James Stephanie Sterling

Last updated

James Stephanie Sterling
Personal information
Born
Erith, London, England [1]
Occupation(s) Video game critic, web video producer, livestreamer, professional wrestler
YouTube information
Also known asCommander Sterling
Channel
Years active2006–present
GenreVideo game industry journalism
Subscribers747 thousand [2]
Total views552 million [2]
Associated acts Laura Kate Dale
Last updated: 31 May 2024

James Stephanie Sterling, [3] also known as Commander Sterling and formerly known as Jim Sterling, is an English-American freelance video game journalist, critic, pundit, YouTuber, and professional wrestler. Before becoming independent in September 2014, she [lower-alpha 1] was the review editor for Destructoid , [5] and an author for The Escapist . [6] Sterling is noted as one of the main examples of a YouTuber achieving success through crowdfunding. [7]

Contents

Career

Video game critic

Sterling presents The Jimquisition, a weekly YouTube video series in which she discusses current issues surrounding video games, often involving consumer protection and ethics in the video game industry. The series originated on Destructoid's YouTube channel and was later moved to The Escapist 's channel, before being released on Sterling's own channel. Her main gameplay series are "Jimpressions" and "Squirty Play", where she discussed her impressions of a recently released video game while showing her own pre-recorded gameplay. She has often spoken against sexism in gaming, and has been open about the fact that her position on this subject has slowly evolved. [8]

In November 2014, Sterling announced that she was leaving The Escapist and intended to seek funding for her work independently through Patreon. On a 2020 episode of The Jimquisition, she stated that she had departed The Escapist after the publication had refused to publish her negative review of Assassin's Creed Unity , citing that parent company Defy Media was afraid of damaging any sponsorship opportunities with Ubisoft. [9] [10] Sterling also stated her desire to go back to writing articles and recording podcasts, which she was not able to do since leaving Destructoid. [11] She currently maintains her own website, The Jimquisition, in addition to producing a podcast titled "Podquisition", which is shared with fellow British game journalist and founding host, Laura Kate Dale. [3] [11] The third founding member/co-host, Irish musician Gavin Dunne, had his final permanent appearance on episode 250, leaving to pursue a musical career. [3] [12] [13] Gavin was replaced on episode 251 with Conrad Zimmerman, who had previously worked alongside Sterling at Destructoid. [3] [14] [15] [16]

In March 2016, Digital Homicide Studios filed a lawsuit against Sterling, seeking $10 million in damages for "assault, libel, and slander", [17] [18] following Sterling's negative review of their first game The Slaughtering Grounds. [19] Sterling further accused Digital Homicide Studios of deleting negative feedback of the game on its Steam review page, and banning users who criticized it. [19] The lawsuit was raised to $15 million, before it was eventually dismissed with prejudice in late February 2017. [20]

Sterling has been credited with coining the term "chungus", which would later be part of the name of the "Big Chungus" meme. Sterling started using the term as early as 2012 on her channel in a variety of unrelated contexts with different meanings for humorous effect. [21] She was also credited with coining "asset flip" in 2015. [22]

Wrestling

Sterling wrestles under the name Commander Sterling. [23] Sterling initially became involved in wrestling as a joke, appearing as a character called Sterdust, parodying Cody Rhodes' character Stardust, [24] later appearing as a heel manager, before taking up wrestling herself, also as a heel. [9] She has wrestled for promotions including Pro Wrestling EGO, Ryse Wrestling, BadBoys Wrestling (BBW), and the PolyAm Cult Party. [24] She co-founded and runs wrestling promotion Spectrum Wrestling.[ citation needed ]

Voice actor & video game writer

Sterling joined the writing team for Vampire Survivors in 2022, writing the game bestiary. [25] She has also provided voices for Jazzpunk , We Happy Few , 2064: Read Only Memories , Volume , The Charnel House Trilogy, Lorelai and Oddworld: Soulstorm . [26]

Reception

In 2011 Sterling was featured in a list of "the 25 raddest game journalists to follow on Twitter" by Complex. [27] She has developed into a controversial figure in the world of video game journalism, particularly for her criticisms of industry practices and focus on consumer protection. [7] [28] Fans of some highly anticipated games, including No Man's Sky [29] and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , [30] have launched DDoS attacks against Sterling's website following reviews that were believed to be insufficiently positive. [31] [32]

