Some time ago we started this section of interviews to get a little closer to you. So that you can get to know us better and learn a little more about the great team that works here. The first interview was for the creator and founder of the Xbox generation, today it’s the turn of another person who has been there since the beginning.
This time we will talk about Jose, the person in charge of keeping the web beautiful and visible, all the work you don’t see is in charge of him; SEO, updates, maintenance and other improvements are in charge, in addition to bringing us countless daily entries and the most biting editorials. So if you want to know a bit more about this person, keep reading because I’m sure you’ll like him. Let the show begin:
At GX we have writers from different countries, so briefly introduce yourself
Well, my name is Jose Ángel Martínez (it’s in my ticket signature, yes) and I’m from Cordoba, Andalusia. On the web I hold the position of webmaster and administrator. I take care of a bit of everything, but mostly the technical part, and that includes serving ads, loading, visual part, search engine optimization and anything that improves team workflows in GX. I’m the first one they look for if the site goes down, and the one they blame if visits go down. So you can imagine my mental stress.
Do you have any nicknames on the Xbox Generation site or do they respect you?
HAHAHA. Yes not bad. I don’t know if I should say them all or not, but the one that makes me laugh the most is “El humble”, because deep down I always pass on the joke of being the best in almost everything. I can’t stand fake humility, so when I do something good, I go to the newsroom to troll.
Normally, those who have known me for a long time call me JIN, it’s a nickname I inherited from my foreign scene years ago. In fact, it can still be seen on my Twitter username. And if they respect me… I would say be serious, yes, but all my colleagues love to troll me. In general, I think there is a very healthy environment within the current editorial staff and we all respect each other, or so I like to think. There is no one in charge of anyone, just people with different functions.
When and how did you start in the world of video games? What was your first console?
My first console was a MegaDrive, I’ve always been “follow“. I think almost every grey-haired Xboxer came from Sega at some point. Or at least most. Well, I’m lying, my first console was a “Terminator” which was a Chinese clone that cost me 5,000 pesetas and brought 800 levels of various popular games like Super Mario or Sonic.
Where does your passion for writing or for video games come from?
For years, I think I lost count of the exact date. But I’ve been doing this for over 16 years. I started on different forums dedicated to Xbox because at the time I had the 360 and it was my favorite console.
Before there was no Twitter or movements like that, the forums “shared the cod” and it was very cool to receive feedback when you were writing news, healthier debates formed than today, or whether you were writing your analysis. In fact, I still have press copies of some of the sites where I worked.
How did you spend your time before being part of digital magazines?
Well, I was producing electronic music at home. I love it and I still love it, even if I don’t have time for it anymore. Then I registered on the forums and one thing leading to another…
Now that we’ve moved on to the magazine part… How did you decide to join the Xbox generation? Were you already part of Solo Xbox One?
Yes, I think of those that exist now, I am the oldest after Adrián, who founded the web. I started collaborating with SoloXboxOne, that’s what we called ourselves. And I entered because I wanted to open a Windows (sic) blog and Adrián, who at the time was already a good friend whom I met thanks to Xbox 360 and Fable, sent me a private message and said to try his website first.
I had no idea how an online magazine worked, but I liked the idea so much that I started learning about the internal “guts” of a website and that led me to develop myself. Thanks to my coming here, I learned a lot about SEO, web development, programming, etc. Think that before I started the Xbox generation, I was a telemarketer. Obviously this was possible thanks to the fact that Boxforever (its nickname for our foreign scene) gave me the opportunity to try and investigate, says it all. For me, it was a perfect test bed.
What triggered this process of switching from one magazine to another?
Well, here we must qualify, it was not a change of magazine, rather of brand. One evening we organized a meeting seeing that Microsoft was going to present new consoles and we did not know what the final name of “Project Scorpio” would be. It was 2016 and we were Pedro, Víctor, Adrián, Carlos and César. We realized that being called “Xbox One Only” limited us to the name of a single console and that this risked losing all its meaning with the arrival of new machines; Now imagine there is an Xbox Series, would we be SoloXboxSeriesX.com?
