Level 3 (TV Series)
Encyclopedia
Level 3 is an Australian television show that focuses on video games and gaming culture. The program has aired on C31 Melbourne on Monday nights, and on TVS on Tuesday nights. Past episodes are available for viewing at the Level 3 website, as well as Level 3 links in YouTube
, Blip.tv
or Livestream
channels.
Each episode of Level 3 will usually contain two to three reviews of games based around the current generation of consoles, handhelds and recently, PC games. Sometimes, episodes will contain interviews with members of the local and international gaming industry (such as middleware developers Emergent Game Technologies, developers of the Gamebyro game engine). The show also includes people somewhat related to the industry (such as Stephen Conroy
, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy).
As well as this, other features include a focus on a specific gaming-related topic (such as the Xbox 360
Red Ring of Death) or trailers for upcoming games (such as Bioshock 2
or Modern Warfare 2). There have also been episodes dedicated to a specific gaming-related event (such as the E3 Media and Business Summit or Melbourne's eGames & Entertainment Expo).
What is unique about Level 3, compared to similar shows such as X-Play
or Good Game
, is that most of the reviews are filmed in front of a green screen, with the reviewer giving their take on the game while footage plays in the background. This has been used to create some interesting reviews. For instance, during a comparison review between Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour
, it was reviewed via the perspectives of four people – Johnny Cash
, a member of Devo
, a Chav
and the reviewer himself.
Aside from the reviews, other popular segments on the show include "Weird & Retro", a look back at some of the more weird or older aspects of gaming history.
Earlier episodes of the show featured a segment known as "Red Pill", where the hosts would compare and contrast an activity to its video game counterpart. It's been dropped in recent years due to the idea being done badly by other TV shows.
However, the biggest loss was a temporary one. Jamie left the show to participate in that years Big Brother competition. After he was evicted from the house, Jamie returned to the show. As well as that, the then Young Jamie (Jamie Galea) joined the team shortly before the year ended.
Some of these newer hosts are popular enough in their own right. The first confirmed guest host is Ash from TekTime Radio, a popular gaming and technology based show in Melbourne. He made his debut on the episode for 11 December 2008. The second guest host to be confirmed is Anna Dunne from Australian Gamer
, who debuted on the 22 January 2009 episode of the show – to talk about some of best hidden gaming gems of 2008.
Recent developments for the show also have included uploading the show onto various other channels. Following the cancellation of a Friday spot, the latest episode of the show can be found on Channel 31's site days after it airs, rather than two weeks – this being due to contractual agreements between Level 3 and Channel 31. Following the release of episodes onto Channel 31's site, the show is uploaded onto Young Jamie's and the official Level 3 YouTube Accounts. The official account hosts full episodes, while Young Jamie's hosts edited reviews or segments. As of June 2009, the move is slowly being made towards Level 3 being hosted on Blip.tv, with the collective response of Level 3 being unsatisfied with uploading to YouTube. However, this policy was reversed in 2010 with a review of Bioshock 2 going online under a new Level 3 account.
On 10 April 2009, Jamie announced he was leaving the show to be a radio host for Hype FM in Broken Hill. The next week debuted Anna in a much larger role, as well as a new PC reviewer debuted on the show – Timmay, who was one of the more prominent members of the Level 3 forums. Speaking specifically on the shows future on the 44th episode of the Level 3 Podcast, Jason mentioned how hosts such as Anna and Ash will reappear in larger roles, and the show is looking at picking up another PC reviewer, which was later revealed to be Tim Forster – best known as Level 3 forumite "Timmay".
In June 2009, some of the biggest changes occurred for Level 3. The first big change was that Level 3 would be adhering to a more 'brand'-like strategy, wherein all of the different elements of the show (such as the forums and podcast) would be much more tightly integrated within the show and would link with one another. This was confirmed on the 52nd episode of the Level 3 Podcast, in which Dale talked about and confirmed some of these elements, as well as begun linking in a discussion on E3 2009, which was alluded to in the show. Furthermore, the format of the podcast changed where instead of being a Skype conversation between Jason and Young Jamie, the format would become an in-studio recording with whomever was filming on that particular day.
As well as that, a brand-new 'alpha' version of the Level 3 website was unveiled on 6 June 2009, with confirmation of a replacement co-host, Mick Levacsics, formerly of OzBoxLive Radio and currently host of Thumbpad Radio. Mick also provides the show with reviews of sports games. On 19 June, fellow Thumbpad contributor "Serblander" debuted on Level 3, serving as the show's new retro host. The following week, fellow Thumbpad contributor Kane joined Serblander in delivering that weeks retro segment.
