Scott C. Jones
Encyclopedia
Scott Jones is a writer and television personality who is focused primarily on video games and technology.
, New York and grew up in a small town near Oneida Lake called Blossvale. He attended Camden Senior High School, Camden, New York, earning a High School diploma, focusing primarily on English literature.
After high school, he attended Hamilton College, in Clinton, New York, where he majored in creative writing and minored in studio art. Later, he earned an MFA from Syracuse University
, Syracuse
, New York.
He moved to New York City in the 1990s, where he held a series of odd jobs, including a stint as a writer of erotic material.
era. Despite forays into football (12 years) and poetry (M.F.A., three years), Jones has never stopped haunting game stores and studying screenshots in all the latest videogame magazines and on websites. During a five-year digression at a men's sophisticate magazine in the late 1990s, Scott began quietly writing game reviews for GameCritics.com on his lunch hour.
After finally parting ways with the men's sophisticate world, Jones began filing game reviews and game-centric editorials for Maxim and Stuffs websites on a freelance basis.
Jones was the first editorial hire at the now-defunct New York-based 2007 start-up, Crispy Gamer
, where he worked as a Senior Writer. He pioneered several series, including "Intern For A Day," where he would visit game developers and work as their intern, as well as "The Internet's Fastest Game Reviews," which he co-produced with colleague John Teti.
, Sports Illustrated for Kids
, USA Weekend
, Esquire
, The New York Times
, GameDaily
, Blender
, The A.V. Club
and Time Out New York, among others. He primarily considers himself a writer, though in recent years, he has made several forays into television.
, Fox 5 News, in the U.S. and on Urban Rush
, and Breakfast Television
in Canada.
Jones relocated to Vancouver
, British Columbia
in 2009 to work with television personality Victor Lucas. He currently hosts Reviews on the Run
, which airs daily across Canada, with Victor Lucas, reviewing theatrical releases, video games, Blu-rays and portable video games.
Jones also occasionally co-hosts special editions of Electric Playground with Victor Lucas
as well.
Reviews on the Run began airing five days a week in early 2010 on City TV and G4 Tech TV.
for the first time at an E3 event in 2005, he praised Lucas for the work he was doing on The Electric Playground
, then jokingly added that he "needed to fire his co-host."
Since taking over for Tallarico full time in March of 2010, whenever Tallarico's name is mentioned on Reviews on the Run, Jones has responded with the word: "Who?"
In April 2011, during an interview for the Vancouver-based TV show, Urban Rush, Tallarico stated (about Jones) that Lucas has "finally found someone with a larger head than Lucas's."
On October 30th, 2011, Scott Jones had reviewed Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
for the The A.V. Club
. He gave the game a "C" on an A-F grade scale which was received with much criticism. His review had received over 1200 responses in 24 hours.
Early life
Jones was born in OneidaOneida
- Native American/First Nations :* Oneida people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy* Oneida language* Oneida Indian Nation, based in New York...
, New York and grew up in a small town near Oneida Lake called Blossvale. He attended Camden Senior High School, Camden, New York, earning a High School diploma, focusing primarily on English literature.
After high school, he attended Hamilton College, in Clinton, New York, where he majored in creative writing and minored in studio art. Later, he earned an MFA from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, New York.
He moved to New York City in the 1990s, where he held a series of odd jobs, including a stint as a writer of erotic material.
Gaming Influences
Jones has been a fan of video games since the Atari 2600Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
era. Despite forays into football (12 years) and poetry (M.F.A., three years), Jones has never stopped haunting game stores and studying screenshots in all the latest videogame magazines and on websites. During a five-year digression at a men's sophisticate magazine in the late 1990s, Scott began quietly writing game reviews for GameCritics.com on his lunch hour.
After finally parting ways with the men's sophisticate world, Jones began filing game reviews and game-centric editorials for Maxim and Stuffs websites on a freelance basis.
Jones was the first editorial hire at the now-defunct New York-based 2007 start-up, Crispy Gamer
Crispy Gamer
Crispy Gamer is an independent video game focused site that features general coverage, commentary, reviews, comics, and videos about video games and video game culture.- History and Foundation :...