So with that in mind we made reflection of ideas, some names were laughable, I remember one: XboxUniversal ScorpioProject and stuff like that… The Generation thing came later, since Microsoft assured that there would be no generations on Xbox. So in subsequent meetings we chose Xbox Generation as the name and bet to talk about Windows/PC as well. Then César made us the initial logo and that’s it; In fact, it was very difficult for us to change the current one because of the love we have for it.
Since the band keeps growing and you’ve been there since the beginning, do you miss some of those who are no longer part of the team?
Well, even though there are people who didn’t start out in the best way, I could tell you that pretty much everyone. Rare is the day I don’t remember someone, usually for the better. Some more than others, of course. Know? Part of my job is to fix old content and decide whether or not to continue indexing it, and sometimes I see amazing texts, from people who are no longer here or who are on another site.
If you ask me for names, I’ll tell you two: César, who is unfortunately no longer with us, and Elodie, who works on set. Of course, there are many more, but they are usually the first ones that almost always come to mind.
The relationship in the team is good, but there is always someone who stands out from the others. Who is your real “love” of the web? I am told through the earpiece that there is a Galician who sets the bar very high.
They told you wrong hehe. It’s Adrian. No one can compete with him, he thinks we were already “virtual” friends before working together here. My uncle traveled 900 kilometers every two years to see me. He is like a brother to me.
Interviewer’s note: I’m that Galician, he didn’t give me a game in this question, what a boring guy.
You are a loyal Windows lover. How does it feel to be the only one on the web writing about this topic? I don’t think anyone else is interested.
Well, someone has to. It’s one of the most visited categories on the web, and as we say in my country: “Sarna with pleasure, it doesn’t scratch”.
We feel that it is he who controls the visits…
Continuing with your fetishes, we also know that you have a great devotion to Japanese UwU games. Although few shipments of these have arrived on Xbox lately, it seems that this trend is changing, what do you think?
A few years ago I would have told you that if you are a fan of Japanese games and only bet on Xbox, you are buying the wrong thing. Today the picture is very different, which I think more or less has to happen is happening. I can never have too many games, the more the better, even if I can’t play them all. A gaming platform is defined by its ability to offer variety.
Do you think this year will be “the year of the Xbox”? Can we say “now yes”? At least admit that no one saw it coming with Hi-Fi Rush and that was just the beginning.
I’m very picky about Xbox releases because he thinks I’ve been covering the news for 15 years, and I already know his “VERY EXITTED”… To be honest, I don’t believe in this “this is the year of… “I think it’s going to be a good year for Xbox and that’s what we should appreciate as gamers. If it’s good or bad in general, the rest are competitions that don’t get us anywhere. I believe Microsoft needs to work a lot, and with what’s on the horizon, at least I’m not completely satisfied.
Of course, that’s a very personal opinion, but it takes more than a Forza and a Starfield to beat me. Hi-Fi Rush was a surprise, and I think it’s the way to go, not just for the brand, but for Game Pass in general.
A GOTY 2023 candidate who is already in your pools?
Well, from what we’ve seen, I’d say Starfield, but of course it’s February and it’s early. These great games of 2023 are coming from everywhere, not just Microsoft.
I think it’s time to say goodbye, we’re going to close the interview with something a little more personal, tell us what hobbies you also have video games.
I like to invent. I spend many hours in front of a PC, whether for work or as a hobby. For example, I’m working on a personal non-profit project which is a web application to help prevent bullying at school, I’ve half done it and do it from time to time.
I also watch anime and series, and I play chess from time to time. But what I like the most and where I invest the most is eating out; I like to try all kinds of flavors.
So far our second interview in this section, now you know our creator a little better and Now you know more about José, the person responsible for making the web work perfectly. Soon I will be in charge of catching the next victim, and as we told you from the beginning, no one will be able to escape.
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