2009 also saw the release of the show's 150th episode – which aired on 20 November 2009. With the release of this episode, Level 3 became the longest-running television show about video games to be created and aired in Australia.
Most of the major developments of 2010 came between the halfway and closing points of the year. The cast and crew took part in Monash University's Computer Games Boot Camp event from the 3–9 July, experimenting with livestreaming - to which the entire event was livestreamed. This would later help fuel the successor to the audio podcast - a weekly video livestream, which started on the 19th of September, 2010. Since then, the livestream has become a weekly staple for the Level 3 team, allowing for greater and much looser discussion than what the show could allow. In addition, it's been an avenue to livestream games of unique or unreleased nature. Several games that were played on the livestream before their official Australian releases were Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow; and has also been host to the earliest Australian footage of Rock Band 3
keytar playing.
and LEGO
convention Brickvention.
The team also debuted a brand-new Livestream channel, powered by website Livestream, which debuted proper with a live broadcast on ANZAC Day
. The team has intended to use this new channel to not only provide more live original content, but also livestreaming of local events and as a video on demand service.
Jason O'Callaghan has remained one of the more prolific members of the Level 3 community, as known to post on a variety of popular messages boards, as well as the official Level 3 boards.
On the show though, Mick has best described himself as "The Sam Newman" to Jason's Eddie McGuire, providing great commentary as the co-host of the show. When not co-hosting, though, Mick has also provided Level 3 viewers with reviews of sports games.
Robinson best known as "The Drunken Editor", a reference to his love of drinking that somewhat does not affect his ability to cut together the show.
Specifically, Anna Dunne has remained consistent in pursuing what she likes rather than what would make her specifically employable. Since leaving school, she had insisted on studying history and the Indonesian language and working in a variety of workplaces. But by far her work at Australian Gamer and now Level 3 have fulfilled her life to the point of happiness.
, along with a copy of Grand Theft Auto 3. About 40 PS2 games later and playing Half Life 2 on the family PC, he was shown a marvelous piece of hardware by his cousin. Through the clear side panel of this beast of a machine, he saw the fluorescent coloured water flowing through the liquid cooling, the LED lights flashing and the glorious view of what PC gaming could achieve. Needless to say, Tim was in love, around a year later, on 9 January 2007, Tim had his very own, custom built PC. From that moment on, Tim has been a PC gamer, even though he still owns a PS3 and a 360. His only regret is not being a PC gamer in the glory days of PC gaming.
When Forster saw his first episode of Level 3, he saw Jason standing in a shower talking about Bioshock. After purchasing Bioshock on Jason's advice, he never missed another episode. Tim got very involved with the Level 3 community after winning tickets to the eGames expo, being the 4th person to sign up to the forums. When the call went out that Level 3 was looking for a PC games reviewer, Tim put his hand up, having no previous experience whatsoever. After a controversial first review of Dawn of War 2, Tim continues to strive to improve his reviewing skills.
from various Star Trek
series.
Taylor is also a huge retro gamer, famously declaring that he won't play anything made this century – exceptions being games like Forza Motorsport 3
or Mass Effect
. He also used to run a Gametraders
store in the suburbs of Victoria, furthering his retro love. Some say he is at his most entertaining when you speak to him after he has been awake for over 24hrs
– specifically old Atari. He also co-hosts the Weird & Retro segment of Level 3, and again, there's still some deliberation as to whether or not Aleks is either Weird or Retro.
Another fact about Aleks Svetislav is that he is also the number one Xbox Live Arcade
gamer in Australia – having the most Gamescore points from downloaded Xbox Live Arcade titles.
promotional events. Kirsty Sculler will be delivering eSports updates to the Level 3 audience, as well as provide pieces on gaming culture, and maybe even a review or two.
Jamie McDonald has been probably best known for his appearance on the 2007 season of Big Brother Australia, allowing the entire nation to fall in love with the former singing waiter from Ballarat.
with only a knife.)
But in reality, Keith Murray helps out behind the scenes by either appearing in reviews, or acquiring game footage played during reviews, and much more... and he has a Working with Children certificate.