, where he worked as a Senior Writer. He pioneered several series, including "Intern For A Day," where he would visit game developers and work as their intern, as well as "The Internet's Fastest Game Reviews," which he co-produced with colleague John Teti.
Writing career
Jones has written for PlayboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, Sports Illustrated for Kids
Sports Illustrated for Kids
Sports Illustrated Kids is a monthly spin-off of the weekly U.S. sports magazine Sports Illustrated. SI Kids was launched in January 1989 and includes sports coverage with less vocabulary and emphasis on humor...
, USA Weekend
USA Weekend
USA Weekend is a national publication distributed through more than 800+ newspapers in the United States. It reaches 47 million readers in 22.6 million households every weekend. Awarded for its journalism and design, USA WEEKEND focuses on social issues, entertainment, health, food and travel....
, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
, Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
, The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
and Time Out New York, among others. He primarily considers himself a writer, though in recent years, he has made several forays into television.
Television career
Around 2005 Jones began making regular appearances on the CW 11 Morning News in New York City as a video game expert, sometimes with fellow writer Evan Narcisse. He has since appeared on CNNCNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Fox 5 News, in the U.S. and on Urban Rush
Urban Rush
Urban Rush is a Canadian entertainment talk show based out of Vancouver, British Columbia and is hosted by Fiona Forbes and Michael Eckford...
, and Breakfast Television
Breakfast Television
Breakfast Television is a Canadian morning news and entertainment program which airs on the Citytv stations . Each station produces its own local edition of Breakfast Television....
in Canada.
Jones relocated to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in 2009 to work with television personality Victor Lucas. He currently hosts Reviews on the Run
Reviews on the Run
Reviews on the Run and "Reviews on the Rock" in the earlier seasons of the Electric Playground is a video game review TV show hosted by Victor Lucas and Scott C. Jones . The show is produced by Lucas' company Greedy Productions...
, which airs daily across Canada, with Victor Lucas, reviewing theatrical releases, video games, Blu-rays and portable video games.
Jones also occasionally co-hosts special editions of Electric Playground with Victor Lucas
Victor Lucas
Victor "Vic" Lucas is a Canadian television producer and personality, mainly known as the creator, executive producer, writer, co-host and director of the television program The Electric Playground. He is also the creator, executive producer, and co-host of Reviews on the Run; the show was known...
as well.
Reviews on the Run began airing five days a week in early 2010 on City TV and G4 Tech TV.
Reputation
Jones has a reputation for being curmudgeonly, in part because he routinely hands out lower scores for games than Victor Lucas does on Reviews on the Run. Jones isn't comfortable with his reputation: "I hate my reputation. I don’t want to be the guy who hates everything. That’s not me. That’s not what I’m doing. I mean, I think if you watch the show regularly I don’t hate everything it’s just that Victor is generally more fond of things than I am."Controversy
On several occasions Jones has publicly stated in interviews that when he met Victor LucasVictor Lucas
Victor "Vic" Lucas is a Canadian television producer and personality, mainly known as the creator, executive producer, writer, co-host and director of the television program The Electric Playground. He is also the creator, executive producer, and co-host of Reviews on the Run; the show was known...
for the first time at an E3 event in 2005, he praised Lucas for the work he was doing on The Electric Playground
The Electric Playground
The Electric Playground is a daily news television show on the cable TV network G4 that covers movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets...
, then jokingly added that he "needed to fire his co-host."
Since taking over for Tallarico full time in March of 2010, whenever Tallarico's name is mentioned on Reviews on the Run, Jones has responded with the word: "Who?"
In April 2011, during an interview for the Vancouver-based TV show, Urban Rush, Tallarico stated (about Jones) that Lucas has "finally found someone with a larger head than Lucas's."
On October 30th, 2011, Scott Jones had reviewed Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is the third game in the Uncharted series, created by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 3, and was released in North America on November 1, 2011, Europe on November 2, 2011 and Australia on November 3, 2011. It is the sequel to 2009's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It was...
for the The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
. He gave the game a "C" on an A-F grade scale which was received with much criticism. His review had received over 1200 responses in 24 hours.