About Us

Anthony Dickens

Founder & CEO

Anthony launched Nintendo Life in late 2005 and has remained at the helm ever since. He loves Nintendo but sometimes gets confused and tells everyone that F-Zero X is the best game. We've tried getting him help, but alas...

Growing up in the 1990's he developed a passion for video games by playing Game Boy, Super Nintendo and PC games. With a keen interest in the Internet and IT he fell in love with software development and programming, becoming a professional website developer in the early 2000s.

Anthony honed his craft as a developer and was director of the website development company Cuttlefish for nearly 15 years before shifting his sole focus to Hookshot's family of websites, Nintendo Life, Push Square and Pure Xbox.

Today, Anthony is both the Founder & CEO of Hookshot but also its lead developer and continues to develop the bespoke CMS that sits under the family of websites.

More recently, Anthony helped conceptualise and launch Hookshot's latest website, Time Extension along with Damien McFerran.

Damien McFerran

Editorial Director

Damien has been writing professionally about tech and video games since 2007 and oversees all of Hookshot Media's sites from an editorial perspective. He's also the editor of Time Extension, the network's newest site, which – paradoxically – is all about gaming's past glories.

I've been gaming since the late '80s (Atari ST for life!) and my first console was the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis – I've been something of a Sega fanboy ever since. I began my career in video games writing for magazines and websites such as Retro Gamer, Pocket Gamer and GamesTM, before shifting to a full time role on the Hookshot Media network as Editorial Director.

Experience

Damien began his professional journalistic career with Retro Gamer magazine and has since written for Pocket Gamer, Eurogamer, CNET, Red Bull Gaming, SFX Magazine and many other clients within the tech and video game industries.

As a co-founder, Damien has been with Hookshot Media from the very beginning, holding various positions prior to his current role as Editorial Director. He was the Editor on Nintendo Life for more than one period during this time, and is currently the Editor of Time Extension.

Damien’s work on Time Extension sees him covering all aspects of the site’s retro gaming brief, including news, reviews, guides and features.

I love sharing new and old stories about the vibrant history of video games

Timeline

• 2010: Co-founds Hookshot Media, assuming the role of Editorial Director
• 2012: Editor of Nintendo Life
• 2022: Editor of Time Extension

Qualifications & Awards

• BA (Hons) Multimedia Design (2002)

Expertise

Damien’s first game system was an Atari ST, followed by the life-changing Mega Drive! Since then he’s owned pretty much every major gaming system and handheld to hit the market.

Damien’s favourite all-time console is the Sega Mega Drive. Not only was it his first console, it also introduced him to the world of Japanese import video games and arcade-perfect coin-op conversions. If he could only take one system with him to a desert island, it would be the Mega Drive.

My favourite genre? Probably shmups, followed by arcade-style fighting games. I don't have much spare time for gaming these days, so when I play for pleasure, I like games I can quickly jump into for a short period!

Damien’s Favourite Games

• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
• Warsong / Langrisser
• Elden Ring

From the Archive

We asked Damien to pick out his three favourite pieces of work from across his personal archive, and tell us why he picked them!

The Making Of: GameFan Magazine - Drugged Coffee, Pirated Games And Empty Bank Accounts

I love doing deep-dive pieces into the history of the magazines and publications that inspired me, and this one was one of the most fun.

The 'Kawaii' Is A Nintendo Wii The Size Of A Keychain

Seeing modern-day hackers take old tech and repurpose it for a new generation is one of the most fascinating aspects of working on Time Extension, and it was encouraging to see the reaction to this news article when it went live.

Feature: How Rik Mayall Helped Bring Anarchy To Nintendo UK

Rik was one of my heroes growing up, so it was humbling to be able to speak to some of the people who worked with him in this tribute piece, which was recently republished to mark the tenth anniversary of his tragic passing.

Darren Calvert

Operations Director

Growing up with a ZX Spectrum and a Sega Master System and his exhaustive knowledge in the fields of SEO and digital marketing, Darren's organisational prowess helps steer Hookshot's portfolio in the right direction.

Darren has previously worked for companies such as Nokia, as well as a diverse range of high-profile clients.

Rupert Loman-West

Chair

Rupert founded Eurogamer with his brother Nick in 1999 and was pivotal in establishing the site as one of the world’s leading authorities on all aspects of video gaming. Eurogamer’s parent company Gamer Network also ran sites such as Rock Paper Shotgun, GamesIndustry.biz and VG247, and popular gaming conventions such as EGX and Rezzed.