When initially describing GameSparked as a dating site for people who play video games, Mat Paget is quick to clarify what the website offers.
While some people may interpret that to mean connecting people who play video games with others just like them, that is not the goal.
“Our goal is to connect people with exactly what they do for hours and hours and hours,” the 19-year-old explained.
“And that is video games.”
Back in October, Paget helped launch GameSparked. In that time, it has surpassed more than 10,000 hits. They are hoping to unveil the full website — right now it is a blog — in the next few months.
The idea for GameSparked formed about 18 months ago and is the brainchild of Paget and his friend, Damian Turner, who is also 19.
The designer is anothe friend, Nick Dodd, who is from New Westminster, but works in Langley.
Avid video game players themselves, the local pair — Paget attended Langley Secondary and Turner went to Lord Tweedsmuir — found a common theme when talking to other gamers online: people were always looking for recommendations on what they should play next.
So they launched GameSparked.
Their mission statement is Connecting the Things that Matter.
Games can be connected in a multitude of ways, some of which include genre and theme.
The website also offers game reviews, news, features and trailers of soon to be released games.
They also currently offer audio podcasts on their blog and video podcasts should be coming in the very near future.
The podcasts discuss current happenings in the video gaming industry.
GameSparked employs 10, but also works similar to the website Wikipedia, where users can sign up and contribute content to the website.
While Paget — who is currently attending the Langley Education Centre — hopes to study journalism at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, but for the time being, he is doing exactly what he loves to do.
“We are big on the industry as a whole,” Paget explained.
“Not just the games themselves, I just love the industry and all the crazy stuff that comes out of it, the improvement.
“It is all very fascinating.”
And they also don’t see a decline coming anytime soon in the video game industry, which continues to rise rapidly.
“It is rapidly growing ... and (the Lower Mainland) is one of the top areas for video game development in the world.”
For more, visit www.gamesparked.blogspot.com.