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This hockey lover from Riverview, New Brunswick, is an avid mountain biker and loves his Jeep and Xbox 360 – check out his license plates! He also runs Xbox360Asylum.com. Say hello to Thryon!

Jade:  I’ve been wondering, how did you come up with your Gamertag?

Thryon: Thryon is the name I gave a superhero I created back when I was nine. He was a human that got abducted by aliens and implanted with a virus that caused him to mutate and become exceptionally strong. The name itself comes from Homer's Iliad. It was one of the Kingdoms of Ancient Greece. I just like the way the name sounded.

Jade: Your wife (who nominated you for this Gamer Spotlight!) tells me you've got quite the Xbox 360 collection. What's your gaming set up like?

Thryon: She keeps telling me I have enough games already ... I don't agree. I currently own three Xbox 360 consoles: a Pro, an Elite and a Halo 3 console. I own over 180 retail titles and another 75+ Xbox Live Arcade titles. Most of my gaming is done on my 51" HDTV, but some games (like BioShock) had to be experienced on my HD projector with 106" screen. Sound is a very important part of any game, and my THX 7.1 surround sound setup ensures I don’t miss a single note. My wife plays on her console (the Elite, I use the Halo 3 one), with a 5.1 surround sound setup on a 22” widescreen LCD monitor. This is fine, as she only plays NHL 08.

Jade: Wow! When did you get your first Xbox? Xbox 360?

Thryon: I purchased my first Xbox back in 2004. I remember I bought the console because I was getting disgruntled with PC gaming. It was a constant battle to get games to play acceptably on my widescreen TV. While the original Xbox console was great, it wasn’t ready to replace the computer as my main gaming platform. Then I started to follow the development of Microsoft’s “Xenon” ...

I pre-ordered my Xbox 360 the day after the official announcement was made on MTV. At the time there was no release date or price set. I proceeded to spend the next six months driving the poor staff at my local EB Games crazy. On launch day, I picked up my Xbox 360 console, along with several games, an extra controller and a LIVE membership. I haven’t looked at any other platform since.

Jade: You've really been busy building up the Xbox 360 community out east with your gaming club and e-zine. Tell us all a bit about them! How did you get them started and what are you planning for the future?

Thryon: When the Xbox 360 was announced, I quickly became the local expert on everything and anything Xbox 360 related – the go-to guy for answers. This is when I decided to start producing my own e-zine called "The Asylum." (It was the name of an old PC gaming club I started back in the mid ‘90s.) Each issue of “The Asylum” was about 10-12 pages long and included news articles, game and hardware reviews, and tips on everything from how to use console features to the best way to setup your home theatre for optimal sound and picture quality.

Since the best part of having an Xbox 360 is Xbox Live and playing with friends, I decided to resurrect "The Asylum" gaming club to ensure that they would always have someone fun to play with.

Last winter I also realized that my little e-zine was not going to be sufficient anymore to provide news and information to club members – there is just way more news and way more games now! I set up http://www.xbox360asylum.com as a clubhouse for Asylum members. There are already plenty of great websites with all the latest news on Xbox 360, but none of these sites focused on Canada and the important contributions Canadians make to the gaming world. I wanted to make sure that my site would clearly demonstrate games and technologies that are Canadian. I started to place a little red maple leaf next to each Canadian-developed game, technology or game developer. It is amazing to see how many red maple leafs pepper the website at any given time!

Jade: You sound like quite the Xbox 360 "Ambassador" – what are some of the things you do to help friends get into the game?

Thryon: *laughs* I’ve been called that many times. The first thing I did as self-appointed ambassador was try to introduce the Xbox 360 to as many friends as possible. I understood from the start that the Xbox 360 was different not because of the great graphics, but because of Xbox Live, and the community it would spawn.  I wanted to help build this community.

The first thing I did is get personalized plates for my Jeep that read XBOX360. It turned out to be quite the attention getter! I often have people looking over, taking pictures or just coming to talk to me to find out if I am the Xbox rep for the area. I always have a good laugh and just tell 'em I am a huge fan.

