James

VP of Development

Before bustin’ in at Red 5, James served as a Program Manager on the Core Software Services team for Xbox at Microsoft.

In this role, he led the design and implementation of many of the consumer facing features for Xbox Live where one of his lasting contributions was the creation of the term “Gamertag.” Later, James moved over as part of the initial software planning team for Xbox 360 where he was instrumental in kicking off the international design process for the world acclaimed Xbox Dashboard. He also led the vision for many console defining features such as the Xbox guide button and guide, the Xbox Dashboard, and his personal favorite, being able to turn the console on or off without leaving the comfort of your couch.

James holds both a BS in Computer Science and Engineering and a Game Development Certificate from the University of Washington. In his spare time he philosophizes over the gravitational pull of the Earth and ways to improve thermal dye sublimation technologies.

Q: When you were ten years old, what did you want to grow up to be?
A: When I was 10 I had a lot of dreams. One was to make it in the movies. I have always been amazed by the massive amount of creativity and organization that goes into producing a feature film. After starring in many major homemade motion pictures I decided it was time to step it up and be an extra in an actual film. This led me to being lost in a crowd in “Homer and Eddie” and sitting on a picnic bench sipping an empty Orange Crush popcan in “Frozen Assets” a movie about a sperm bank. Yeah!

Another dream I had was to start a company. After much planning and the best negotiating skills a 10-year old could muster up, I convinced my grandmother to invest in my up-and-coming button-making business, MacButtons. Within 2 weeks I had repaid my equipment loan and was already looking at purchasing more serious button-making equipment. At 13, I decided to upgrade to a silk-screening company. After buying my first 4-color, 4-station Hopkins silk-screening press, I opened my doors as DynamicTees. Good times.

Q: Favorite moment in gaming history?
A: Honestly, there have been many memory-building moments in gaming history for me. Certain game or console releases, announcements or even moments within games have all created special memories. Perhaps the most special moment in gaming history, for me, was the opening of the launch party event for the Xbox 360. We were standing outside an airplane hanger in the middle of the Mojave Desert watching the countdown for the launch. I was surrounded by 2,000+ passionate, enthusiastic, and hardcore gamers from all over the globe, ecstatic to be among the first in the world to get to play all of the launch titles and several unreleased games as well. Everyone who worked on the console experienced this special moment as well. I’ll forever remember watching the hanger doors slide open to reveal a hanger packed full of consoles and entertainment goodness…the shouts and screams of the thousands around me created a huge rush as we welcomed in a new generation for console gaming.

Q: Eggs-scrambled or fried?
A: I prefer over-medium. A little bit of tasty goodness without the slime.