouTuber, Blogger or Streamer just have a vision and set goals for yourself. Set small goals such as "having 20 subscribers" or "5 people in stream" or "10 shared articles" and go from there. Goals are important for anyone trying to accomplish their ultimate goal.

G4R: What was your biggest setback in your journey to this point?
DSB: Not having a plan in the beginning was probably the biggest issue. I knew I wanted to do something in this industry having played any and all sports games since the mid 90's but wasn't quite sure how it would materialize. I knew that I enjoyed writing and felt that could be an outlet for me to voice my ideas and opinions. So I found a home with Sports Gamers Online as a writer but I also was craving a way to interact with fellow gamers in real time which ultimately led me to stream. The plan ultimately formed by me trying different things and ways to get involved but it sure was a bit of a struggle to find my way at first.

He does much more than Madden and if interested in contacting him or getting a game in that may be featured on his channel, here's how:

Daniel Sebastian Bäsel Social Channels:
Facebook: UberYouTuber
Twitter: @danielbaesel
YouTube: UberYouTuber

-James

G4R is starting '16 with a bang! Fan activities will be monitored closely and they will be rewarded for their participation. No it's not like 'Big Brother' watching you but rather a 'Thank you' for being a part of our team. We will be incorporating new features and apps and here is one example to give you an idea of what we will be doing.

Member participation was a little low last week but we will chalk it up to most being away for the holidays.  All good, ya now have an idea of how we will be rating this particular feature. -James

NFL Madden is a multi billion dollar industry and their online franchise mode only enhances the experience. It's the next best thing to playing on the gridiron next to your favorite stars. Every successful company, business or corporation has to have a leader and that role falls under commissioner in Madden. The NFL only has one, Roger Goodell, fortunately Madden can have multiple ones. This title ultimately determines if your league will be enduring, enjoyable or worthy of attracting new members.... in a word successful.

There are a ton of great players in Madden and many nice leagues... the trick is to find a good balance between the two while looking for a fair/ unbiased commish. Sounds easy enough... well it's not. As head honcho you are charged with keeping lg full, handling any disputes and making quick and fair decisions. Most leagues have rules and guidelines but what happens when an incident occurs outside of regulations? What about those crazy 3am posts from members saying their opponent broke a rule? Hell let's not even get into disconnects lol.

It's a thankless job and while a few get compensated for it, the majority does not. Commishs must have the communication skills to effectively talk to members from ages 13 - 58 (that's the widest range of members I've ever dealt with) while making them feel just as important as the next guy. Yeah it's a big gap and chances are you won't be able to grasp all the lingo from this vast pool but one thing I do know... everyone respects fair/ unbiased rulings. What's fair for one member may seem like favoritism to another, no way to please everyone and in attempting to do so you please no one and come off as a weak commish. Make a choice, right or wrong, and stick with it. If wrong admit it, learn from it and move on. League will respect you more for standing behind a decision rather than flip-flopping to please the majority of lg.

In conclusion most commishs have lives outside of Madden i.e. Wife, kids, job, etc and do this for pure enjoyment. They go the extra mile to organize grown men (for the most part) in a structured organization for the pleasure of others. So the next time you want to bash a commish for a call ya think is unfair... step back a sec and think of what they are sacrificing for you and other members and re-read this article. Yeah there are some bad commishs out there but for the lgs that have good ones!?.... stick with them, trust me. Notable commissioners mention are: Teflon Liza, Anthony Lopez, Justin McKay, Brian James, MA Singleton, Tony Hampton. Can't mention everyone due to space but these guys won't steer ya wrong in any league.
-James (G4R)

Never judge a man til ya walk a mile in his shoes.... truer words have never been spoken. All good G4R fam this is a feature I thought up and wanna give it a test run soon. Basically we will be selecting a member once a week to have full commish powers to be included in our decision making process. You won't be the sole commish but added to our staff temporarily. To enhance the experience we will give you the opportunity to make tie-breaking decisions when we are on the fence about an issue.... believe me we have one nearly every night lol.

Certain members will be omitted b/c they already help run other leagues... roughly about 1/8 of members or 4 or 5 people. They get it and need no help understanding the plight of running a lg smoothly. The purpose of this is to bring the regular members up to speed on commish duties and it won't affect the overall outcome of major calls. You don't have to accept the invitation if we call your name but we encourage all to give it a test drive before dismissing it. Why? Well.... read the first line of this article again. I feel guys will be more apt to take a sim or overlook an in-game glitch if they have to decide the fate of the outcome from the other side. Again it's only for a wk and will be from Mon-Sun which should give ya input over 3 gms minimum. Be prepared to piss off some ppl and receive a few hate msgs but that's par for the course. Grow a thick hide and get over it lol. Who knows you could wind up as a permanent commish here or ultimately gain insight to head up your own successful league! Great training tool w/o the headaches of diving in head first alone and having a lg that crumbles after a cpl of wks.

Why encourage guys to be a commish and form their own leagues? Well history has shown in doing so we form a bond and can draw members from one another if ever a spot is needed to be filled. Not to mention the awesome tourneys that cross breeds multiple lgs! Not gonna lie if selected we may f#ck with you for awhile and let you make the tough calls but that's our way of saying welcome to the team lol. I still gotta sell the staff on this idea and if so it will kick off sometime early in Jan. Until then put your big boy pants on and start looking at situations from a 3rd point of view haha. Oh be prepared to respond to msgs throughout odd hrs of the night and make tough on the spot calls when time is limited. Cheers gents! -James (Team G4R)

The first Star Wars movie aired in 1977 and I was a 9 y/o kid seeing it live at a movie theater in Va Beach, Va. Not long after Santa brought me Star Wars action figures and a board game. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader had retracting light sabres while Han Solo and Chewbacca figures were nearly impossible to find. I dare anyone to Google that board game and try to buy it at a reasonable price today lol. Worse part of that game was being sent to the 'trash compactor'. It was like the 'Go to Jail' card on Monopoly. Fyi... there is a Monopoly version of Star Wars too.
Anyway in recognition of the new movie just released, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we're featuring this article about Star Wars and it's Christmas history or lack of in it's early stages. Article is complete with a 1977 retro commercial. Wanna see more retro Star Wars commercials?... YouTube 'Star Wars - All 1977-1978 Kenner Toy Commercials' or click here. Enjoy!
Star Wars article
-James

I'll make this short people.... the drug issues facing our communities are on our front porch. It's rare we get this solemn with a story but we felt the urge to post this vid when it impacted one of our writers. We hear it everyday on the news and social media but usually chalk it up as 'those people' problems. 'Those people' whether white, black, latino, asian or any other nationality has impacted us all. If you are reading this chances are you know someone struggling with this epidemic.

One of G4R's writers recorded this on her front porch recently and video is heart wrenching. What some may see as a drugged out thug, many see a troubled young man with little guidance in life. If you have kids or even grand kids around his age don't fool yourselves, this could easily be him/ her under certain conditions. This problem knows no boundaries. Be warned, video is meant for mature audiences.
-James

Video courtesy of Lenora Haynes

Tarzan is being rebooted and judging by the trailer it seems so-so at best. It's still early and a lot can be edited before final cut. I'm no movie critic but consider myself somewhat of a 'comic-to-movie' buff. I get it, Hollywood has to embellish a few things to get the movie to sell but any die hard geek will tell you it's important to stick close as possible to the original story line. This movie edition is about the 2nd or 3rd attempt at Edgar Rice Burroughs' iconic character not counting the animated ones. I'll hold my final review until I see the actual movie. Until then enjoy the trailer! -James