Then I started holding "Xbox 360 & BBQ" parties several times a year. It was a great way to introduce newcomers to the console. Guys are always drawn to the action games, but women seem to prefer Scene It? (This is where having multiple consoles really come in handy.)

Not too long ago, along with fellow gamer and long time friend Dalamornight, I organized the first East Coast Xbox Live “Meet & Eat.” We held it at a local pub and opened it up to anyone in the Xbox community. It was a blast! Everyone had fun playing Rock Band and getting to know other Xbox Live gamers from the area.

When friends purchase an Xbox 360, I’ll pop over to help them set up the console and show them how to get the most out of their new “toy.” I connect the console to Live and help the happy new owner set up an account and get their free trial Gold membership. Once they’re connected, I add myself as a friend – this way, right from the start they’ll always have someone to play with and/or message if they have questions.

Jade: Next time I’m in Riverview, NB, I’ll be sure to stop in for one of your barbeques – btw, I like my steak medium rare. ;) What are some of your favourite Xbox 360 games?

Thryon: There are so many great games ... let me think. So far, I would say my favourites games are Mass Effect, Halo 3, Gears of War, Crackdown and Dead Rising ... oh, and Oblivion.

Jade: What Xbox 360 games you are most looking forward to?

Thryon: I’m looking forward to many games, including (but not limited to) Mass Effect 2 and 3, Gears of War 2, Halo Wars, Fable 2, Too Human, NHL 09,  Fallout 3,  Alan Wake, Duke Nukem Forever (I want to believe), LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Batman, Ghostbusters, Left 4 Dead and any game with Tom Clancy as part of the title.

Jade: And what's your favourite game of all time?

Thryon: Wow, favourite game of all time. I’ve been playing games for over 25 years, so picking one game is quite difficult. The answer would have to be Diablo II. I must have wasted a good year of my life playing that game. I hope they never release Diablo III, as I don’t think my marriage could handle it.

Jade: Can you share a memorable/favourite Xbox LIVE moment?

Thryon: There have been many great moments, most of them playing co-op games such as Gears of War, Army of Two or Rainbow Six Vegas 2, but my personal favourite was playing Halo 3 with 15 close friends.

A non-gaming “favourite moment” was when my very good friend, BigMars72, moved away to Montréal, but thanks to Xbox Live and the Vision camera, we are able to chat face-to-face for the first time in years.

Jade: What Xbox 360 Achievement do you have on your record that you are the most proud of?

Thryon: I have to say that the Achievement I remember most is my very first one. I was playing King Kong and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I got a glorious pop-up that indicated "Achievement Unlocked." I was so excited to see that single pop-up. I quickly found that the excitement level of seeing those little pop-up messages never faded. I’m now an Achievement junkie with over 2500 different Achievements to my name, and I still get excited to see and hear those pop-ups.

Jade: And when you’re not playing Xbox 360 ... what's your favourite TV show? Movie?

Thryon: I don’t watch much TV – we don’t even have cable at home. But I do own all 10 seasons of The Simpsons that has been released so far, so I would say that’s my favourite TV show. That and Hockey Night In Canada, of course.

While I don’t watch much TV, I am a movie buff. I watch two or three movies a week and have a collection of favourites such as Terminator 2, the Matrix trilogy, Batman Begins, Spider-Man 1 and 2 (but not 3,) and The Incredibles. But my all-time favourites would have to be Peter Jackson’s Lord of The Rings trilogy. Once a year, I’ll watch the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy, extended editions, back-to-back-to-back. It’s a 10+ hour marathon!

Jade: If you were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would you bring with you?

Thryon: One duffle bag filled with a portable Xbox console (make it happen, Microsoft!), a lifetime supply of batteries, a huge collection of games, a satellite uplink and plenty of snacks. I guess it would be one very large duffle bag.

Jade: Anything else that you'd like to share?

Thryon: I really like the title Ambassador *hint* *hint*