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, Blip.tv
Blip.tv
The website Blip.tv is a platform for web series. The company offers a for the "best in original web series" and also offers a dashboard for producers of original web series to distribute and monetize their productions....
or Livestream
Livestream
Livestream, formerly known as Mogulus, is a live streaming video platform that allows users to view and broadcast video content using a camera and a computer through the internet...
channels.
Show Format
The show began, and continues to be made by gamers, for gamers. While this statement has been cheapened by obvious commercial interests using the same catchphrase, it was started as a purely community-produced program, funded by the efforts and enthusiasm of its contributors. The opinions offered on the show are unhindered by editorial bias (although the editor would like to, particularly in reference to his beloved Amigas) and is 100% independent of industry influence.Each episode of Level 3 will usually contain two to three reviews of games based around the current generation of consoles, handhelds and recently, PC games. Sometimes, episodes will contain interviews with members of the local and international gaming industry (such as middleware developers Emergent Game Technologies, developers of the Gamebyro game engine). The show also includes people somewhat related to the industry (such as Stephen Conroy
Stephen Conroy
Stephen Michael Conroy is an Australian politician and the current Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in the Gillard Ministry...
, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy).
As well as this, other features include a focus on a specific gaming-related topic (such as the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
Red Ring of Death) or trailers for upcoming games (such as Bioshock 2
BioShock 2
BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The sequel to the 2007 video game BioShock, it was released worldwide on February 9, 2010....
or Modern Warfare 2). There have also been episodes dedicated to a specific gaming-related event (such as the E3 Media and Business Summit or Melbourne's eGames & Entertainment Expo).
What is unique about Level 3, compared to similar shows such as X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
or Good Game
Good Game
Good Game is an Australian video gaming talk show television programme created by Janet Carr and Jeremy Ray currently on ABC2. It premiered on ABC on 19 September 2006...
, is that most of the reviews are filmed in front of a green screen, with the reviewer giving their take on the game while footage plays in the background. This has been used to create some interesting reviews. For instance, during a comparison review between Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour is a music video game developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. It is the fourth main entry in the Guitar Hero series...
, it was reviewed via the perspectives of four people – Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, a member of Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
, a Chav
Chav
A chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...
and the reviewer himself.
Aside from the reviews, other popular segments on the show include "Weird & Retro", a look back at some of the more weird or older aspects of gaming history.
2006
Level 3 was created by Dale Robinson (affectionately known as the Drunken Editor) and premiered in 2006. Dale, who had worked on a number of shows with Channel 31 prior to the creation of Level 3, created the show due to his long time passion for video games. Three hosts were chosen – Jason O'Callaghan (who originally covered Nintendo and Microsoft consoles), Jamie McDonald (who covered Sony consoles) and Nick (who covered PC gaming on the show).Earlier episodes of the show featured a segment known as "Red Pill", where the hosts would compare and contrast an activity to its video game counterpart. It's been dropped in recent years due to the idea being done badly by other TV shows.
2007
2007 saw a number of huge events to happen to Level 3. Nick left the show for undisclosed reasons (and since has not been heard from again), leaving little to no PC coverage on the show throughout the year. While a female host was introduced to cover PC gaming, she only had two appearances from the show and has not since appeared to date.However, the biggest loss was a temporary one. Jamie left the show to participate in that years Big Brother competition. After he was evicted from the house, Jamie returned to the show. As well as that, the then Young Jamie (Jamie Galea) joined the team shortly before the year ended.
2008
The big focus for 2008 was to expand online. While a website had been created at the end of the previous year, Jason, Dale, Mark Szilli and Young Jamie took huge strides in expanding the online presence of Level 3. This was accomplished via the creation of a forum and a weekly audio podcast. Episodes of the show were also made available on the show's site – including one that was not aired on Channel 31.2009
Where 2008 saw an expansion online, 2009 is seeing a major expansion for the show. During Episode 32 of the Level 3 Podcast, Jason quickly outlined some of the changes and additions that would be made to Level 3. These changes included more hosts to focus on more specific topics – such as gaming culture and non-gaming related topics (such as anime/manga or technology). A new PC reviewer was also being looked at. Finally, Jason confirmed that the shows opening is being tinkered around with – with new music possibly on the way and an updated intro.Some of these newer hosts are popular enough in their own right. The first confirmed guest host is Ash from TekTime Radio, a popular gaming and technology based show in Melbourne. He made his debut on the episode for 11 December 2008. The second guest host to be confirmed is Anna Dunne from Australian Gamer
Australian Gamer
Australian Gamer is a video gaming website that focuses on the gaming scene in Australia. It was created in 2005 by gaming friends Matt Burgess and Guy "Yug" Blomberg in order to give Australia a voice within the gaming world after the release of Dance Dance Revolution was cancelled in Australia;...
