About Vickriman
The Red Wizard of Gaming
Ever since the early 90s and the glory days of Super Mario Brothers and Final Fantasy IV, Vickriman has been a gamer. Out of all the genres of games he’s played, though, RPGs and Strategy are the top of the. Why? Both these types of games offer:
- Multiple ways to solve complex problems.
- Systems upon systems (upon systems).
- Infinite replayability
Today, these games form the basis of his YouTube, Twitch, and other social presence. But to answer the question that everyone asks …
Where Did the Name “Vickriman” Come From?
To answer this question, we have to go back to the days of MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons). These were text-based RPG games with multiplayer. Kind of like the precursor to MMOs.
My MUD of choice was Legends of Krynn, based on the Dragonlance settings. As a teenager, these classic fantasy books were my favorite way to spend the evening, and I was so excited to immerse myself in the vibrant fantasy universe online! With other people! What a concept!
Vickriman was my character’s name, and I will admit I basically sat down with the keyboard and just tried random letter combinations until I found something I liked (and wasn’t taken in the game). In Legends of Krynn, I was a mage and chose to join the Order of the Red Robes. In Dragonlance, spellcasters were separated into good (white robes), evil (black robes), and neutral (red robes) allegiances, just like Dungeons and Dragons alignments. In game, this meant Vickriman stood for neutrality with an uncompromising devotion to magic itself, in all forms.
That’s really the basis for Vickriman’s many iterations throughout the years. I began using the moniker on other platforms, in games, and more. When this YouTube channel first was formed, I decided to keep it going as the name of the channel because 1) nobody else had and 2) a red-robed wizard was a pretty cool icon!
My Philosophy of Gaming
Gaming is special for three main reasons. These are the things that I focus on in all my endeavors and what keep me interested year after year.
Self Expression
Video games give us the opportunity to build new things, experiment with different realities, and try on new personas. Gaming is the only “media” format that grows from experiencing “you.” It’s two-way, not just one. From your own Minecraft world to a custom build in Pillars of Eternity, the things you build in video games expand your creativity.
Community
Obviously, multiplayer games provide live actual cooperation or competition with human beings. But beyond that, gaming of necessity creates community as people who experience it want to share with others–pooling knowledge, sharing funny experiences, and more. This community can help people, too. I participate in Extra Life many years to raise funds for sick kids, and groups like Games Done Quick are constantly raising funds for charitable causes.
Learning
You can learn a lot from video games. I learned how rockets work–no, how they actually work with delta-V and periapses and more–from Kerbal Space Program. I learned history better from Paradox Grand Strategy games than classes because you start to understand the systems that made our current situation happen–and how they could have been different.
A game is a series of interesting choices.
Sid Meier
My Mild-Mannered Alter Ego
Who is behind the mask at Vickriman? My name is Keith. In real life, I am a marketing consultant. I work for a variety of businesses building their brands. I focus primarily on content marketing and have a particular niche in B2B marketing–especially tech.