Sterling's views on art games have been criticized by Spelunky creator Derek Yu. In 2014, Yu compared Sterling's view to that of art critic Louis Leroy writing in 1874 of a Claude Monet painting which Leroy criticized for being unfinished, while the style of painting would later become a major art style. [33]

Personal life

Sterling was born in London, England, where she said she lived near the poverty line for much of her childhood. [34] In a video from November 2015, Sterling stated (while talking about the polyamorous relationship options in Fallout 4 ) that she was "not a monogamous guy, nor [...] a straight one either." [35] She is openly pansexual and queer. [36] [37] In June 2020, she became a naturalized United States citizen. [38] In August 2020, Sterling came out as non-binary. [39] Sterling uses she/them pronouns. [4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sterling identifies as a transfem and uses both she/her and they/them pronouns. [4] This article uses she/her pronouns for consistency.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Zelda</span> Video game character

Princess Zelda is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the original 1986 game The Legend of Zelda. As one of the central characters in the series, she has appeared in the majority of the games in various incarnations. Zelda is the elf-like Hylian princess of the kingdom of Hyrule, an associate of the series protagonist Link, and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cliff Bleszinski</span> American video game designer

Cliff Bleszinski, popularly known as CliffyB, is an American video game designer, known for his work on the Unreal and Gears of War series while at Epic Games. After leaving Epic in 2012, he co-founded Boss Key Productions in 2014 which closed in 2018 after the commercial failure of the multiplayer shooter LawBreakers. Since Boss Key's closure, Bleszinski has spent his time with theater and writing.

<i>The Escapist</i> (magazine) American video game magazine

The Escapist is an American video game website and online magazine. First published as a weekly online magazine by Themis Media on July 12, 2005, The Escapist eventually pivoted to a traditional web journalism format. In 2018, Escapist Magazine launched Volume Two, a rehauled website in conjunction with its purchase by Enthusiast Gaming. The site name reverted to The Escapist in April 2020. Gamurs Group acquired the site in September 2022. The company's entire video production team resigned to form Second Wind in November 2023 after editor-in-chief Nick Calandra was fired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zelda Williams</span> American actress and director (born 1989)

Zelda Rae Williams is an American actress, director, producer, and writer. She is the daughter of late actor Robin Williams and film producer Marsha Garces Williams. As a voice actress, she is best known for voicing Kuvira in the Nickelodeon series The Legend of Korra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yahtzee Croshaw</span> British video game journalist and author (born 1983)

Benjamin Richard "Yahtzee" Croshaw is a British journalist, video game critic, author, comedian, humourist, video game developer, and audiobook narrator. He is best known for his video game review series Zero Punctuation, which he produced for The Escapist from 2007 to 2023, and its spiritual successor Fully Ramblomatic, which he releases through Second Wind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Fitzgerald</span> Canadian voice actress

Erin Fitzgerald is a Canadian voice actress who provides voice-overs for a number of cartoons, video games and English language dubs of Japanese anime. In animation, she voices Raven Queen in Ever After High and C.A. Cupid in both Monster High and Ever After High. In recent roles she voices Bo and other characters in the American children's educational show Ask the StoryBots on Netflix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cristina Vee</span> American voice actress (born 1987)

Cristina Danielle Valenzuela, known professionally as Cristina Vee, is an American voice actress. She provides voices for English dubs of anime, animation, and video games.

Lisa Renee Foiles Cloninger is an American actress, presenter, video game journalist, model and author, who first came to prominence as a cast member of the Nickelodeon series All That, later voicing Jocelyn the Intern in the web series Desk of Death Battle, Death Battle, and DBX.

<i>Destructoid</i> Video game news website

Destructoid is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund McMillen</span> American video game designer and artist

Edmund Charles McMillen is an American video game designer and artist. He is known for his Adobe Flash games with unconventional visual styles. His works include 2010's side-scroller Super Meat Boy, 2011's roguelike game The Binding of Isaac, and its 2014 remake The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.

