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Interview with Bill Wagner, Sportswriter at The Game Haus
We at Dreamscape can never predict the amount of support we will receive. A recent successful fundraiser, hosted by Sierra, MissSunshyne, was a mix of effort and passion! After raising a whopping $2,000 for Anita Rutland, we saw an influx of what we like to call “Sharing The Dream”. This is how we connected with Bill Wagner, one of our donors during the event, and an online journalist who writes for The Game Haus. We reached out to Bill to learn more about his interesting background.
What is The Game Haus?
Sports and Video Games draw similarities because they both come down to the same question: ‘Do you enjoy the competition?’ That’s where The Game Haus comes, to bridge the gap. TGH was established to provide viewers & readers with an unbiased outlook on everything sports while providing facts that you normally wouldn’t find anywhere else. With the help of skilled and passionate journalists like Bill, TGH is able to provide the most live story developments in both sports and eSports. (Video Game Competitions) To give you a better idea to what types of news they report on, just check out some recent headlines: Overwatch League All-Stars, Pokemon: Metagame Analysis, Timberwolves Begin Coach Search and 2019 NBA Draft Lottery Results. That’s just the start! No matter your preference, there is content there for everybody. From podcasts and interviews to articles and video clips, they have reported on everything!
What does a Sportswriter know about Video Games?
We can all agree Bill has a long history in the world of sports but what makes him a credible video game reporter? This story hits closer to home for the journalist. Wagner has always played games, here and there when he could, but when he and his son went to Twitchcon together, it changed his entire perspective. It started as an excuse to spend more time with his son, and they both enjoy their shared interest. Bill reminisced when they used to play old Gameboy games together, collecting all of the Pokemon. While at Twitchcon together, they came across the game Destiny 2 and downloaded the loot-shooter game once back at home. It wasn’t until Bill’s son decided to buy him new downloadable content to play together, that Bill realized he had a new way to bond with his son.
His interest started booming as a writer when he decided to go to the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) 2017. (A video game tournament held in Las Vegas, NV every year) While there, Wagner piqued an interest in content creating but did not really know where to start. One thing he did realize, was that eSports needed more content. While he still struggles with speaking, he shares that “there is more than one way to tell a story.” Bill uses his strengths in writing, along with experience in video editing to avert his weakness. He focuses only on his strengths so that quality content will consistently surface. When visiting Las Vegas, he decided to interview as many people as he could, some streaming on his Twitter. Using the interviews as resources, he gathered a few articles sharing what he deems Good Stories! That type of confidence and resourcefulness is one reason why The Game Haus has Bill on board!
What started off as a small idea, has now attracted global attention. Today, Bill can say “I do mean world… I’ve talked to people in Zambia, Russia, China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil” Wagner continues, “We just talk about who they are and what they do, gaming and all that.”
Your Background is Everything
We noticed when speaking with Bill, that he is a person who follows his dreams, no matter where they may take them. Graduating college in 1995, Bill went on to work retail for a handful of years, shortly thereafter becoming a Blackjack Dealer. During this time, the now video game journalist also began working part-time as an umpire in Softball, Basketball, and Soccer. At the moment, Bill’s main focus is his work as a writer and interviewer for The Game Haus.
One of Bill’s favorite moments came April 26, in 2008. The game Wagner was umpiring was a Fastpitch Softball game near his house, Central Washington University against Western Oregon. The sequence of events started when Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon hit her very first career home run. The story goes: In the excitement, Tucholsky missed first base. The first base coach yells at her to turn around and touch the base. In that moment, Sara’s knee twisted so uncomfortably that she tore her ACL. Any sports fan can tell you that this injury could be a career end-er. Not being able to get up to finish her run around the bases, Sara must have thought she couldn’t finish the home run. This is when two players from Central Washington picked up the seriously-injured girl to help carry her around the bases. They made sure to touch her healthy leg on each base, so that Tucholsky can finish her first career home run.
As the official umpire of the game, Bill was caught off guard. “What should I do?” he thought, “I guess this is okay, I don’t see anything wrong about this.” Bill’s spur of the moment thought process let this beautiful moment happen. The video eventually went so viral, that Bill got interviewed by Sports Illustrated! Wagner states that this moment was, “the greatest show of sportsmanship ever displayed.” We couldn’t agree more!
Bill repeats that the fun of friendly competition has helped him in ways he could never imagine. Living most of his life with a speech impediment, he had a hard time communicating early on. During his time umpiring, he found some interactions difficult, especially when he needed to communicate with coaches and players. After some time though, Bill explained that he has “picked up some tools on how to deal with it on an effective basis.” He went on to say, “The funny thing about all that is when I’m on the court or field I really don’t have a problem!” His passion for the game partnered with the fast-paced tempo keeps Bill focused and acting upon instinct while minimizing the effects of his speech impediment.
In conclusion, Bill is someone who loves what he does. Despite his speech impediment, he does not let anything stop him from who he wants to be. Whether that be a loving father, a game journalist, or a passionate sports official. You are in control of your destiny!
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