, who debuted on the 22 January 2009 episode of the show – to talk about some of best hidden gaming gems of 2008.
Recent developments for the show also have included uploading the show onto various other channels. Following the cancellation of a Friday spot, the latest episode of the show can be found on Channel 31's site days after it airs, rather than two weeks – this being due to contractual agreements between Level 3 and Channel 31. Following the release of episodes onto Channel 31's site, the show is uploaded onto Young Jamie's and the official Level 3 YouTube Accounts. The official account hosts full episodes, while Young Jamie's hosts edited reviews or segments. As of June 2009, the move is slowly being made towards Level 3 being hosted on Blip.tv, with the collective response of Level 3 being unsatisfied with uploading to YouTube. However, this policy was reversed in 2010 with a review of Bioshock 2 going online under a new Level 3 account.
On 10 April 2009, Jamie announced he was leaving the show to be a radio host for Hype FM in Broken Hill. The next week debuted Anna in a much larger role, as well as a new PC reviewer debuted on the show – Timmay, who was one of the more prominent members of the Level 3 forums. Speaking specifically on the shows future on the 44th episode of the Level 3 Podcast, Jason mentioned how hosts such as Anna and Ash will reappear in larger roles, and the show is looking at picking up another PC reviewer, which was later revealed to be Tim Forster – best known as Level 3 forumite "Timmay".
In June 2009, some of the biggest changes occurred for Level 3. The first big change was that Level 3 would be adhering to a more 'brand'-like strategy, wherein all of the different elements of the show (such as the forums and podcast) would be much more tightly integrated within the show and would link with one another. This was confirmed on the 52nd episode of the Level 3 Podcast, in which Dale talked about and confirmed some of these elements, as well as begun linking in a discussion on E3 2009, which was alluded to in the show. Furthermore, the format of the podcast changed where instead of being a Skype conversation between Jason and Young Jamie, the format would become an in-studio recording with whomever was filming on that particular day.
As well as that, a brand-new 'alpha' version of the Level 3 website was unveiled on 6 June 2009, with confirmation of a replacement co-host, Mick Levacsics, formerly of OzBoxLive Radio and currently host of Thumbpad Radio. Mick also provides the show with reviews of sports games. On 19 June, fellow Thumbpad contributor "Serblander" debuted on Level 3, serving as the show's new retro host. The following week, fellow Thumbpad contributor Kane joined Serblander in delivering that weeks retro segment.
2009 also saw the release of the show's 150th episode – which aired on 20 November 2009. With the release of this episode, Level 3 became the longest-running television show about video games to be created and aired in Australia.
2010
2010 has seen some huge changes happen to the show, as well as everything else surrounding the show. Following the announcement of Channel 31's acquisition of a digital license, production on Level 3 has ramped up to take advantage of the benefits of the new broadcasting standard. For starters – four new additions to the Level 3 were added during this time, Philby – who brings experience working with Channel 31 as well as other television shows; Donald, to help with the podcast; Megan, another member of Thumbpad to help cover PC & Wii titles – as well as any other titles; and Kirsty – to cover eSports, elements of gaming culture (such as Cosplay) and much more.Most of the major developments of 2010 came between the halfway and closing points of the year. The cast and crew took part in Monash University's Computer Games Boot Camp event from the 3–9 July, experimenting with livestreaming - to which the entire event was livestreamed. This would later help fuel the successor to the audio podcast - a weekly video livestream, which started on the 19th of September, 2010. Since then, the livestream has become a weekly staple for the Level 3 team, allowing for greater and much looser discussion than what the show could allow. In addition, it's been an avenue to livestream games of unique or unreleased nature. Several games that were played on the livestream before their official Australian releases were Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow; and has also been host to the earliest Australian footage of Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
keytar playing.
2011
For the year 2011, the goal of the team behind Level 3 was to continue to provide some of the best independent coverage of the Australian and international videogame industry, better utilizing the technology and experiences at their disposal. The year so far involved the team branching out to more events, covering local events such as the inaugural Melbourne Global Game JamGlobal Game Jam
The Global Game Jam is an annual event in which participants design and create digital and non-digital games over the course of one weekend. Inspired by the Nordic Game Jam, and organized by the International Game Developers Association...
and LEGO
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
convention Brickvention.