<i>Amy</i> (video game) 2012 video game

Amy is a survival horror stealth video game, released in 2012, developed by VectorCell and published by Lexis Numérique. Amy depicts the journey of Amy, an autistic child with supernatural powers, and her protector Lana. In a city suffering from a zombie-type infection which Amy is immune to, Lana must stay near her young charge, for frequent healing, while protecting her from the infected, and the Phoenix Foundation who hopes to exploit her. Amy received negative critical reviews, due to its technical issues, controls, voice-acting, and game design, although a few felt it offered some unique gameplay ideas.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</i> 2017 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U. Set at the end of the Zelda timeline, the player controls an amnesiac Link as he sets out to save Princess Zelda and prevent Calamity Ganon from destroying the world. Players explore the open world of Hyrule while they collect items and complete objectives such as puzzles or side quests. Breath of the Wild's world is unstructured and encourages exploration and experimentation; the story can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.

<i>Lollipop Chainsaw</i> 2012 video game

Lollipop Chainsaw is a 2012 action-adventure hack-and-slash video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture. A collaboration between game designer Goichi Suda and filmmaker James Gunn, the game was published in Japan by Kadokawa Games and internationally by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashly Burch</span> American voice actress and television writer (born 1990)

Ashly Burch is an American actress, writer, director, and singer. She is known for her roles as Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, Chloe Price in the Life Is Strange series, Ray in Fortnite, Mel in The Last of Us Part II, Miss Pauling in Team Fortress 2, Tiny Tina in the Borderlands series, the web series Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?, Enid from OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Molly from The Ghost and Molly McGee, Ash Graven from Final Space, Cassie Rose from Minecraft: Story Mode and the Rutile Twins from Steven Universe.

<i>Hyrule Warriors</i> 2014 video game

Hyrule Warriors is a 2014 hack and slash game developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, mixing settings and characters from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda with the gameplay of Koei's Dynasty Warriors series. Hyrule Warriors was released in Japan in August 2014, and worldwide the following month. It became one of the best-selling games on the Wii U. An updated port, Hyrule Warriors Legends, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in January 2016 and worldwide in March of the same year. A second enhanced port, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. A successor, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, was released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in November 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital Homicide Studios</span> American video game developer

Digital Homicide Studios L.L.C. was an American video game developer based in Yuma, Arizona. James and Robert Romine founded the company in 2014 and released poorly received games in quick succession. The studio produced roughly sixty games until September 2016, including The Slaughtering Grounds, Temper Tantrum, and Galactic Hitman. The Slaughtering Grounds, Digital Homicide Studios's best-known title, was released via Steam in October 2014. James Stephanie Sterling's criticism of the game led to a dispute with Digital Homicide Studios and eventually a lawsuit by James Romine against Sterling. Romine also filed a lawsuit against 100 anonymous Steam users in September 2016, accusing them of harassment. In response to the latter, Valve removed all Digital Homicide Studios games from Steam, which Romine stated "destroyed" the studio by October 2016. He subsequently withdrew the lawsuit, while that against Sterling was dismissed with prejudice in February 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alanah Pearce</span> Australian video game writer and journalist (born 1993)

Alanah Pearce is an Australian video game writer and former journalist. Since 2020, Pearce has worked for American game developer Santa Monica Studio.

References

  1. ↑ Sterling, Jim (11 April 2012). "Beautifully bleak, a quasi-defense of "dark and gritty" games". gamefront.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 "About Jim Sterling". YouTube.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Fennimore, Jack (26 January 2021). "Jim Sterling: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy . Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 Sterling, Jim. "Commander Sterling (@JimSterling)". Twitter. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Jim Sterling prevails in his lawsuit with Digital Homicide". Destructoid. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  6. ↑ "Jim Sterling Legacy Author, Author at The Escapist". The Escapist. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  7. 1 2 Davis, Hubert (25 February 2020). "Jim Sterling – The YouTuber Standing Up To Game Industry Greed". ScreenRant. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  8. ↑ wundergeek (21 June 2013). "An interview with Jim Sterling about sexism in game culture". GamingAsWomen. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Jim Sterling: From 'Pathetic Edgelord' To YouTube's 'Princess Of Pansexual Pandemonium'". Kotaku. 9 February 2022.
  10. ↑ Sterling, Jim (20 July 2020). "Ubisoft Spent Years Protecting Mental And Physical Abusers (The Jimquisition)". YouTube. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  11. 1 2 Tassi, Paul (15 November 2014). "Examining Jim Sterling's Grand Experiment To Create Video Game Journalism Utopia". Forbes . Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  12. ↑ Dunne, Gavin (20 September 2019). "A fond farewell to Podquisition <3". patreon . Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  13. ↑ Podquisition 250: Miracle Of Sound , retrieved 7 November 2020
  14. ↑ "An unlikely pairing has given birth to Plague Road". 14 January 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  15. ↑ Podquisition 251: Naruto Honk , retrieved 7 November 2020
  16. ↑ "About". Conrad Zimmerman dot com. 14 July 2014. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  17. ↑ Patrick Klepek (17 March 2016). "Angered Game Developer Sues Critic Jim Sterling For $10 Million". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  18. ↑ Chris Carter (17 March 2016). "Indie developer Digital Homicide sues Jim Sterling". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  19. 1 2 Sterling, Jim (10 November 2014). "The Slaughtering Grounds: A Steam Meltdown Story". The Escapist . Defy Media. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  20. ↑ Ibrahim, Mona (2 March 2017). "Jim Sterling was sued for making fun of a game, and it was a bad idea". Polygon. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  21. ↑ Valens, Ana (13 February 2019). "Big Chungus is the last great meme of 2018—and it could only appear during the holidays". The Daily Dot.
  22. ↑ White, Kaila. "Free speech or criminal harassment? Arizona game maker sues online commenters for $18M". The Arizona Republic.
  23. ↑ Bell, Brian C. (28 June 2021). "Ryse Wrestling removes announcers after misgendering talent". Outsports.
  24. 1 2 Fennimore, Jack (1 May 2017). "Jim Sterling: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".
  25. ↑ Troughton, James (20 December 2022). "Vampire Survivors' Giovanna Is Trans". TheGamer. ValNet. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  26. ↑ "ABOUT". The Jimquisition. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  27. ↑ Dyer, Mitch (21 October 2011). "The 25 Raddest Games Journalists To Follow on Twitter". Complex. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  28. ↑ Gonzalez, Oscar (22 March 2010). "Jim Sterling: His Controversial Yet Accurate Views". Original Gamer. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  29. ↑ James Sterling. "No Man's Site". The Jimquisition. The Jimquistion. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  30. ↑ Donnellan, Jimmy (13 March 2017). "Jim Sterling Angers Zelda Fans With "Negative" 7/10 Breath of the Wild Review". Cultured Vultures. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  31. ↑ Driver, Ben. "Jim Sterling's site under attack after giving The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild a 7/10". VG247. Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  32. ↑ Bishop, Sam (13 March 2017). "Jim Sterling's site receives DDoS attacks after Zelda review". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  33. ↑ Yu, Derek (19 February 2010). "To Jim Sterling, Who Hates Art Games". TIGSource. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  34. ↑ "The Beginner's Guide Review – The Hardest Word | The Jimquisition". www.thejimquisition.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  35. ↑ Fallout 4's S.P.E.C.I.A.L Relationships (The Jimquisition). 9 November 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016– via YouTube.
  36. ↑ Sterling, Jim [@jimsterling] (23 September 2019). "I used to identify as bi before I realized the whole pan thing applied to me so much more..." (Tweet). Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2020– via Twitter.
  37. ↑ Sterling, Jim [@jimsterling] (17 May 2019). "Anyway, as an openly queer wearer of corseted hats, I do declare that homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia all smell of poo and wee. #IDAHOBIT" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020– via Twitter.
  38. ↑ Sterling, Jim [@jimsterling] (29 June 2020). "The job is done, a citizen I am, and I have a flag to prove it" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020– via Twitter.
  39. ↑ Sterling, Jim [@jimsterling] (25 August 2020). "I am non-binary pansexual gendertrash. I like all pronouns. I haven't been this comfortable with myself before. Ever." (Tweet). Archived from the original on 25 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020– via Twitter.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.