The team also debuted a brand-new Livestream channel, powered by website Livestream, which debuted proper with a live broadcast on ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all...
. The team has intended to use this new channel to not only provide more live original content, but also livestreaming of local events and as a video on demand service.
Jason O'Callaghan
Jason O'Callaghan was "discovered" behind the counter of the Sleazy Producer's favourite video store. Upon asking for an armful of "art films", he sensed the inner nerd that lay inside Jason. And a star was born. Jason's been in the industry in various forms for over 8 years, not to mention played games for 20 years. So his passion for the art has certainly been there.Jason O'Callaghan has remained one of the more prolific members of the Level 3 community, as known to post on a variety of popular messages boards, as well as the official Level 3 boards.
Mick Levacsics
While Mick Levacsics might not exactly be known to a television audience, he has been well-regarded as a long established member of the Australian podcasting scene. He made his podcasting debut on the Oz Box Live podcast, before leaving that in 2009 to start a brand-new general gaming podcast known as Thumbpad – which has become one of the more popular Australian gaming podcasts out there.On the show though, Mick has best described himself as "The Sam Newman" to Jason's Eddie McGuire, providing great commentary as the co-host of the show. When not co-hosting, though, Mick has also provided Level 3 viewers with reviews of sports games.
Dale Robinson
The creator of Level 3, Dale Robinson has been in the television industry for many years. It shows – he has handled a lot of the audio and video aspects of the show, filming, editing and delivering the show to Channel 31.Robinson best known as "The Drunken Editor", a reference to his love of drinking that somewhat does not affect his ability to cut together the show.
Jamie Galea
Before Jamie Galea made his television debut in late 2008, he was best known for more behind-the-scenes-type work. In this regard, he created the Level 3 forum, as well as created the Level 3 podcast, which has taken on a life on its own from there. Since September 2009 onwards, Jamie has made a much more frequent appearance on the show – most notably under the name of "Darth" – referring to his online handle "DarthHomer".Anna Dunne
Dunne made her first steps into the world of gaming by the green glow of an old Compaq and was initiated by the Scumm engine's adventures. Blessed by the powers of real time and the turn-based strategies of the late nineties, she has always had a soft spot for these two genres. Yet her true love is that of the RPG, specifically anything under the name of Bioware. She harbours a secret addiction to puzzle games, which began with Tetris and since has not stopped her from investing thousands of hours in matching shapes and colours. She also cannot coordinate a controller well, so seeing Anna Dunne online is rare sight indeed.Specifically, Anna Dunne has remained consistent in pursuing what she likes rather than what would make her specifically employable. Since leaving school, she had insisted on studying history and the Indonesian language and working in a variety of workplaces. But by far her work at Australian Gamer and now Level 3 have fulfilled her life to the point of happiness.
Tim Forster
The start of gaming for Tim Forster was his first game console at the age of 6, the SNES. Never playing anything more than Yoshi's Island on the SNES, he moved onto the N64, where he started to play more often, starting with Goldeneye. Soon after that, moving away from Nintendo, he purchased a PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, along with a copy of Grand Theft Auto 3. About 40 PS2 games later and playing Half Life 2 on the family PC, he was shown a marvelous piece of hardware by his cousin. Through the clear side panel of this beast of a machine, he saw the fluorescent coloured water flowing through the liquid cooling, the LED lights flashing and the glorious view of what PC gaming could achieve. Needless to say, Tim was in love, around a year later, on 9 January 2007, Tim had his very own, custom built PC. From that moment on, Tim has been a PC gamer, even though he still owns a PS3 and a 360. His only regret is not being a PC gamer in the glory days of PC gaming.
When Forster saw his first episode of Level 3, he saw Jason standing in a shower talking about Bioshock. After purchasing Bioshock on Jason's advice, he never missed another episode. Tim got very involved with the Level 3 community after winning tickets to the eGames expo, being the 4th person to sign up to the forums. When the call went out that Level 3 was looking for a PC games reviewer, Tim put his hand up, having no previous experience whatsoever. After a controversial first review of Dawn of War 2, Tim continues to strive to improve his reviewing skills.
Mark Szili
While Mark has not appeared on camera very much, he has played a huge role in the behind the scenes aspect of Level 3. He maintains the Level 3 website, ensures that episodes are uploaded to the Blip or YouTube accounts in a timely fashion (sometimes earlier than the actual broadcast!), and created and moderates on the Level 3 IRC channel – the only real form of communication between fans and the show before the forum was created. He's best known online as "Assimilator", a reference to the BorgBorg
Borg may refer to:* Borg * Borg means Castle in some Nordic languages.-Places:*Borg, Saarland, Germany*Borg á Mýrum, Iceland*Borg, Vestvågøy, Norway*Diocese of Borg, Norway*Borg Massif, Antarctica*Borg El Arab, Egypt...
from various Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
series.
Kane Taylor
Much like with Mick, Kane Taylor is better known from the world of podcasting – having worked with Mick on the Oz Box Live podcast. Not too long after Mick left Oz Box Live, Kane joined, forming yet another part of Thumbpad. On the show, Kane provides one half of the Weird & Retro team, yet there's still some deliberation as to whether or not he's either Weird or Retro.Taylor is also a huge retro gamer, famously declaring that he won't play anything made this century – exceptions being games like Forza Motorsport 3
Forza Motorsport 3
Forza Motorsport 3 is a racing video game developed for Xbox 360 by Turn 10 Studios. It was released in October . It is the sequel to Forza Motorsport 2 and the third installment in the Forza Motorsport series...
or Mass Effect
Mass Effect
Mass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in November 2007 published by Microsoft Game Studios...
. He also used to run a Gametraders
Gametraders
Gametraders is an Australian retailer of computer and video games, accessories, anime DVDs and toys. The company was founded in 2001 by Mark Langford, and they now have 32 stores across Australia after some store closures ....
store in the suburbs of Victoria, furthering his retro love. Some say he is at his most entertaining when you speak to him after he has been awake for over 24hrs
Aleksander "Serblander" Svetislav
Much like with Kane Taylor, Aleks Svetislav is not only a member of Thumbpad, but was brought to Level 3 thanks to Mick. Much like with Kane – Aleks is a huge retro gamer, with a passionate love of AtariAtari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
– specifically old Atari. He also co-hosts the Weird & Retro segment of Level 3, and again, there's still some deliberation as to whether or not Aleks is either Weird or Retro.
Another fact about Aleks Svetislav is that he is also the number one Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
gamer in Australia – having the most Gamescore points from downloaded Xbox Live Arcade titles.
Donald Duong
Also a graduate of a SYN FM production, Donald Duong previously hosted a radio show about video games known as "Single Player". After hearing his talents (as well as being interviewed by him), both Jason and Jamie came to the conclusion that he's a talented individual who could help out with the show. Don's contributions are currently helping out with the podcast, as well as providing feature articles for the site.Megan Webber
Much like with Kane Taylor and Aleks Svetislav, Megan Webber also joined Level 3 via Mick. She's not only one of the latest members of Thumbpad, but also one of the latest reviewers on the show – debuting with a review of New Super Mario Bros. Megan aims to bring in more focus on the Wii and PC in any future reviews and segments.Kirsty Sculler
The latest addition to Level 3 is a well-known entity to Melbourne gamers alike – cosplaying as Princess Daisy, and appearing at various Nintendo AustraliaNintendo Australia
Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd. established in 1994, located in Victoria is Australia's local head office, sales, licensing and distribution centre for products and other Intellectual Properties created by Nintendo Co., Ltd of Kyoto, Japan and is owned by Nintendo Co., Ltd in Japan. Prior distribution...
promotional events. Kirsty Sculler will be delivering eSports updates to the Level 3 audience, as well as provide pieces on gaming culture, and maybe even a review or two.
Jamie McDonald
One of three debuting hosts, Jamie McDonald made his mark as the shows resident "Sony fanboy", loving each and everything Sony did, even if it was for the best or worst. But by the end of his run on the show, Jamie made it known that he owned all three major consoles – even reviewing a few Xbox 360 and Wii exclusive games.Jamie McDonald has been probably best known for his appearance on the 2007 season of Big Brother Australia, allowing the entire nation to fall in love with the former singing waiter from Ballarat.
The Weird Kidd (Keith Murray)
The Weird Kidd...the most mysterious member of the Level 3 crew, shows up in the most random and surprising locations...and that's about all that anyone really knows about him...except for his freakish gaming skills (such as killing the Licker from Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
with only a knife.)
But in reality, Keith Murray helps out behind the scenes by either appearing in reviews, or acquiring game footage played during reviews, and much more... and he has a Working with Children certificate.